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You might be right..Or it might be my ignorance in trying to care for him..If he's still with me in the morning, I'm going to do a few things differently and see if he improves..I already told him if he can never walk or hop again, if he will just get healthier again, I'll just carry him around with me a lot.. He won't have to just lay in one place all day every day..
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Wow, so I hate to think how much you even paid for that vet's "advice". Bless you for trying! I'm a bit upset that you tried and the help you were given was just not very helpful. If i sound upset in this post know that I am, but NOT at ALL at you. Not one little even teensy bit. I love you to bits for trying to help your rooster. Honestly I think you had more good sense than your well-meaning vet did. I hope I can help you help him.
Just so you'll know - birds are way better at being down than they are being given preventative antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the bird's digestive system, causing secondary problems. They also can create "superbugs" if given arbitrarily. So next time you have a question about that sort of thing be sure to ask the nice people here.
They'll help you out.
Second - birds shouldn't be given steroids. They're of a different metabolism and steroids are not good for them. Steroids greatly suppress the immune system of birds making them way more susceptible to all infections (including one from the injury, including respiratory illness).
For injuries, it takes time for them to repair. If there are any concerns about infections, penicillin or baytril should be given instead. Penicillin (or amoxicillin one of the cillin family at least) are the preferred. Baytril should again be used only in the case of a known and very very advanced infection, such as one would have from a non-cat animal bite. (For cats, both baytril and always penicillin.)
So here we have an injured (and thus stressed) bird who was treated with antibiotics with good intent, and then the immune system further decreased with steroid injections. Heat and a decreased desire to drink medicated water possibly have left him dehydrated and his blood imbalanced. Antibiotics killed some unknown portion of his good bacteria and steroids probably decreased his immune capacity there. So the bird is anemic. Rather than doing a simple fecal egg count (which would have been cheaper than medicating) the vet gave you fenbendazole, a full spectrum wormer that can really stress a bird who has a heavy parasite load. (First wormer should have been wazine, although I'm betting the rooster probably wasn't having any issue with worms at all.)
I wonder if you felt the bird was dehydrated why the vet didn't recommend electrolytes? Thank heavens you had the good sense to give the bird yogurt as that gave him back some good bacteria.
I'm just heartbroken because in your true attempts to do better for this bird, taking him to a vet, things only were worse. let's see if we can't fix that.
First, if you are of a mind to do it, I would mix water, a bit of yogurt, a few drops of honey or karo syrup or any kind of sugar syrup. Pedialyte or gatorade can be used instead of water. Give him a few sips of that to give him some nourishhment and fuel to hopefully make it through the night.
I'll pray that he does.
In the morning, first thing, give him a "damp mash" full of good stuff. Mix any of the following wet ingredients with the following dry ingredients. Let sit 10 minutes til damp, not wet. Add dry yolk and the oatmeal powder to reduce the moisture, or water to increase moisture to damp.
Wet ingredients:
Yogurt (always include)
water
Pedialyte or poultry electrolyte powder in water or gatorade (do include at least the first time)
Dry ingredients:
Crumbles (or pellets made into crumbles in the blender)
The yolk of a boiled egg - mashed.
Oatmeal powder (uncooked oatmeal made into powder in the food processor)
Oatmeal cooked (but cooked more dry than usual so that adding water makes is an ok texture)
Make sure his water has electrolytes in it for the next week. Poultry electrolytes from a foil package are preferred but gatorade or pedialyte can be used as well. He is dehydrated almost certainly based on what you've said.
Keep him in a smaller area so he doesn't have to go far to eat and drink. He should have crumbles available to him free choice. The damp mash is given once or twice a day. If that's what he'll eat over his other feed, then let him have it as often as you're willing to give it. do not feed him seeds or grains this week - make everything that he eats be something that would easily dissolve in a glass of water. That allows his digestive system to focus on healing instead of grinding. He'll absorb more.
The yogurt daily will help replace the bacteria that were lost. Those bacteria guard against the fungus, bacterial, and yeast infections that come from using antibiotics. replace them now to help him heal. There's also a little spare protein and milk sugars to help his health.
On the respiratory illness, if you can get Vet Rx it would be of great help to him in his breathing. (Any species of vetrx - poultry, rabbit cat - or even Marshal Pets Peter Rabbit Rx from a big pet store). It will help to decongest his sinuses and comfort him. It also can help reduce inflammation. You will use that diluted with water, equal drops of each, soaked into q-tips. Use the q-tips to swab his nose out well - clean it out, swab the roof of his mouth, swab under his eyes. Rub some inside his bucket so he breathes it.
Use sterile saline wash to cleanse his eyes daily. Dry and then treat the tear ducts with the VetRx mix.
Then buy PolyViSol baby vitamins from the vitamin section (not baby section usually) of walmart, CVS walgreens. Get the NON-iron-fortified formula. The fortified says "iron-fortified", the non-fortified says nothing on the box. 3 drops in the beak daily for a week. Taper off the next week. The vitamin A in this oil form directly in the beak will help with respiratory healing. The vitamin E is an anti-oxidant and neurlogical healing aid and will help his leg as well as any odd things within him making him not heal as well. It's also active against inflammation without having any negative effects on the immune system (for his back).
For his respiratory illness that's tricky. It could be fungal because of the steroid use and combined antibiotic treatment. (Killing the good bacteria leave the body susceptible to fungus take-over.) It could be bacterial, opportunistic bacteria having thrived as the immune system was lowered and antibiotic use. It could be viral from the reduced immune system. The vitamins and VetRx and whatnot will help all forms, but what to treat with? It may be that you don't have to treat. Does he wheeze? If so, can you isolate from where? Upper body (head - nose, upper throat, nostrils), is lower body included (tailbobbing, rattling in his back, chest body if you listen with your ear against him and/or use your hand to find the vibrations)? Or both?
I wouldn't bring him inside since he did better outside -worsened upon going inside. I would however try to keep him a bit more cool where he is. Perhaps a fan in the area (but not blowing right on him) in case he's staying inside and making himself more hot by being too weak (injured) to leave the heat of the coop. Feel the temperature there. Measure it at ground level if you can. make sure he has good air ventilation as we all know how much harder it is to breathe with congestion in stuffy air than in good air. Is there a middle-ground where perhaps you could take him and his bucket (read as "comfort/familiarity")?
By the way, when you used the antibiotic, which one did you use specifically (brand name, grams per package, ounces) and how much did you use in the water? How much do you estimate he got daily? If you medicate, this will be important.
Ok so the immediate concerns:
Get a nutritional fuel drink in him tonight: yogurt, electrolytes, sugar.
Starting tomorrow...
Week one:
Daily wet mash once or often as he'll eat is with yogurt and other ingredients.
3 drops polyvisol in the beak
VetRx swabs of all upper respiratory and ocular areas once daily at least.
Saline wash of his eyes is recommended daily if he drains there.
Possible Antibiotic treatment in water.
Electrolytes in water daily if a/b's not given.
Isolate in a cooler area but with bucket. (Clean the bucket by the way - hot water and soap.)
Week two:
Taper off polyvisol
Re-evaluate his condition
Continue yogurt every other day at least.
Consider beginning Apple Cider Vinegar
I really hope he makes it poor boy. How, by the way, is his injury and walking now? Any improvements? Can you describe their state now?
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You might be right..Or it might be my ignorance in trying to care for him..If he's still with me in the morning, I'm going to do a few things differently and see if he improves..I already told him if he can never walk or hop again, if he will just get healthier again, I'll just carry him around with me a lot.. He won't have to just lay in one place all day every day..
You asked a vet's help! I'm with mamaKate on this one. Including the hugs.
I don't know, chickenz1. As long as you're willing to not give up on him, I'm willing to try to help you reach that goal. He sure hadn't given up and let's hope he can stick it through a few more days. If he doesn't, please do know that you really did do 200% for him. You're not supposed to be psychic and know everything about chicken medicine so please do not be hard on yourself.
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You might be right..Or it might be my ignorance in trying to care for him..If he's still with me in the morning, I'm going to do a few things differently and see if he improves..I already told him if he can never walk or hop again, if he will just get healthier again, I'll just carry him around with me a lot.. He won't have to just lay in one place all day every day..
You asked a vet's help! I'm with mamaKate on this one. Including the hugs.
I don't know, chickenz1. As long as you're willing to not give up on him, I'm willing to try to help you reach that goal. He sure hadn't given up and let's hope he can stick it through a few more days. If he doesn't, please do know that you really did do 200% for him. You're not supposed to be psychic and know everything about chicken medicine so please do not be hard on yourself.
I'm not giving up on him as long as he's not giving up..If he gets so he doesn't eat ANYthing at all, or drink anything at all..there will be nothing more I can do..But he did eat some watermelon this morning, and I believe he picked at his grains some..I didn't have regular crumbles at the time..
I'm sorry if I get my posts confused or repeated..I'm getting info from a couple different people on a couple different forums here, and I get lost among all the posts..
Anyway, amazing enough, Gofer made it through the night and was breathing more through his nose this morning.. Go figure..
I got VetRx from town..and some crumbles..Just got back in fact, and he was breathing more through his mouth again..I put some VetRx with water on a q-tip and swabbed his nose and under his eyes and the back of his head and cheeks..I was afraid to try to get it in the roof of his mouth..I could smell the camphor in it..Now I read the directions says to put it in his mouth..We'll wait and see what the stuff on his nose and face does for him first though..
Was talking to the guy at the co-op, and he thought the whole thing was wild.. Not used to people around here having chickens for the chickens' sakes..
Just wanted to add this little note. I was watching Monsters Inside Me last night on the TV. It's my guilty little pleasure. A show about people with horrible parasites. One lady had worms in her brain. Know what they treated her with? Albendazole (Valbazen). The same thing I worm my chickens with.
Second - birds shouldn't be given steroids. They're of a different metabolism and steroids are not good for them. Steroids greatly suppress the immune system of birds making them way more susceptible to all infections (including one from the injury, including respiratory illness).
This is in general true but there are exceptions and with such an injury...
(((hugs))) all you can do is try... without extensive testing (which is almost unaffordable) I dont think the vet can be blamed... this is why most refuse to even try with chickens (because they feel it is irresponsible to attempt to treat without diagnostic testing beforehand > without it is a lot of guesswork which many vets find professionally unacceptable)...
At the end of the day one does not know what will work or how bad things are until the things that normally will work dont and things get worse. What I think is forgotten here is that the OP said he fell off his roost (which caused the injury and things snowballed after that) > an underlying (often incurable) systemic disease or organ failure (such as avian tuberculosis for instanceto name just one) will often have secondary complications that snowball like this.
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This is in general true but there are exceptions and with such an injury...
(((hugs))) all you can do is try... without extensive testing (which is almost unaffordable) I dont think the vet can be blamed... this is why most refuse to even try with chickens (because they feel it is irresponsible to attempt to treat without diagnostic testing beforehand > without it is a lot of guesswork which many vets find professionally unacceptable)...
At the end of the day one does not know what will work or how bad things are until the things that normally will work dont and things get worse. What I think is forgotten here is that the OP said he fell off his roost (which caused the injury and things snowballed after that) > an underlying (often incurable) systemic disease or organ failure (such as avian tuberculosis for instanceto name just one) will often have secondary complications that snowball like this.
I generally do trust my vet, and at first she said I could try an injection, but I was afraid to do such myself, and did not think the rooster would live through the terror of a 15 mile first car trip anywhere, so I asked wasn't there something he could take by mouth, and she did tell me that someone's pet bird had been bitten on the feet by fire ants, and the bird literally was chewing his toes off to the bone..the only thing that stopped it was an oral suspension steroid.. The steroid DID help the swelling in rooster's back go down a lot, and probably helped the pain he had to have been having..
I listened to his back earlier and hear no sounds at all..No clicking or rattling, so I believe his lungs are clear..
I do appreciate you guys helping me think about everything..I bug my vet a lot when I have a sick dog or cat too..But generally only once for each new situation that happens that I have never had to deal with before..She is very willing to explain things to me..I told her I probly need to pack up and go live at her clinic since I'm there so much.. The 4 roosters, 12 dogs and 20 cats between my mother and me (2 houses) requires more vet visits than I like to think about..
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Oh I hate to say it, but I would LOVE that kind of show!! Parasites are fascinating. /shiver But they are!
yeah you know so much of what we use is used on people. Like ivermectin - used to treat a certain type of river associated worm in people. Sometimes when I'm researching, I'll come up with these great articles and find they're about people!
That's one of the reasons that wormers (and antibiotics) used by poultry are always under scrutiny - misuse in poultry makes problems with resistance.