Sick Chook - Please help

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:00 am

Hi Maisyfleur, Check out this post about livamol and vitamins :-D

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4240&p=48264&hilit=+livamol#p48264

maisyfleur · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:05 am

Thanks for that - will use it for the whole flock from now on.

maisyfleur · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:04 pm

My chook has had very laboured breathing all day. She has been at work with me in a small hallway off one of the offices - not in full ac but the door was open so it was cool for her. I brought her home this avo and again brought her into the house into a room that does not have ac but we had the ac on in the rooms outside. I did not want to put her in an air conned room in case she got cold but did not want to leave her in the garage as it gets hot in there. She is in a large cardboard box with shavings.

I have checked on her again now. She has eaten the best part of 1/2 a nectarine this morn and again this avo. She has had some sulphaquin solution every few hours and some farex. Her breathing is quite bad. I have worked really hard with her and she has improved quite a bit. Why is her breathing like this? Does it mean she is getting worse?

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:36 pm

The laboured breathing maybe a sign of resp. problems. Keep going with what you are doing and help her fight it. Have you got any OxyB antibiotic powder to add to her water as well.

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:29 am

Hi maisyfleur,

As County Lodge said, try the Oxy B. It won't work against a virus but it will help stop any secondary bacterial infections, which is often what finishes them off while they are fighting the virus.

I ended up using an antibiotic called Noroclav from the vet when my chooks were all getting through a respiratory virus (and kept up the Oxy B as well on the vet's advice). I am certain that it saved the life of my peahen, Samara, as she was very ill. After two courses of Noroclav (1 wasn't enough for a peafowl) she recovered totally. Without that I believe she would have died, like her partner Heathcliff.

If you don't have a lot to treat, and it sounds like you are working so hard to save your little hen, it might be worth a trip to a vet if you have one nearby that will charge a reasonable fee for a very quick chook visit. Make sure you get at least a week's worth of antibiotics for a chicken, and if she goes downhill again a couple of days after finishing she will need another lot. A lot of vets are in the dark when it comes to poultry, and the only way my vet learned that peafowl needed a longer course of antibiotics was after my peacock died because she didn't give him a long enough course.

I realise not everyone likes antibiotics, but that was the only thing that saved my girl.

Also if you have some electrolytes - even Gatorade or a similar sports drink - you can give her this to drink just to help her out.

You have been doing an amazing job of helping your girl fight off her illness, maisyfleur. I hope she keeps hanging in there.

Deb

maisyfleur · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:37 pm

Will ring my local vet and see if I can talk her into prescribing some oxy b and Noroclav without an appt. I have spent a small fortune on vet bills lately and have pushed hubby to the limit. He feels that chooks are not pets and should therefore just be destroyed when they are sick. I'll see how I go.

maisyfleur · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:46 pm

Excellent news - I am going to the vets anyway this avo with my dog and they have agreed to dispense the drugs without charging for an extra consult. They just wish to see the chook first which is understandable I guess. Will let you know how I go.

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:46 pm

Sounds like you have a good vet. I can understand them wanting to at least see the chook - that is understandable. Just that I know specialist vets that would charge $80 for the consult and then want to keep them in overnight to do what you could do yourself at home! There is a place for specialist vets and intensive care (and I have been grateful on occasion) but sometimes it is a bit out of reach.

I hope it went well.

Deb

maisyfleur · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:23 am

Have to say that I was very close to giving up last night and having her put down. She had not touched anything and refused to let me give her anything - she just clamped her mouth right up and if I tried to open it she would shake her head. She had just sat on top of all the bowls of feed and water. I assumed from this that she preferred to sit on something cool instead of the shavings so I put a floor tile in with her and she immediately moved on to it.

The vet recommended putting her back on to baytril instead of the noroclav - she had responded well on day one when I gave her some of this so I didn't object. He did say that he did not hold out much hope for her either. I took her home feeling very depsondent and gave her 1/2 a tablet instead of 1/4 as I felt she needed a bit of a kick start. I left her until about 9pm and then went in to see if I could get her to eat/drink. Her breathing although still through her mouth is less laboured and she seems calmer. She let me feed her plenty of fluids and also ate a fair amt of farex aswell. She was even reaching for the syringe with her mouth open. I couldn't believe the change in her. Her poos this morning were dark instead of the awful runny yellow stuff that she did yesterday. Again she seems calmer less stressed and is eating and drinking well from the syringe. I gave her some bread which she did peck at aswell. I have left her with her sulphaquin solution, a bowl of farex and some bread so hopefully she will start to help herself today.

I feel much more positive today !!!!

County Lodge · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:30 am

That is so good to hear. I have everything crossed for you.

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