emmab Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Hello all, I'm seeking some advice! This morning I noticed my little pekin Amber had a watery eye. Her bottom eyelid looks like it is sagging a bit, it doesn't look sore but looks a little watery and a bit swollen. I've brought her into the house and bathed her eye with some warm water. It looked a bit better so I've returned her into the coop with her friends. I know it's very cold at the moment but the coop is insulated and i've checked that they are warm. It doesn't sound as serious as other problems I've read about on here as she is not wheezing or has a cold and seems very well within herself apart from her eye. They are wormed every month with verm x so dont think its that-should i take her to the vet? Any advice would be appreciated x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I'm no vet, but our poorly Poppy had an eye problem. She couldn't open it. It was watery, and I guessed she'd scratched her eye on a bramble. Used BROLENE eye drops available from any chemist. Only a day later it was sorted out. Not sure about the use of human treatments for poultry, but it worked for Poppy. Best of luck Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 7, 2010 Author Share Posted January 7, 2010 i thought maybe she might have scratched it or got a bit of grit or something in it so tomorrow i'll get eye drops. She seemed to appreciate her eye being bathed (she fell asleep in my husband's arms) so hopefully it was only something that irratated her eye and we soothed it. I'll check in the morning and get some eye drops for her. Thank you stacey x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Please take her to a vet if you can get there safely . Eye problems can be tricky and often need veterinary treatment, if it is swollen and watery its sounds like a possible infection and if caught early it can be easily treated. If left un treated it can cause potential blindness. Hope she is better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 does she keep closing it? One of mine had a swollen eye and kept on closing it eventually keeping it closed most of the time. i used drops, bathed it etc. It didnt get any better so eventually took her to the vets. She had a piece of corn stuck under her 3rd lid The vet removed it and she got better and better. So keep a close watch on it, and as said before if you can, maybe take her to the vets. good luck and keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal119 Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 If she's no better, I'd defiitely get her to the vet. Our Lottie has had a recurrent eye infection and nearly lost her eye. After many courses of Baytril she recovered but is left with a permanent cloudy eye and partial loss of sight. It's really worth taking her to be checked out. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 Thank you all, Amber's eye doesn't look any better today so the vet's appointment is booked for five tonight (hopefully she'll be a little sleepy and calmer after dark!) I'll let you all know how i get on when I get home. Thank you for all the advice x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 Well I'm afraid it's not good news. The vet thinks it might be a cyst or possibly a tumour and cancer. the only thing they could do is put her under anaesthetic and try and remove it. This seems a hell of strain for one little chicken's body and i dont know how well chickens cope with things like that. What would you guys do? it doesn't seem to be causing her any upset and she's not scratched or made it sore. He also said that as it's not contagious she doesn't have to be separated from her friends. I feel so bad for her and she was good as gold in the vets too. Poor little thing! Let me know what you think? x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Without doing a biopsy the vet cant know for sure can he? Is Amber in any pain, is she eating and drinking ok, is she laying yet? is she getting on with the other chooks? Sorry for all the questions but I think if she still has a good quality of life I think , maybe I might let her be for a while,maybe carry on bathing or giving her drops. Its a very hard call to make and unfortunately it is ultimately your decision, aneasthetics can kill a young bird anyway so you would be taking a risk there too. Sorry if thats not much help. I feel for you having to make such a decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Well I'm afraid it's not good news. The vet thinks it might be a cyst or possibly a tumour and cancer. the only thing they could do is put her under anaesthetic and try and remove it. This seems a hell of strain for one little chicken's body and i dont know how well chickens cope with things like that. What would you guys do? it doesn't seem to be causing her any upset and she's not scratched or made it sore. He also said that as it's not contagious she doesn't have to be separated from her friends. I feel so bad for her and she was good as gold in the vets too. Poor little thing! Let me know what you think? x I would leave it if it were me. I have a chicken who's eye infection led to blindness. Our vet did not want to operate due to the delicate procedure of removing the eye. Her eye is completely grey/muscle like in appearance. She lays and is very perky and active - actually I would say she was the most active of all my chooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 She's absolutely fine in herself. She's eating and drinking the most out of them all (and always has done!!) And they are happy together-only grumbling about the snow and refusing to come out of their run. She hasn't laid for a few weeks but being a pekin i think that's normal and wasn't expecting another egg until february anyway! She doesn't seem to have noticed her poorly eye at all! It just seems unfair to pit her through so much but then again I want to do everything i can to help her! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I wonder why he thinks it's a cyst or tumour... Is he quite experienced on chickens? Initially one of our vets thought Willow had a tumour and it turned out to be an infection. Did he not even suggest trying antibiotics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 no he didn't. i think it was because he could move the lump around-it's not weeping or anything. When he showed me i could see it was a hard lump and could be felt under her eyelid. Would you take her somewhere else for a 2nd opinion? x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I hate to say this, and I know not all vets are the same, but a rare few, if they have little chicken knowledge just assume its easier/cheaper to put them to sleep. If your little Amber seems happy and content, I would maybe try antibiotics and let her be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 mmm, ... It does sound like he's given it a thorough examination, it's difficult to know what to do. I would maybe speak to a vet again though before deciding to go ahead with the operation if that's the way you are going to go. I would maybe ask what her prognosis is if it is left alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal119 Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 When Lottie had an eye infection (actually an ulcerated eye), she seemed to be in real pain. She was just standing in one spot with not much energy, eye kept closing, wasn't eating hardly anything or drinking much. The vet reckoned she would be in quite a lot of pain at the time and if she hadn't have recovered they would have had to take her eye out. She did tell us that it may well return at some point as her eye muscle has been left weak, so don't think she'll ever be totally in the clear. If Amber is not showing any signs of any of this then maybe it's not an infection. To be totally honest, if it were me, I'd probably go with the operation, but that's just me ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 I think I'm gonna leave her a couple of days and see if there are any changes. I've had a look on the recommended vet's list and the nearest one to me is an hour away so I'll give them a phone call and ask their advice and maybe take her to see them. Like you said maybe anibiotics could clear it up. I only want to go with the operation as a last resort. Thank you for all the comments and advice, I really appreciate all your help. I'll let you know how we get on x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmab Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Hey everyone! I've ben monitoring Amber's eye closely and it's not got worse at all in fact if anything it might be getting better. She hasn't attempted to scratch at it and it isn't effecting her so I'm not going to go ahead with the operation. I'll keep my eye on her and if anything changes I might change my mind but for now if she's happy then so I am. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Fab news, thanks for the update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal119 Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 That's good news Was wondering what had happened ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
