Chicken bald back

[Groovychook]

I've just had to have Ivy PTS

 

Noticed a sore eye on Sunday so whizzed her to the vets yesterday whereupon examination, it was decided that it was probably a peck to the eye that was causing the problem as she seemed healthy and prescribed some Fucithalmic eye drops.

 

Checked on her this morning and saw that the other 'healthy' eye was foaming. Called the vet who said that it was most probably Myco and that the best course of action would be to bring her in and have her PTS. Otherwise, if treated, I'd always have to keep her separated from the rest of the flock as she would be a carrier. I was surprised but in my panic and haste, I agreed that this would be for the best and took her in. It was a heartbreaking decision as she'd been fine until a day or two earlier and seemed otherwise perfectly healthy. I'm wondering if the stress of introducing 3 new girls a month ago might have triggered it although they'd all seemed quite calm and settled.

 

I've just buried her but since read that others have treated Myco successfully and now I'm racked with guilt that I've acted too quickly. I'm not sure what to do now if any of the others succumb. I've always tried to take my emotions out of the equation when dealing with illness in the flock and act promptly but not sure this time if I've done the right thing

Edited March 2, 2014 by Guest

[Groovychook]

Thanks Lee, much appreciated.

 

I just hate this playing God business... never gets any easier!

So pleased to hear about Dolly and hope that she continues to improve.

Well done for spotting the signs so quickly

[mollyripkim]

Oh Im so sorry, what a horrible decision to have to make but you did the right thing for your girl. I had to have Esme pts last year following myco, sour crop, sneezes, etc, always seemed to recover but then the vet found a tumour so I lost her anyway. In retrospect I think I should have let her go when she had the myco (although now not sure it was that) as I prolonged her life for nearly a month during which time she lived in the office with me. She seemed happy enough but I don't think I would do it again.

I have a girl with suspected peritonitis and have a vets appointment tomorrow, Im dreading it but will let her go rather than prolong it.

Sending lots of hugs xx

[MillyJude]

Dont feel bad, we are still struggling with myco in our flock and i sometimes wonder what would have happened if we had removed Billie (typhoid mary) as soon as we got her and noticed she was sneezing.

 

We would have had to have her pts which would have been awful, so i treated them all instead, but now we have a permanently germy flock.

 

Your others may come down with it too, but that still doesn't mean you made the wrong decision, you did your best to protect all your birds, sometimes hard decisions have to be made.

 

Big hugs though,

[Groovychook]

Thanks Mollyripkim,

I've been down the nursing a chicken inside route a couple of times and covering all bases but they eventually had to be PTS. It's awful but at least you feel that you'd tried your best...

Best wishes with your girl tomorrow, big hugs to you too x

 

And thank you MillyJude, I'm sorry to hear that you're still battling with the Myco. I'm just going to try and keep my lot as healthy and stress free as possible, keep everything crossed and hope for the best

[Mrs_B]

Please don't feel bad - if my vet told me that the best course of action was get my girl PTS then I would have done the same thing.

 

My Audrey is going through Myco at the mo, just finished some anti-biotics and to be honest she's not well but I don't work and am able to have her indoors to separate her from the others and give her TLC whenever I can whereas some people just can't do this and sometimes this means having a chicken PTS to protect the other birds. I am prepared to have my girl PTS if there's no improvement - I had a chook suffer Blackhead and I was very new at keeping chickens so if I could go back I wouldn't have let her suffer so long (I kept hoping she would improve!)

 

I can see why you're upset but I hope you feel better over time and know you did the right thing - hugs!

 

x

[Groovychook]

Thank you Mrs_B,

 

It's nice to have a bit of reassurance.

Sorry to hear about Audrey but it sounds as though she's in good hands

[Groovychook]

Oh dear,

Checked on the chooks this morning and found my other remaining Lavender Araucana, Vera, gasping with a rattly chest No signs of eye problems but I'm very concerned. She was fine yesterday... been quiet since Ivy's been gone as they were constant companions, but she's been laying and feeding/drinking okay. Her abdomen felt a little swollen when I examined her but don't know if that is related.

 

Thank goodness the vets are open till midday. OH has kindly taken her in for me and I trust him to make the right decision... I just couldn't face it again so soon after Ivy

[mollyripkim]

Fingers crossed for you that Vera gets on well at the vets.

[mimi5]

Oh dear, what a worry Let's hope for a happy update

[Groovychook]

Thanks everyone.

 

Well, she's still with us... the Vet didn't think it was Myco because she didn't have any problems with her eyes.

She's been prescribed a course of antibiotics (Marbocyl) and she's had her first dose. We've got her in a separated area of the WIR and we'll have to see how it goes. Vet thinks that she may have become stressed with the loss of Ivy. Hope that she's right and that we'll start to see signs of improvement but I'm still minded to think that it might be another case.

 

She's not eating or drinking much though, despite tempting her with porridge & mealworms. I'll give her a dose of nutri drops after her morning meds and see if that helps

 

Sorry to hear of another Myco problem! Hope you get some tylan to get it sorted.

Hope all goes well and we get a good update next!

I remember asking my vet for Tylan years ago after hearing it recommended on the forum but she doesn't supply it. I don't know why or whether it's just a case of Marbocyl is a good alternative

[Groovychook]

We lost Vera this morning and she really suffered, poor thing

 

When I checked on her first thing, she was struggling to breath and violently coughing. Her chest sounded awful and she'd been trying to drink because half of the water was gone. We gave her the antibiotics but very worryingly, it looked as though her tongue had become partially detached I think that's what finished her off- she was unable to swallow. I think the coughing had torn her tongue. I feel so sad that the vet couldn't spot anything more serious yesterday. Not her fault at all, but I really didn't want Vera to suffer like that.

[mollyripkim]

I am so sorry, what a horrible experience for you but you did your very best for her and took the vets advice so I don't think you could have done anymore. Sending hugs.

[Daphne]

Sending you hugs and sympathy Groovychook, you did all you could, please don't feel bad. I know how distressing 'extreme' myco can be (thankfully it isn't usually) and I can say no matter what we do as keepers, cull or try to cure, we always feel we haven't quite done the right thing. You obviously did your best, its all anyone can do.

 

RIP Vera

[mimi5]

Oh no So sorry for you and Vera. You did all you could and even vets get it wrong. At least she didn't have a long drawn out illness and was with you. When my Monty was PTS with Marek's it was the most distressing thing ever

 

RIP Vera

[Luvachicken]

I'm so sorry that you have lost 2 girls in the space of a week.

That is very sad.

I'm sending you a big hug xxx

[Groovychook]

Thank you everyone, lovely to hear your kind words.

 

What a horrible week...

I'm anxiously keeping my eyes peeled for any symptoms but hoping that the rest of the flock can stay healthy. They all seem fine at the moment- long may it continue!

[auntielizzie]

Oh I'm so sorry you're having such a difficult time of it at the moment. It really is so hard to know what to do for the best sometimes, but you are doing the best you can for your girls so not for one minute should you feel bad. It sounds like the first one you felt maybe you had pts too soon and the second one you felt was pts too late - both ways you feel bad, but we have all been in this position at one time or another. At the end of the day, they can't tell us how they are feeling and we can't predict the outcome when they are unwell. Just be confident that you are providing the best possible care for your chickens and don't beat yourself up.

 

This myco is a nasty illness - I lost my Betty to it after 2-3 weeks of trips backwards and forwards to the vets, several courses of antibiotics, over £200 poorer and then when I finally did make the decision to have her pts, she keeled over and died on the vets table before the vet could do the deed, so I do understand how you feel.

[Mrs_B]

So so sorry to be reading this

 

Like Auntielizzie said above, myco really is horrible. I'm still fighting a battle too - I really hope your other chickens are OK. Huge hugs!!

 

Auntielizzie - Sorry to hear about what happened to your chook too, very sad

 

x