Luvachicken Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 When I went to give the girls a bit of supper tonight, I noticed Polly's eye looked a bit swollen. I caught her and had a closer look to see she actually had her eye shut and half of her face was pretty swollen. We went straight to the vets - actually the best vet we've ever seen for chickens - and she said that she had been pecked hard and had a similar condition to us when we get a black eye. Poor Polly, she really does look like she got hit hard. The vet gave her an antibiotic injection and an anti-inflammatory injection and showed me how to put some eye cream in. She was a model patient although I am not looking forward to trying to get the eye drops in for the next few days. The vet wants to see her again on Friday just to make sure her eyeball is not damaged. Fingers crossed she is OK and makes a quick recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 She will probably be fine; they are hardy souls. Wrap her in a towel when you put the eye drops in and then wedge her between your knees when you're kneeling down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 12 hours ago, The Dogmother said: Wrap her in a towel when you put the eye drops in and then wedge her between your knees when you're kneeling down. Yes, I did that. I learnt from having a wriggly chicken before. What I could really do with is some kind of chicken straight jacket with a bit of Velcro, a bit like they use for carrying a swan. I think she looks a little less swollen today but still hasn't opened her eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Luvachicken said: What I could really do with is some kind of chicken straight jacket with a bit of Velcro, a bit like they use for carrying a swan. Get on it and get it patented!! Hope she’s improving tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 Polly has been an excellent patient. We had to go back to the vet on Friday so she could make sure her eye itself wasn't damaged. She gave Polly some antibiotics, Synulox, just to make sure she wouldn't start an abscess as the vet said it was extremely difficult to cure one in that area. Polly still hasn't opened her eye but it does look less puffy as does her face. Her top eyelid is still quite red and puffed up so I'm thinking that's why she hasn't opened her eye yet. She has been in the broody cage within the run so the others won't forget her. I let her out for a little bit this afternoon, under strict supervision from the others, but she didn't do a lot. She had a little dig around and then sat huddled. I think not being able to see properly made her feel very vulnerable. Does anyone have any experience of this and have any idea when she might open her eye ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hopefully she is doing better and will be to see again soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 19 minutes ago, Cat tails said: Hopefully she is doing better and will be to see again soon! I hope so, thank you. I can't find any information on chicken black eyes but did find out that human ones can take 1-2 weeks to get better so I guess I'll have to base her recovery on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 How is Polly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 1, 2019 Author Share Posted November 1, 2019 Thanks for asking mullethunter. She is not doing so well at the moment in terms of her eye and face, although she is still eating and drinking. I took her back to the vet yesterday afternoon and she was quite concerned that Polly hasn't opened her eye yet and that her face is still a bit swollen - but not like it was. She tried to look inside her eyelid but couldn't see enough, apart from her eye being a bit cloudy, but she said that was because her eye had been shut for a while. The vet has given her stronger, human eye drops in the hopes that will help her, I'm really hoping it does. The vet is a bit stuck and said that she could give Polly an operation so that she could actually see what is wrong with her eye, without her struggling all the time. The vet also said that she could cope with just one eye and would get used to it, and that the eye just shrivels up like a raisin. I feel really sorry for her as it is obviously still pretty painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Poor little hen! Sounds like a real puzzle for your vet too. Hopefully the new drops will do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 That sounds rubbish - poor Polly. I’m sure she would be fine with one eye if it ain’t hurting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Poor little Polly. Fingers crossed it'll just take a while - at least she's eating and drinking. xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 She has really been enjoying the corn on the cob I got her, although I've had to get the bits off with a knife as she didn't seem that good at pecking it. The skin on her face is quite scabby but the vet said that this was probably a reaction to all the swelling. I've given her some nutri drops too in the hopes this might help her. I did manage to get her eye a tiny bit more open today to get the drops in so that could be a start. I do have photos on my phone but need my helper to get them onto here. Hopefully he will help me tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Sounds promising - always good if she's tucking into yummy food. Certainly boosting endorphins must help loads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Not such a hungry chook tonight. Not really interested in any of the food or the sweetcorn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 But is she drinking? Nutridrops would give her a boost - liquid plus nourishment of sorts. Hope this is just a glitch and she'll be better in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 She didn't want food again this morning but she has been having the Nutridrops. I got her in early tonight and she still didn't want any food. I even cut her up some apple but each time she could see it with her better eye, she really didn't seem to have the co-ordination to peck it. I've looked at her head some more and now it seems to be swollen towards the back, which it wasn't before. I've booked the vet for tomorrow afternoon, I'm hoping she will agree that it is not fair on Polly any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Poor Polly, but sounds like you have done everything you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 That's so sad. But you have tried your best. Lots of hugs xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 How did it go with Polly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 It certainly sounds as though you have done everything that you could. A bit like children, they go up and down so quickly that it's sometimes hard to work out what's going on. Hope all went well at the vets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 22 hours ago, Cat tails said: How did it go with Polly? I had already worked out earlier in the week that the outcome was not good for poor Polly. The extra swelling was not good. I decided not to treat her on Wednesday, as I was hoping she would be asleep later forever, and it was unkind to wash her face and try to get her eye open yet again. She spent the day in the broody cage, I did check on her at lunchtime and she did chat to me - but hubby said that she'd probably said her head was really hurting. We went to the vets after school and she agreed that there was nothing more she could do for her, so they put her to sleep I thought maybe Polly had some kind of tumour and the vet said it was likely. She also said there was a rare chance it could have been a disease sheep get - Polly had a swollen comb that by yesterday had white dots on it, which hadn't been there before - apparently it's called Lumpy Jaw in sheep. Poor Polly, it was a horrible thing that took over her last couple of weeks of life, and probably not a black eye at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Poor little thing, but she did have a chance to try to pull through. Strange illness though. Lots of hugs - never easy, never will be. xxxxx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Oh poor Polly - I’m so sorry to hear that. I think there are loads of illnesses and diseases birds get that no one knows about so it could’ve been anything. At least her eye doesn’t hurt anymore x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Sorry to hear that, Luvvie. You did all you could and, as you say, sounds way more complicated than a black eye and, if the vet said felt it was time to let her go, then there was clearly no other option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
