It’s now been two weeks since we first noticed that Sparkle wasn’t well. She finished her course of antibiotics four days ago. Since she was first unwell she hasn’t had a dust bath but spends a lot of time preening instead, she seems to eat just as much as she needs to survive and she expends as little energy as possible.
Sparkle goes to the morning corn and evening sunflower seeds, she pecks at grass, spinach and apple and sits in the sun or on a perch all afternoon. I don’t see her eat pellets but when I pick her up at bedtime she still feels a good weight and quite robust.
We thought that maybe it was just going to take some time for her to get back to normal. She isn’t normal but she isn’t worse and isn’t uninterested.
Then this morning when I poop picked the coop I got a shock. I found worms, prepare to be revolted!
Worms
At the same time as I felt horrified I also felt hopeful. Maybe this is what is wrong with Sparkle and if that is the case it is easily remedied.
We had only been saying yesterday that it was time to worm the girls but I said that I wanted to get Sparkle eating properly first. No time for that now. I had some flubenvet in stock and I had a tin of fish in the cupboard.
Back went Sparkle into the cat box with a little dish of fish laced with fubenvet. I put some fish and flubenvet in two dishes for the rest of the girls. I knew that the only way I could get Sparkle to take hers was to separate her as she wouldn’t be able to compete with the other girls.
Sparkle is back in the cat box
Flubenvet on fish for the rest of the girls
The fish and meds are gone in seconds
The girls will need seven days of flubenvet but if this is what is troubling Sparkle there should be an improvement in a couple of days. I will continue to put her in the cat box unless she returns to eating normally in which case she can join in with the other girls.
I am now feeling hopeful that sparkle should soon be back to normal.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Well there’s a relief! When reading your email I thought you were going to say it was grass.. They are huge ! That reminds me my girls need doing I will be doing that from Monday.
That is the most and biggest worms I have ever found. A year ago I found two tiny ones before I wormed them and before that I have never seen any so that was quite a shock.
What was she originally being treated for?
Two weeks ago she laid a soft shelled egg and after that looked really poorly. I picked her up for a close inspection and could hear a crackling sound as she was breathing. I thought it may be respiratory and took her straight to the vets. He listened to her chest and said that was clear but he could hear the crackle in her breathing so he gave me ten days of baytril for her. She improved but didn’t return to her usual self. I wonder if the worms lowered her resistance causing the respiratory problem. I always check for worms when poop picking and these were first I have found. I was a bit freaked out but hope that she will soon be on the mend now.
Lovely!
You know I love to see all the yucky stuff!
I do. I thought this was revolting but thought that I should put it out because it could help someone else but of course the side effect is that it can entertain you too. I remember you showing some yucky stuff!
Oh wow. Yes, totally gross but also totally treatable if caught early like you did. Here’s hoping that’s what is wrong and that she makes a full recovery.
I am already feeling so much more positive. It’s horrible but at bedtime tonight there was a sloppy poop beneath where Sparkle was perched with a spaghetti of tiny worms. The flubenvet is very quick acting and already tonight Sparkle was looking much more animated, she ran to me for the evening sunflower seeds and already seemed much improved. I think that expelling those worms overnight last night and the flubenvet already getting rid of another load tonight has set her on the road to recovery. I am now feeling much more positive than I have felt since this began. I really feel she will be improving very soon and I am so glad that she was robust enough to get through this. I will of course keep updating on her progress but am now much more positive that she is going to be okay.
THANK HEAVENS YOU HAVE DIAGNOSED WHAT HAS TO BE THE PROBLEM – AND THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO SPRING INTO IMMEDIATE ACTION. REALLY GOOD NEWS!
It’s odd but worms were one of my first thoughts but it was the crackle in her breathing that threw me. I wonder if the worms made her more vulnerable to something respiratory. The baytril did cure the crackle in her breathing so maybe she did need both treatments. She is visibly improving now, thank goodness.
I always keep some flubinvet in stock so that I can act quickly if I ever suspect worms. When I have used up my supply I will order some more from my local vet and pet store so that I maintain my stock for future use.