Over the last couple of days I have detected a slight wheeze from Salmon. This alarmed me as it means the myco is still in the flock. I know it’s best to act fast so I took Salmon to the vets yesterday.
Salmon today
Unfortunately I saw the stern vet, that I had only spoken to on the phone before, when she said that I couldn’t go on having antibiotics. I recognised her abrupt manner.
She was very thorough with her examination. She said that Salmon’s heart was strong which is a relief after past heart problems. She said that in all her years as a vet she had never come across a chicken with a heart problem before.
She said that the sound wasn’t in her air sac but just in her upper tract. She asked if there had been any other myco incidents since Dandelion was put to sleep and I said not. I believe that there was with Cinnamon but the vet that saw her thought it wasn’t myco so I thought it best to say not.
She said that she was not happy about continuing to give out antibiotic. I have to admit that I pleaded with her. I asked if I could have baytril as it would only be given to Salmon and I said that there were no eggs at the moment due to moulting and we wouldn’t have eaten the eggs if there had been any.
She said she still didn’t like it because the individual birds could build up a resistance to antibiotic. I did wonder what the point of checking her was if she was so reluctant to treat but I tried to stay calm. In the end she said she would give me just three days of baytril.
I said that I had researched and read that you must complete a weeks course of antibiotic. She said that three days should see an improvement and I was to ring the surgery in three days and if she was improved I could have the remaining four days.
I didn’t ask what would happen if she wasn’t improved. I assume she meant that Salmon would have to be put to sleep. I could do nothing else but accept the three days worth. She said I am to call after three days either way.
One interesting thing that she did say though was that I should dose Salmon to her beak once a day. I said that I had always been told twice a day before. She said that she had always found that once a day works fine and it is less stressful to the bird.
I totally agree with that! Salmon is very difficult to pick up and I had to chase her around the run to pick her up and put her in the cat box to take her to the vet. I dosed her when we got home and will now do it by lifting her from her roost spot at the end of each day which will make it much easier.
The girls are now in by the time we have had our dinner at half past seven so this will be easier for us and less stressful for Salmon.
Salmon looks fine as you can see from today’s photo. She is another favourite of mine. She is friendly (unless I want to pick her up) and pretty and also never broody. I can’t bare the thought of losing her. I think you know what I will be saying when I call the vet on Friday.
I have to say that I now have a dread of winter. I worry that if it is a really cold winter (which has been forecast) that the whole flock may end up sneezing and I won’t have access to tylan to treat them. It really scares me that the whole flock might be at risk.
I will consider finding another vet if I can’t get help from my vet but I don’t know if another vet would help me either and how much background would I have to give to convince them that I know it’s myco. I will just have to cross my bridges as I come to them.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I’m just going to email you now Carol xx
Thank you. I will reply now xx
Sorry to hear this, and when we are having such warm weather, hope she do improve in the three days.
She has improved already so I will call the vet tomorrow and hopefully get the rest of the weeks course. It is odd that it has happened during good weather.
Just seen your email and replied xx
Even from a distance, I have a significant issue with this particular vet, who seems to be more intent on giving you a hard time, rather than helping Salmon. Expletives abound in my head, but I’ll not commit them to print! As you say, there is no doubt that Salmon will be ready for the remainder of the dose but, were you less knowledgeable about myco and its treatment, would the additional dosage have been given as an option?
I know exactly what you mean. She again told me that it is irresponsible of me to use antibiotics again. She said that I must phone today either way and I could have the rest of the course if Salmon had responded to it. She didn’t say what the alternative was but I assume she was meaning I should have Salmon put to sleep. It’s crazy because of course I was going to say Salmon was responding either way. I now have the rest of the course. She said that if I keep using antibiotic the individual bird could become resistant. I wasn’t going to argue but surely if that happened that’s when you would have to give up not before when it could help. I worked very hard on keeping calm. I have just given Salmon her next dose but you are right if I wasn’t so knowledgeable and hadn’t insisted that I had always read you must complete the course I wonder if she would have let me come back for it. The receptionist told me that she had already charged me for the full dose. I had to make another journey to the vet today but at least I didn’t have to pay any more.