Salmon and a change of heart

Salmon finished her second, seven day, course of baytril yesterday and she is still wheezing. I really don’t believe that baytril is as good as tylan. In fact looking back we have never got a girl well with baytril.

Caramel and Pebbles were both on baytril and I lost them both. Cinnamon had baytril and it appeared to have worked but obviously didn’t as she soon relapsed and the baytril didn’t help at all the second time.

Now Salmon has had two courses and again the first seemed to work but obviously didn’t because she started wheezing again two weeks later. Again a second course has made no difference.

I had said that I would treat twice and then let them go but Salmon looks so well. It is one thing taking a poorly girl to the vets but quite another taking a girl that looks well. Salmon is lively, eats well and does all the usual chicken things. She looks good and has a red comb. She looks like a healthy chicken but she is wheezing and I know that means she is not free of myco.

Salmon has a red face and comb

She looks great

So beautiful

So friendly

How can I give up on her! Salmon is beautiful and friendly and has never gone broody. She is a lovely girl and she looks great but she is wheezing and sneezing.

The other girls are sneezing too. My husband said why don’t we just leave her and see what happens. I said she will pass it to the rest and he said the rest already have it. I said she may deteriorate without further treatment. We seem to have reached a stalemate.

Sophie and I have been e-mailing and this morning she called me. We had a long heart to heart. She pointed out that if I let them go one by one I will still go through this heartbreak every time. She also pointed out that even if I let the flock die out there is no guarantee that this won’t come back with new girls.

Sophie sent me a link to a forum about myco and it seems that it is much more common than you might expect. Back yard flock keepers said their vets advice was not to cull but to treat. This has made me have a re think about this.

I can’t let Salmon go without trying to save her. I have decided that I am going to try another vet. There is another vet practice quite near us. I am going to see if I can register there and take Salmon to see them.

I feel bad about saying one thing here and then changing my mind but this has all been so difficult. I have been going round and round with this and it had got to the point where I didn’t know what to do about salmon. With Cinnamon there was nothing more I could do and losing Cinnamon has been heartbreaking but with Salmon there is still a possible chance, with the right help, of getting her better.