Canker growth on hen's mouth, removal tips?

[Downton Eggy]

I have a hen who developed chronic canker after a bad bout of dry fowl pox. The canker has never progressed beyond the right side of her mouth, but it's quite large and I'm sure bothersome. She can eat and drink just fine, but can't close her mouth. She has just started on Flagyl.

Is it necessary to try to remove the growth by hand or will the Flagyl reduce it? The thing seems quite hard and attached, extending slightly under her tongue. If it should be removed, what is the best way to go about it? I have seen all the threads here on BYC, with pictures, but wasn't sure if some softening agent was used first. There is a pigeon video where someone is prying it off with a wooden gum stick, but it sure if the procedure shown is quite the thing.

Voices of experience welcome!

 

[Eggcessive]

How long ago was the pox bout? Wet pox which involves yellow patches inside of the beak, throat, and airway can very much look like canker. Can you seek vet treatment locally? Here are a few threads that may help you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/927792/wet-avian-pox/10
http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=35
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/07/fowl-pox-prevention-treatment.html

Oral Canker

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Canker is a condition mostly associated with pigeons and is caused by a tiny parasite called trichomonas. This parasite is often spread through contaminated drinking water. The parasite causes a ‘yellow button’ of pus to form in your bird’s mouth. This can stop your bird from eating normally leading to weight loss.

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What to look for

• Weight loss
• Birds picking up food then dropping it
• A cheese-like plaque in your birds mouth (see photo)
• A reluctance to eat

Treatment

Treating canker or suspected canker is a job for a vet who will likely prescribe an anti-parasitic medication.
Prevention

Ensure that your birds' drinking water is changed daily. Try to keep the drinkers in the chicken house to discourage wild birds from sharing your birds’ water.

 

[Downton Eggy]

Thanks so much for this!The bout with pox began in late July and ran oddly long--until September. It was dry pox, and she never struggled to eat or drink at all during this time, though she had dry pox lesions all over her comb, one eyelid, etc. The mouth growth emerged during this time, and I thought it was a pox lesion, but then in early October the mass fell out, and I thought okay, she finally got rid of the last stubborn nodule. And then it game back again.

The cheesy yellow presentation is not there and never has been.This is a greyish/tannish mass. It is a bit crumbly, as yesterday some of it came away with a gentle swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide. This thing doesn't seem painful to her, but it looks exactly like some other pictures I have seen here of canker from outside the mouth.

It's just gone on crazy long. The Flagyl course just began yesterday. Will try to post pictures. We don't have a vet that treats chickens in the area.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not treated canker, but I have read that metronidazole (Flagyl, Fish Zole) should be given in 2 divided doses daily to be more effective. 250mg as a daily dose has been commonly recommended. A BYC member, Casportpony, is more experienced with using metronidazole, if you have any questions.