Are you in the US?Hello all. I'm looking for advice/opinions on an illness that's entered my flock, and what I can do going forward. (Sorry for the text length in advance.) Months ago, my flock started showing signs of an illness- one of my birds, Bluebell, presented with some pretty extreme facial swelling and nasal discharge; because i could not afford to visit the vet at the time I decided to treat her with Tylan. Her facial swelling did recede but she still showed signs of being ill. Another bird had facial swelling as well about a week later, though not as extreme and her symptoms responded very well to Tylan. My other birds had sneezing and a drop in egg production.
Bluebell did well for a while, but the nasal discharge and occasional swelling of her sinuses continued. It was yellow in color and I believe I did notice a smell. I noticed her declining about 2 weeks ago- lethargic and had issues breathing with rales. I suspected coryza at this point, & I took her to the only vet nearby that sees chickens, who suggested coccidia (though said she didn't really see anything when she did a fecal) or the possibility of Marek's (I did choose to vaccinate my flock as chicks, but I know it isn't foolproof.) She prescribed smz/tmp for 7 days. This did help Bluebell's breathing considerably, but she became even more lethargic and refused to eat near the end of the treatment. (Also, her poop was a dark green color & urates a pale-ish yellow.) The vet said she may just be depressed because I had been keeping her inside & that her breathing was much better, but the vet couldn't do bloodwork & the nearest place that could was an emergency vet 2 hours away.
I (naively, I think) took her word & reintroduced Bluebell to the flock; a day later it was very clear that she was continuing to decline & I took her to the emergency vet. The exotics team there took x-rays, & bloodwork which showed her GI tract was distended with gas, & a full crop & gizzard. Fecal cytology showed an overgrowth of abnormal bacteria and yeast. She also had a plaque in her choana, which was consistent with infectious debris/pus. They diagnosed her with sinusitis & enteritis & kept her overnight. She initially responded well to therapies and was sent home with Fluconazole 100mg every 12 hours for 10 days.
When I brought her home, I could definitely tell she felt better for a few days- she was back to talking to me & wanting to forage outside, but after a few days of fluconazole, she is quite lethargic again, minimal interest in eating, and now seems to have some difficulty balancing with some continuing open mouthed breathing.
So now, I don't know what to do. The emergency vet was quite expensive, I couldn't really afford it but Bluebell is a dear little pet & I wanted to give her a chance. I'm wondering if the kindest thing I can do now is euthanasia, & I'm worried for the rest of my flock & just curious about what's caused this. Any ideas on what's going on would be extremely appreciated, & I'll try my best to provide more information if needed. Thanks
She's my favorite bird. Can't bare to watch her suffer and it just seems like her body is failing her. I'll be having a necropsy done as well
