# One Eye Cold ? Help!!



## Nkloft

Hello Everyone,
Couple days ago i went to feed the pigeons, when i Noticed a pigeon not looking too healthy. when i picked the bird from the Perch i saw that one eye was shut. when it opened that eye it looked little watery and also different from the other eye in terms of color. I separated the pigeon right away. Yesterday when i went to check on the sick bird his eye looked so weird. it looked like a fish eye but put on a pigeon. the Droppings are watery green. Could this be one Eye Cold ? 
Ps. Ive been treating for Salmonella with Baytril for the past 6 days. 
Thanks in advance.


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## minimonkey

What symptoms caused you to start treating for salmonella? 

If you could possibly post a picture of the eye, that would really help (was it you who can't post pictures? I don't remember...) If not, a really good description would help a lot. Is the eye swollen and puffed out from the head?

One eye cold is more of a descriptive term than anything -- it is used to describe respiratory infections that are usually mixed in nature (sometimes called Ornithosis complex). Often one of the pieces of the puzzle is viral, so it can be pretty hard to treat-- but narrowing down the possible agents is a good start. In some cases, Doxycycline with Tylan is better for respiratory problems than Baytril is. 

I'd bring the bird inside and put it on heat ( a heating pad set on low, and covered with a cloth) -- and do you have any eyedrops for birds? If so, what kind? 

Make sure the bird is eating -- watery green droppings could mean it isn't eating, so keep an eye on that. It also could be a symptom of something else entirely.


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## Nkloft

minimonkey said:


> What symptoms caused you to start treating for salmonella?
> 
> If you could possibly post a picture of the eye, that would really help (was it you who can't post pictures? I don't remember...) If not, a really good description would help a lot. Is the eye swollen and puffed out from the head?
> 
> One eye cold is more of a descriptive term than anything -- it is used to describe respiratory infections that are usually mixed in nature (sometimes called Ornithosis complex). Often one of the pieces of the puzzle is viral, so it can be pretty hard to treat-- but narrowing down the possible agents is a good start. In some cases, Doxycycline with Tylan is better for respiratory problems than Baytril is.
> 
> I'd bring the bird inside and put it on heat ( a heating pad set on low, and covered with a cloth) -- and do you have any eyedrops for birds? If so, what kind?
> 
> Make sure the bird is eating -- watery green droppings could mean it isn't eating, so keep an eye on that. It also could be a symptom of something else entirely.



if you can click on this link you would probably remember that we talked about Salmonella it couple weeks ago.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/my-pigeon-throwing-up-65174.html

Here are few pictures of the eye 

1.First picture is of the eye that is infected









2. Another Picture of the infected eye little closed









3. picture of the other normal eye


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## Nkloft

If it is Respiratory infection and i treat it and bird goes back to being healthy and normal again would he still carry it forever ?


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## minimonkey

NK -- thanks for linking back to the other thread. I do remember the situation, but I am not sure I got all the details sorted out in my head. 

How did your birds do on the Baytril? Is this the only one showing symptoms? How are the others?

The thing about respiratory infections is that they often are caused by multiple infections at once, so it is difficult to know what to target. Sometimes a piece of the puzzle is viral, and that is a matter of supportive care and just waiting it out.

This guy does look like he has a bit of conjunctivitis -- eye drops would probably help with that. Sometimes this happens when there's a lot of congestion in the sinuses and the tear ducts get blocked. 

I like the Forma eye drops -- you can find them here:

http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-respiratory.html

They are soothing and they seem to help relieve congestion. 

Most infections will clear up completely with adequate treatment. In some cases, birds can remain carriers (particularly with chlamydia and salmonella) if the infection isn't fully cleared by medication. Some viruses can go into a carrier state, too.


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## Nkloft

minimonkey said:


> NK -- thanks for linking back to the other thread. I do remember the situation, but I am not sure I got all the details sorted out in my head.
> 
> How did your birds do on the Baytril? Is this the only one showing symptoms? How are the others?
> 
> The thing about respiratory infections is that they often are caused by multiple infections at once, so it is difficult to know what to target. Sometimes a piece of the puzzle is viral, and that is a matter of supportive care and just waiting it out.
> 
> This guy does look like he has a bit of conjunctivitis -- eye drops would probably help with that. Sometimes this happens when there's a lot of congestion in the sinuses and the tear ducts get blocked.
> 
> I like the Forma eye drops -- you can find them here:
> 
> http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-respiratory.html
> 
> They are soothing and they seem to help relieve congestion.
> 
> Most infections will clear up completely with adequate treatment. In some cases, birds can remain carriers (particularly with chlamydia and salmonella) if the infection isn't fully cleared by medication. Some viruses can go into a carrier state, too.


the bird is still on baytril and it think it is working well.
I ordered Doxycycline / Tylan Powder last night, Should i give it to the sick bird when it arrives or should i only give the Forma eye drops ? 
thanks


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## Dima

If Baytril is working well, go with it. How long it's been on Baytril and what dosage?
If it's still on Baytril when order arrives i will use only eye drops.


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## minimonkey

Really glad to hear the Baytril is working for your birds!!!

I think that's good advice from Dima. If he still has symptoms when he's off the Baytril, you can try treating then with doxycycline. It's a good thing to keep on hand when you have birds, in any event. 

The Forma drops seem to really help a lot with eye and tear duct issues. They're blue -- so you can see when you put them in the eye, whether they disappear quickly, or if they stay in the eye. If a bird is healthy, they will run down the tear duct into the throat quickly. If there's congestion, they take a long time to disappear, and may run out the nostril ... 

Don't worry if there is a bit of blue staining on his nose or eyelid -- it comes off in a couple of days. 

They don't seem to sting or irritate the eyes at all.


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## Nkloft

minimonkey said:


> Really glad to hear the Baytril is working for your birds!!!
> 
> I think that's good advice from Dima. If he still has symptoms when he's off the Baytril, you can try treating then with doxycycline. It's a good thing to keep on hand when you have birds, in any event.
> 
> The Forma drops seem to really help a lot with eye and tear duct issues. They're blue -- so you can see when you put them in the eye, whether they disappear quickly, or if they stay in the eye. If a bird is healthy, they will run down the tear duct into the throat quickly. If there's congestion, they take a long time to disappear, and may run out the nostril ...
> 
> Don't worry if there is a bit of blue staining on his nose or eyelid -- it comes off in a couple of days.
> 
> They don't seem to sting or irritate the eyes at all.


I just ordered the Forma eye Drops.
about the Respiratory problems medication there are few differnet ones which one works best ?
1- Doxycycline Powder 20%
2-Doxycycline / Colistyn Powder
3-Doxycycline / Tylan Powder 
4- Tylan
5-Tylan / Amoxicillin Powder
Which one out of those 5 do you recommend ? and also which one is better powder or Tablets ? 
Thanks


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## minimonkey

It really depends on what is causing the problem, which we don't know, in this case. 

Doxycycline/Tylan is my usual first choice for respiratory problems, but not everything responds to it. 

Colistyn targets some of the more obscure infections, but it is also fairly toxic to the kidneys, so it has to be used with care. It's something of a last-resort antibiotic, from what I understand -- but if nothing else works, sometimes it will. 

Powder and tablets are both fine -- what's important is getting the dose right for a specific bird. If the Baytril is working, there's really no reason to treat your whole flock with something else... 

Is it just the one bird you are thinking about treating?


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## Nkloft

ok I'll get Doxycycline/Tylan and i'll go from there.
Only the Sick pigeon with wing problems and balance issues we talked about in the other thread was on Baytril. The rest of the Flock and the pigeon i have sick now with the picture above were on Parastop from global pigeon supplies. I was thinking of treating the whole flock as a prevention just to be on the safer side ?


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## minimonkey

Sorry for the confusion - Baytril and Parastop are basically the same thing -- they are enrofloxacin. 

So this guy in the picture has been on the Parastop, right? How long did you treat him with that, and at what dose? 

Are any others showing symptoms now, or just this one? 

It is possible that the infection they have isn't responding to the enrofloxacin -- if others are showing symptoms, it might be worth doing a flock treatment. 

Can you bring this one inside and put it in a warm place?


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## Nkloft

minimonkey said:


> Sorry for the confusion - Baytril and Parastop are basically the same thing -- they are enrofloxacin.
> 
> So this guy in the picture has been on the Parastop, right? How long did you treat him with that, and at what dose?
> 
> Are any others showing symptoms now, or just this one?
> 
> It is possible that the infection they have isn't responding to the enrofloxacin -- if others are showing symptoms, it might be worth doing a flock treatment.
> 
> Can you bring this one inside and put it in a warm place?



Yes this bird in the picture was on Parastop with the rest of the flock.
I gave them 4 ml per Gallon of water for 10 days. 
I have another bird not acting normal he is little puffed up but there is nothing wrong with the eye. Its really diffcult to tell whats wrong with him since he isnt showing symptoms but you can still tell he isnt acting normal.
I only have one Cage and i have my other bird that was having balance issue in it. I might put the one with the balance issues outside since its getting better and it might handle the cold little better and bring the other one inside ? would that be a good idea ?


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## minimonkey

No, I wouldn't put the one with the balance issues outside -- it's still recovering. In a pinch, you can use a box with ventilation holes for the other ones, or a cat or dog carrier to bring the other ones with symptoms inside -- warmth is important while they heal. 

I think your Parastop dosing is too light -- in cold weather, when they don't drink much, I do 2 ml per quart of water -- or 8 ml per gallon. I'd try the higher dose of parastop for another week, personally, if they were seeing some improvement on it. 

What dose of Baytril have you been using for the one with balance issues -- and how is it doing now? You said it is better -- is it still showing symptoms?


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## Nkloft

I'm out of both Baytril and parastop. at the moment i wont be able to buy any more medication i spend way too much money that past 2 month on medication.
For Baytril i was giving 2 ml per quart of water for the for the first 5 days than i did 1 ml per quart just like it said on the bottle. 
The one that was on Baytril is doing good. still having problems when flying with one of the wings but not as much as before.


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## minimonkey

The dosing recommendations that manufacturers give are sometimes questionable. I hope your birds continue to improve -- but if there are further problems, keep in mind that they may not have had an adequate dose of the medication to clear the infection. 

If this was salmonella/paratyphoid, that sometimes requires a higher dose of the drug, and also a longer course of treatment, than less complicated infections do.


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