Licorol medicine

Lulu44

New member
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5
Hello,
I am new to your lovely group and thought you may be interested in reading my story.
Though somewhat distressing, it highlights the 'dire consequences' of what may happen when following/heeding the advice of which we believe to be given by a 'trusted' source, that of a 'poultry friendly' vet!
I live in a small village in Nottinghamshire and regrettably, when my beloved hen Gladys began showing symptoms of respiratory illness, l sought the help of who l had been led to believe was a 'qualified' Avian vet.
Upon viewing a video of Gladys, in the absence of seeing her at the practice, the lady prescribed Noroclav 250mg strength antibiotics for her, together with Loxicom pain relieving medicine and also Licorol medicine!
Before consulting the vet, Gladys' condition hadn't been too concerning as she had been eating and pretty much going about her normal routine, though had been making a 'pipping' type sound.
Upon giving her the prescribed medication, sadly, she deteriorated!
The lady l had been led to believe by the vetinary practice to be a qualified vet, it seems isn't qualified at all and when l googled 'Licorol' medicine, l discovered in the Contraindications for the drug, that this medicine should NOT be given whilst administering antibiotic tablets!
Regrettably, upon the lady's advice, this is exactly what l had done and after Gladys had began intermitently gasping, l telephoned the surgery to make an appointment for her to be examined.
Regrettably, being unable to accompany Gladys into the practice, l anxiously waited outside for news only to receive a telephone call to say that Gladys was very poorly and that they wished to euthanase her, whereupon, l immediately began begging and pleading with them not to do this, but to allow me to bring her home as she had been eating a selection of her foods prior to the appointment.
I am a great believer in 'while there is life, there is hope' and also think that whilst an animal is eating, the situation with them isn't too dire.
They reluctantly agreed that l may bring her home though l feel sure that Gladys was given 'something' to help her on her way, as she deteriorated and sadly passed away, in my arms, early the following morning.
I deeply regret having sought the advice of the practice and strongly feel that had l not done so, that my lovely girl would have survived longer and indeed may still have been here today - it's a terribly distressing situation, one for which l have received an invoice from the practice for the amount of eighty plus pounds, for providing treatment for Gladys which l feel has ultimately cost her precious life.
Gladys was a dearly loved pet!
This was when one of your lovely group members suggested l join the forum, in the hope that someone may know of the danger involved in giving Licorol medicine at the same time as administering antibiotic tablets.
It is also a concern that other poultry may be taken to this lady believing by their owners, as l did, her to be a qualified vet!
My lovely Gladys was such a gentle, trusting girl who would happily accompany me wherever l went in the house and farmyard, such a character, so loving and l truly miss my little shadow!
Sadly, l feel too that in heeding the advice of someone l had thought to be a professional, l have let her down terribly, whilst of course believing l was doing my utmost, to help.
I pray that someone may indeed have a knowledge of this product though sadly, it seems unlikely, due to it being a product not generally used here in the UK.
I now have just one hen remaining, my sweet Doris, also a dearly loved character who though at first missed her little friend and flock mate has adapted well to life as an only one - she had always been a little picked on by the others, and has really flourished and gained in confidence and of course, henjoys all treats to herself.
I look forward to being a part of your friendly team.
 

Marigold

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Hi Linda, I’m glad you’ve made it on to the Forum at last. (I should own up to mistakenly deleting Linda’s first post, unfairly suspecting her of being a spammer, so I’m glad she has forgiven me and is now part of our group.)
I’m sure we’ll all sympathise with her ordeal, and take on the message about needing to find a good poultry vet that we can trust. I’m glad Doris is now happy in the flock and I hope all will be well from now on.
 

chrismahon

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Gascony, France
That's a very and story Lulu44 and I'm sure many have had bad advice from even qualified vets and been charged for it. There is no substitute for your own daily observation. Are the poos normal? Is she talking? What is here general behaviour like? Hope Doris is well; we have a Minnie in the same situation and she has come out of her shell and for the first time is top chicken (and crows).
 

bigyetiman

Well-known member
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2,401
Welcome to the forum, and sorry to read about your unfortunate experience, it is hard to find a good avian vet at the best of times, then to have someone treating your hen who wasn't qualified who you had been led to believe was is horrible.
As Chris says, your own instincts and observations can often be invaluable. Hope Doris thrives.
We are a friendly bunch on here with lots of experiences good and bad, nice you have found us
 

Lulu44

New member
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5
Thank you all, dear Marigold, Chris and Bigyetiman for a very warm welcome to your wonderful group which l am delighted to have found, though of course, not under the circumstances of the dreadful happening of my beloved Gladys..
Thank you also for your good wishes for my lovely Doris, a beautiful, very vocal girl, who is embracing life to the full?
Your sweet Minnie sounds a delightful girl Chris, its amazing how they do adjust so well to life as an only hen, possibly preferring this when as in the case of Minnie and Doris, they have sampled being picked on by the other members of the flock
As you both so rightly point out, daily observations of our girls are invaluable to those of a stranger, who don't them as well as we do!
I'm always reluctant to visit a vet with any animal as sadly, few seem to have the compassion we would like and expect them to have when we entrust our beloved animals to them.
Thank you all again, l wish you and your precious girls well ??
 

chrismahon

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Our Minnie is the last of our hens brought from England, so she has 11 years now. Sadly we lost two from the same group in the previous months, both to tumours in the crop. Like you I don't trust vets purely because we now have far more experience than them. But they have the X-Ray equipment and access to the drugs, which now we probably wouldn't need. If we did go (and we had to last year) we will tell them exactly what is required (and we did) because really they hadn't a clue.

To be fair a vet has to judge an animal on the briefest of observations and that doesn't really work with chickens, it's usually too late.

Sure Doris is in your good hands Lulu44, as Minnie is in ours.
 

Lulu44

New member
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5
Hi Chris,
l just checked in and saw your post, thank you.
Your sweet Minnie is a remarkable age , how wonderful 11 years..
l am terribly sorry you recently lost two of your precious girls, and to tumours of the crop, that will have been dreadful
I worry about Doris as she recently suffered a bout of sour crop but after the most dreadful incident with my dear Gladys, l was reluctant to return to the 'vet and upon the advice of a fellow hen owner, l treated her with Daktarin Oral Gel and this, together with gentle massage of her crop and the area to the right hand side of her crop which had appeared swollen and felt fluidy, also a lot of praying as l have great faith, l was tremendously relieved when my prayers were answered and she overcame her systems.
She has been slightly panting a little during the past two days and is reluctant to eat mash wish she usually eagerly tucks into after a worrying incident the other morning when she began struggling to breathe as the food seemed to go the wrong way.
I was terribly worried but calmly reassured her whilst gently stroking her throat and l was over the moon when the incident passed.
It's terribly frightening the things that happen to them isn't it? we feel so utterly helpless at times.
And now l have a dilemma as yesterday afternoon, l spotted a delicate homing pigeon perching on a piece of concrete exhausted and seemingly unable to fly. I notice her left wing isn't in alignment with the other and so wishing to protect this gentle little bird l carried her to the small hen lodge knowing she would be safe here. It's the worst thing possible,
a bird who can't fly and there are many cats here who come from the farm opposite where they are neglected. All animals seem to find me and the little bird had taken refuge in my garden.
I had gone to the farmyard to check on Doris and upon my return to the kitchen, there she was.
I'm reluctant to contact the owner as l understand that if the bird isn't strong enough to keep up with the others they end their life which is a terrible thought.
I pray that in a few days when she has mustered a little strength she will find her wings. She was eating corn from the palm of my hand today.
Well, sleep beckons l pray your lovely girl will continue to henjoy a lovely life with you.
With all kind thoughts,
Linda (Lulu44)
 

bigyetiman

Well-known member
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2,401
I found a racing pigeon, totally exhausted after a bad storm, and contacted the owner, the phone number was stencilled on a primary wing feather, a normal practice, to be told " I don't want the bloody thing back, wring it's neck, will save me a job if you bring it back" So we kept it until it had recovered and it spent many happy years pottering about with the local pigeons.
For all the joys of hen keeping, we do have to face the dark side and it can be scary, bit like following the Glaslyn Ospreys at the moment. Unfortunately hybrid layers do tend to suffer from things that end badly due to the constant laying, but like the rest of us, you recognise the unwell hen and respond in the right way. Good luck with Doris and the pigeon
 

Lulu44

New member
Messages
5
Hi Bigyetiman ?
Thank you for your very kind letter..
You have reinforced the fear of my brother and l that if we were to contact the owner of this sweet little pigeon, we would be given these exact words which of course, we could never do!!
Especially in light of what happened yesterday evening when our little stowaway paced enthusiastically up and down the enclosed run, attempting to find a way out, we decided to see if she is able to fly but regrettably, though she tried with all her mite, sadly, she was unable to leave the ground other than for a height of about a foot!
Now we are faced with the dilemma of a most beautiful healthy young bird, but which is unable to fly from any predator - such a distressing situation!
Then, to add to what is already quite a worrying situation, another racing pigeon took refuge here yesterday afternoon who though is able to fly was totally exhausted and we popped he or she into the hen hut to join the other - thankfully, the two companions are getting on well. Both are eating and drinking.
The worry here is that there are so many cats who visit from a farm opposite and my brother Phillip and l will have to constantly watch the one who is unable to fly and ensure we keep her in the hut during times when we are unable to watch over her.
Such a predicament to have found ourselves in, and all because of the hobby of someone who races these beautiful birds to practical exhaustion, for their own gains, but who doesn't care enough for them when this situation arises.
My lovely Doris isn't quite as well as l would wish her to be, but has been free ranging today in the farm yard and keeping an eye on our new additions. In the absence of a trusting vet, l am attempting to treat her with tinctures to ease her symptoms and pray she will soon be feeling like her old self ?
With all kind thoughts, Linda (Lulu44)
 

Marigold

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All the same, I would try to contact the owners and hear what they said. It might well be that they are fond of the birds and worried about what had happened to them. At least it would put their minds at rest. If they said they were relieved to know their birds were getting good care, but would like them back, you could arrange for them to collect their bird, and your problem, and your responsibility, would be over.
I would definitely contact the owner of the second bird, the one who was exhausted but can fly, and get advice on when and how to release it to fly back home by itself when it’s strong enough. Remember, they usually fly back home very urgently because they are one of a pair that have chicks to look after, and want to get back to their mate and their family. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to prevent that happening.
If they don’t want the first disabled bird back, you might offer to try to care for it, but I wouldn’t advise suggesting that until you hear what their intentions might be. I know how strongly you feel about euthanasia, but it may be that it could be the kindest way out for a crippled bird, unable to fly, and at risk from predators.

What tinctures are you using on Doris? We don’t generally advise dosing chickens with any medications not intended for chickens and proven to be safe for them. At best they’re not likely to help, and at worst, (as you found with Licorel) they can be fatal. Dactarin Oral Gel is quite strong stuff, I’ve used it myself on fungal infections of the mouth, and I can’t see how, applied externally, it might help a possible case of sour crop.
 

Lulu44

New member
Messages
5
My dear Marigold,
Thank you for your lovely message, l am so sorry, l have only just checked in. my dear little stowaway is taking up so much time..
She is the sweetest little bird and happily takes food from the palm of my hand and water from a dish l hold near to her.
Her overall health is excellent and when letting her hop out of the hen hut she enjoys basking in the sunshine as well as pecking at bits she finds on the ground but when she is out of the hut it is a very tensing situation and my brother Phillip and l have to watch her like a hawk for fear of a cat pouncing which would be absolutely heartbreaking!
After spending two nights with little one in the hen hut, our other lovely bird decided to take flight, the most magnificent sight l have ever seen. He eventualy hopped out of the hut and made his way to the area of the farmyard where Phillip had discovered him, a week ago today.
He lay with the sun on his wings but as l neared him with a dish of corn, he took to the skies and flew in a wide perimeter over the farm before landing on a neighbours ariel whereupon he was immediately chased away by another bird who had settled there. He momentarily landed on my gable end before taking flight again, which was the last time my brother and l saw him!
Such courage, strength and determination were shown by this incredible bird and l pray he will have arrived home to a welcome he most truly deserved.
I hadn't realised the birds have chick's eagerly awaiting their return and have discovered this sweet little bird belongs to a member of the Northern Racing Pigeon Association, l will contact the owner and see what they suggest they would like to happen to this dear little bird.
When my beloved Doris suffered crop issues a couple of months ago, a lady named Haidy Mansfield who has a Facebook page called 'Belle and Fleur say NO to caged hens for eggs ' advised that l give a pea sized amount of Daktarin gel to Doris orally, which l must say seemed to help her tremendously though l feel the gentle massage was of paramount to her improvement. I have some Synulox antibiotic tablets which l have been administering to Doris in her drinking water and am thrilled to say this has helped her tremendously.
She adores her new companion, little Pidge and stays beside her when the delicate bird enjoys freedom from the little hen hut during which time my brother and l watch like a hawk to ensure a cat doesn't pounce, which would be heartbreaking!
I will let you know when l have managed to contact the owner of this dear little bird.
Wishing you all the very best, Linda x
 
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