Ossie well on the mend

I have been pretty busy at work and at home and I haven't had a lot of time to post and update on Ossie's health.

We found a very nice vet, Dr Adam Terry, at All Kinds Veterinary in Callaway. It was quite a drive but he is worth the trip.

I drove Ossie down one evening last month - the drive was longer than it looked in mapquest!

Dr Adam did an exam and gave me some good advice. Dr Adam has a lot of experience with exotic birds but the pet chicken wasn't the norm. He took it well in stride.  Based on the treatment we had already started, we came up with a treatment plan that was a bit short of the ideal but doable with our commute and work schedule.

We continued the Tylan 50 for another week or so, then waited a couple weeks for the drug to clear Ossie's system.  I then booked another after-work appointment and made the long drive in a noticeable darker evening (I do hate the darkness of a pending winter!). Dr Adam checked Ossie, commented that he looked much improved, drew some blood and we were on our way home.

I received a call from the office asking to bring Ossie back for a tracheal swab (!)   After a return trip in a totally dark sky, the swab was done, fresh blood drawn, and Dr Adam shipped the material to the Eastern Shore lab.

Meanwhile, Ossie appears almost well. He does have a bit of dried nose snot on one nostril most mornings, which we clean out. Each day the amount is smaller. He is allowed out of his kennel to roam the yard while I feed the horses in morning, then crated while I am at work and the rest of the flock is in the yard.

The opposite sequence is followed in the evening. The other birds are fed and locked up for the night and he is allowed out to roam as we feed the horses. That part is getting tricky - luckily he likes to eat (!) and is waiting to go into his kennel when we finish with the horses, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see the dark bird in a dark yard! One day last weekend, he followed me halfway to the horse shed and ambushed me on my return trip. He is funny to watch as he runs to keep up.

Still waiting for final test results and whether we need to do additional treatment.

Since it's getting cold, I hope to resolve this soon so we can put Ossie in with the other birds before winter.