Aspergillosis

Panic

6 months old, Silkie rooster

Panic was a Silkie rooster with crossbeak. He had a difficult start in life due to his beak deformity, and later developed severe scoliosis. He was only half the size of a normal Silkie, which indicated that something in his system was not functioning as it should.

It started with him losing weight and having a crop that contained a lot of air (initially, I suspected sour crop). He lost weight so rapidly, and despite being tube-fed, he was unable to properly absorb the nutrients from his food. Since he was already so small to begin with, he simply did not have many reserves left to lose. His condition deteriorated quickly, and during the weekend before he passed away, he began to struggle severely with breathing.

Because he was so small, the veterinarian could not even test him for aspergillosis, as he did not have enough blood available for testing. And even if the test had been positive, he would not have survived the medication, as his kidneys were already too weak to tolerate the treatment.

I could see in his eyes that he could not go on. He was peacefully put to sleep at the veterinary clinic, beside me and one of his flock mates, knowing that he was deeply loved.

Looking back now, and after researching this condition for this article, I am quite certain that Panic had the chronic form of aspergillosis and was already infected when he came to live with us.

2024/02/22  –  2024/08 /22