Canary with ASM?

[Meagan83]

I bought SCATT along with S76 a few weeks ago to pretreat my Goulds and canaries for ASM as well as to treat my canary hen for scaley foot. My female canary seemed in perfect health aside from the scaley foot. Her feet are completely cured and look normal again. Ive decided, however, that she surely must have had ASM before the treatment because now (5 weeks after SCATT) she is making that weird clicking noise when she breathes. Is that possible??? Well, I cannot retreat her for it obviously. I'm assuming she had ASM and after treatment they are now rattling around in her little lungs? Oh it's terrible to think that's what it might be...Does this seem right? Well Ive now had her on antibiotics for 1 week and she's still making the noise. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Why is she still making this noise? She actually seems just fine. Perky, alert, and though she is making the noise, she seems to be breathing just fine.
I'm so frustrated... Opinions?

[Finch Fry]

The #1 indicator of ASM is clicking while breathing. Its basically semi asphyxiation. The click is the rapid open/closing sound of their airway as they try to take in more air but is blocked by the little mites in their airway. Look for "gulping" motions as well, would also point to ASM. Also, if the birds stop making noises, like singing or the hen calling, thats another big ASM indicator.

As for the time frame, 5 weeks from last treatment is enough time for the scatt to have worn off and potentially for more mites to move in. I would think that since they moved in so fast, you may have only treated the birds last time, but not the source of the ASM. A good way to go about attacking the source while treating is to spray some lice spray in and around the cage and nest. The mites can be anywhere really.

I had a bout of ASM with my goulds and treated with S76 as recommended. I had no luck and treated with SCATT, birds stopped clicking and slowly regained their voices. Every weekend for 3-4 weeks I sprayed their cage and nest, not the birds, with mite spray. I think last weekend I also took out all the nesting material in the nest box and put new material in after thoroughly cleaning the nest.

I am planning to start amoxitex or whatever its called this week to help them with any airways infections they may have gotten from the evil dead mites.

[Meagan83]

I thought SCATT stayed in their system for a few months and was preventive of reinfestation until near time for next treatment?

[Meagan83]

Also, my male and female have been housed together for a year and the male seems clean ... I thought it was highly contagious?

[Finch Fry]

I thought SCATT stayed in the system for about 30 days. Just a tad longer than the life cycle of the ASM (21 days). So that way it kills it for sure. Then it wears off. I don't recall where I read this so I could be wrong and have it mixed up with other info.

As for the male being clean, he probably isn't but hasn't developed a serious infestation. They can have ASM for weeks and even months but it not be an issue since its not reached infestation levels. It only is an issue for them when mite numbers get high and they have issues breathing (clicking). Thats why I think all of this medicine isn't really preventative but more just a way to kill it. For preventing it, do like i said and use mite spray on the cage (everywhere from floor, ceiling to legs holding up the cage), nest and even the close vicinity of the cage. Do it once a week for 3-4 weeks.

[Meagan83]

For preventing it, do like i said and use mite spray on the cage (everywhere from floor, ceiling to legs holding up the cage), nest and even the close vicinity of the cage. Do it once a week for 3-4 weeks.

Just a reg mite and lice spray?

[Meagan83]

Okay, I reread the info on it and you were correct.
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/featur ... cmites.mgi
I guess I will just spray the cages and room down with the Mite spray. Is it safe to retreat my hen? I suppose the s76 would be easier on her system.