Thank you very much for all of this information, it brought me back to threads I had found earlier. I was able to find a vet who took a blood sample and sent it to Texas A & M to see if it's Marek's, meanwhile he gave her a B complex shot as well as a steroid shot. He said her eyes are normal, and she doesn't seem to have tumors when he feels around. He was as confused as I was that she's still here after 6 weeks, eating, digesting, just struggling to move. He was very negative about the Hypericum but I'm going to continue until I get results, I can't seem to give up on this sweet little girl, she coos and enjoys being with her friends so...........will post the results of the test early next week, thanks again!
Let us know the results of the Marek's PCR testing!
I have been going in circles over research since my roo had confirmed Marek's last year, and died from it. I have done a lot of research regarding the hypericum, and have been overall very skeptical because it is touted as a homeopathic remedy, which is dubious at best. However, I have also found some research that considers it may be a natural therapy, which is a whole different thing than homeopathy, and one study to the best of my knowledge was done with it. A group of chickens were intentionally infected with a retrovirus and then one group was given hypericum and found to have had a slightly better recovery rate-- now, this virus is DIFFERENT than Marek's, and is NOT fatal to chickens, but has some similarities, and so there might be something to it. Despite this, the differences were not amazingly profound, even in this other virus, and it is hardly a miracle worker. In reality I suspect that confirmed Marek's chickens that are given hypericum that go on to recover from Marek's symptoms probably would have anyhow, but the hypericum MIGHT help that along. So, try it if you'd like, just be careful with dosages.
Study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384280/
I do want to mention that most birds in backyard situations that die from visceral Marek's
don't show the ocular form, and tumors tend to be internal on major organs and can not be felt from palpation.
I hope it is not Marek's and is something you can treat more readily.
I have more information about what other disease look like Marek's, and also some other holistic treatments you can try, in my FAQ:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
I recently updated it as I found mention that cranberry might help. I honestly can not say if it is true or not (I keep a healthy skepticism on these things) but at least cranberry is something that can not harm them so it won't hurt to try.
