Five-month old Australorp suddenly lame. Update: Now another pullet going lame!

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Well dang i never saw that thread and never knew you had already made a chick chair for Jules too. The only thing i picked up on is that you said Jules could "raise herself partially up on her legs, but the pain apparently prevents her from being able to stand." (Paraphase). You made that statement when you were still under full assumption that Jules had injured herself, which would lead to an assumption she was in pain. That still doesnt mean you were wrong in thinking her condition became painful. Only you were present to observe her, so only you can best answer. I may have posed a question that is impossible to answer. And the main focus (and celebration!) for now is the hope that May is on her way to a full recovery. So heartwarming to see her standing in the pics you posted today! But if it is the same mystery ailment that affected 3 of the 4 pullets, and if that ailment is eventually identified, i think it will be helpful to know if the ailment actually causes pain or not. For future understanding, decision-making, & an overall lasting contribution to "chicken science." And btw i fully agree with you on how sweet, gentle and docile australorps are. I had two separate friends that only had black australorps in their flocks. They liked the breed so much they had no desire for any other. When i finally got blues and blacks 3 years ago, i quickly understood why the breed is so popular.

 

[azygous]

I'm as anxious and curious to see where this whole matter goes. It's been much more perplexing than I ever thought. I've already learned more than I thought.

Long live "chicken science"!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I know youve already learned more than you wanted to know. And im really sorry uve had to go through it. But also so impressed with all you have done.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

The next phase of this thread – after jubilation, because the fact that May has clearly wanted to stay and has made it this far is cause for celebration – does seem to be to try to unpack the impact on your flock in the future.

It's so complicated. I mean, what is this?? Since there have been parallels to canine idiopathic polyradiculoneuritis, I wanted to share a few thoughts learned through our dog's journey:

• Some vets think that treating early with antibiotics can lessen the damage to the nerves, I think by reducing the load of pathogen that causes the damage. To my memory, research here was completely anecdotal. Vets were trying it because antibiotics apparently mitigate tick paralysis (different disease with somewhat similar presentation). Without going down that tangent, I wanted to say there's a chance antibiotics played a significant role in May's rebound.
• In dogs, there can be recurrence(s) even years after recovery. No continuity on whether the cases were more or less severe the next time around, but recovery rates seemed similar <--take with a grain of salt because, again, this is from memory. I've not fallen down the rabbit hole in a long time. @Allsfairinloveandbugs is so right that, to a point, I'd prefer not to know as much as I know about this.
• We have 4 dogs, 1 with polyradiculoneuritis and 3 who have never had symptoms, indicating it doesn't spread from dog to dog and/or that some dogs are more prone to the disease. These dogs all share beds and toys and water bowls and do that thing where they chew on each other's faces when they play.
• I mentioned this before, but this syndrome is more common in certain breeds, like Boxers and Jack Russells (we think our girl is part Boxer). Taking a leap from dog breeds to chicken breeds, it may be prudent to avoid Australorps and any other lines that show symptoms, in case this pathogen is lying in wait.

Back to June: whether or not she was in pain, she communicated great distress. I'm wondering how much it matters if you can pin down if that was fear, intense frustration, or physical pain, since it was distress either way. It should be pointed out that May has had to work extremely hard to regain mobility. Not every being is equipped to handle that kind of challenge, but May has demonstrated repeatedly that she's here for it. I love how she's showed you up over and over. She's gonna do it her way.

The communication between you and your flock is heartwarming and something to be aspired to. I know many of us are out here rooting for that May egg!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

That was really good info @HiEverybirdy! And like you, i do understand the possibly for May to relapse. So while we all cheer May's recovery, caution is advised as to where recovery will be permanent. I do feel chances are excellent she will permanently recover; time will tell. Most people, dogs, etc with demyelating neuropathy do recover, with time and a lot of care. The reason i think what azygous has done is so important is because when a chicken becomes paralyzed, most people assume the cause is Mareks and euthanize them. But as with the condition your dog suffers from, the 2010 white leghorn study i previously mentioned determined that although those birds were paralyzed, they did NOT have Mareks disease. Study determined they had Idiopathic Polyneuritis (IP). (Idiopathic basically means the cause is unknown). Azygous threw the "kitchen sink" at her pullets in an attempt to save them. Whether it was the antibiotics or something else, Something did seem to help. I also agree with your point that whether or not June was in true physical pain, she Was in true emotional distress, therefore azygous did the right think by euthanizing her and ending her distress.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

That was really good info @HiEverybirdy! And like you, i do understand the possibly for May to relapse. So while we all cheer May's recovery, caution is advised as to where recovery will be permanent. I do feel chances are excellent she will permanently recover; time will tell. Most people, dogs, etc with demyelating neuropathy do recover, with time and a lot of care. The reason i think what azygous has done is so important is because when a chicken becomes paralyzed, most people assume the cause is Mareks and euthanize them. But as with the condition your dog suffers from, the 2010 white leghorn study i previously mentioned determined that although those birds were paralyzed, they did NOT have Mareks disease. Study determined they had Idiopathic Polyneuritis (IP). (Idiopathic basically means the cause is unknown). Azygous threw the "kitchen sink" at her pullets in an attempt to save them. Whether it was the antibiotics or something else, Something did seem to help. I also agree with your point that whether or not June was in true physical pain, she Was in true emotional distress, therefore azygous did the right think by euthanizing her and ending her distress.

Well put! And yes, darn you, "idiopathic."

By the way, here are a few images of our gal Clover, a.k.a. CloLo, a.k.a. Biggie Smells. She's on the far right in the first picture.

 

[azygous]

New issue. April is savaging May with pecks to the head whenever she's exposed in the middle of the run. May prefers to stuff herself into the far corner and Su-su blocks her from the others with her body. I've been encouraging May to move around a bit to get some PT. But April sees her vulnerability and pecks her on the head. May has been withdrawn all day today. Despite a tube feeding this morning, her comb color is dusky again.

So, I will need to rig up a barrier across the run to keep April and June away from May so May doesn't sink into a helpless state of victimhood. And it's supposed to snow and be miserably cold and it's just my very favorite thing to do construction projects when it's freezing cold and warm gloves are not an option.

 

[Perris]

But while you're doing it you will have Su-Su's little family for company IRL, and all of us cheering you on in the virtual world

 

[azygous]

It's way below freezing, and I managed to get the fencing up in the run without too much suffering.

Speaking of suffering, May was filthy from lying in poop for two days so she got a bath. Since her bath, she pooped three times. Far from annoying, it's a sign she's eating well. So now she's drying thoroughly before going back outside in the freezing cold. Does she appear to be suffering?

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[texsuze]

Comfy chicken there! Maybe she can become the house hen....

Thanks for your response on my question re: pain meds. Since I have only a tiny amount of meloxicam left I've decided to go ahead and put Fay back on it before it expires.

Having the same issues with 2 of Fay's flock mates as you just posted with May---what is it about chooks that turns them into bullies at the first sign of weakness in others? Only the occasional bad behavior, but I don't tolerate it. I've been making extra trips back and forth to the barn each day to check on Fay and give her water, mash, rx, treats, plus intercept any disrespect from flock mates. She prefers to be with the flock, otherwise, she quickly becomes marginalized by them.

Fay is still able to wobble a few steps before dropping down to sternal recumbence, but her mobility overall has certainly declined. Thinking about going with another round of AB, this time tylan soluble, but I want to give enough time for Fay's good bacteria to regenerate after we followed the vet's oxytet prescription. Not sure if more AB would improve her condition any. Depressing time here....your May's improvement still gives me a tiny glimmer of hope.