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

[Fallenone05]

This was an incredibly interesting, and informative, thread. I have knowledge for both my birds and my cats in case they go limp and I can proactively treat now.

I really hope May makes a full recovery and her leg usage gets better and better!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I carry the herpes virus since I had chicken pox as a child. The virus hid in my cells until I was fifty and now erupts as shingles and lip sores.

Wow, I did NOT know that.. but sure enough was quickly able to confirm!

Hmm, digesting what I've read..

Stops it from replicating... means still on board and still flares up but no longer infectious to others??

Since there is a FOWL pox vaccine, it made me curious if fowl pox was also a herpes type virus and if that should be something to consider instead of or in addition to the Marek's vaccine.. I FAILED to find any correlation but this this was still informative..

https://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/content/avian-pox

One thing I did find was that MITES and mosquitoes were both considered vectors.. which I think could also be true for Marek's. Northern fowl mite is fairly prolific. I think I have dealt with poultry lice at least once...

Magnificent progress. Keep the recovery effort going strong girls!

 

[azygous]

Some viruses can be passed on at any stage. Marek's and lymphoid leucosis are common avian viruses that are shed constantly and can infect any chicken down wind or exposed to feces.

With the herpes virus that originates with chicken pox, it's infectious only when the carrier is experiencing symptoms, but while lip sores and genital herpes are very contagious when the sores are present, as far as I know, shingles are not contagious.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

@EggSighted4Life, in the Cornell article you linked, have another read under "Differential Diagnosis". In second paragraph, line 6, "whereas laryngotracheitis, caused by a herpes virus," -----. I THink that is saying fowl pox is Not a herpes virus, is that correct?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I THink that is saying fowl pox is Not a herpes virus, is that correct?

Yes, that was my understanding as well.. and why I wrote that I failed to find any correlation but was posting it just as an interesting read, All this virus stuff is fascinating for lack of a better word.

Under "etiology" in the same link you ask about, I found..

"virus belongs to the genus Avipoxvirus, and is in the family Poxviridae."

This says there are over 100 KNOWN herpes viruses of which 8 routinely affect humans.. membership in the family Herpesviridae

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8157/

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Yes i completely agree all the available info is educational and interesting, & i have also learned tons. (The unfortunate part is it comes as a result of May's, Azygous's (& Sus-su's!) hard fight to overcome May's ailment. The fowl pox issue might seem like an unrelated tangent, but it is actually somewhat relevant, especially when discussing viruses that are able to establish latency upon infection, & viruses that are not. If it is true that recovered birds from fowl pox do not remain carriers, i assume the fowl pox virus does not establish latency? Viruses belonging to the families Herpesviradae, Polyomaviridae, Parvoviridae, & Adenoviridae are all known to establish latent infections in target cells. (Mareks Disease is a member of the Herpesviradae family). Azygous has said from the beginning that her pullets symptoms dont line up with typical Marekss symptoms, & i absolutely believe her. There are plenty of other diseases that cause demyelination. (I didnt know until recently that human Multiple Sclerosis symptoms are the result of demylenation.) From research, it does appear that most/all demylenating viruses in all species are able to establish latency. That doesnt mean symptoms will recur, but it does mean they Could. And whatever "bug" caused 3 of the 4 pullets to exhibit symptoms, demyelinization apparently did occur, as evidenced by May's slow but steady climb back from paralysis. As an aside, I have also learned that human Latent Tuberculosis Infection is caused by a Bacteria; most all other latent infections are viral in nature. The tuberculosis info made me think of the various chronic/carrier/latent bacterial respiratory infections that birds carry for life once they are infected. And made me question if latent bacterial respiratory infections in chickens might be similiar to latent tuberculosis infections in humans. But okay that IS off-topic and unrelated. And the most important thing here is that May is slowly but surely getting better!!!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

How is May today?

 

[azygous]

May is getting around. She may have been stampeded, but she stepped out of the run through the pop hole, and also went over to the main run. I try to give her limited exposure to the other chickens, but most of the time she and Su-su have their gated off section to relax without any competition from the others.

The right leg is becoming more naturally aligned instead of jutting out sideways, a sign the thigh muscle is getting stronger.

 

[azygous]

A brief and flimsy update. I never thought I would say this sentence: May is now walking.

Her endurance increases each day, even though it's a little bit. She has acquired quite a bit of speed and self confidence in spite of her stiff right leg. She is still sometimes at a loss as to how to deal with a leg that defies total control. I watched her as she approached the food table. The right leg, having a "mind of its own" was in the way so she propped it up on the edge of the table. That's telling it who's the boss, May!

 

[azygous]

It's been very cold as we were in the direct path of this crazy polar vortex on its way to Texas to make misery there. May has been snug in her bed in the coop along with Su-su and April and June. Su-su and May spent almost all day in the coop yesterday and all morning today until it quit being colder outside than in my freezer in my refrigerator.

Today, I took a break and sat and watched May as she walked. She is now planting her right foot flat on the ground when she lands on it instead of swinging it out to the side. Her nerves and muscles seem to be fine tuning the action now.

It's been nothing short of amazing to see this steady progress. She's a little fighter.