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Glad you are out of the hospital, and glad they think it’s not Mareks. Do you know what test they did, such as PCR test on feather shafts. Usually, I’m told that it is done on feather shafts and tumor tissue, tumors which may be found internally. We always like to know how things are dealt with around the country, to let other folks know. So happy for you after losing your chicken, that it is coccidiosis.
I wish I had more to go on, but I had to rely on the "professional judgement" of the veterinary community, here. None of the "professionals" in my area knew what to do! It took so long to find someone who had real instructions on how and where to get a necropsy done that, by the time I found someone, the time limits had passed and results were "not guaranteed" and astronomically expensive to attain. I now have a direct contact for the New Bolton rep I spoke with, which will give me access to free advice, when I need it, but does not help with the high costs of being "out-of-state." The only "in-state" lab I found is Salisbury, which is nearly a four hour drive for me - and they didn't respond in time, either. That is NOT THEIR FAULT, though. By the time I found their information, it was already late for a necropsy, and shipping bio-hazards is complicated.
This whole episode, from the first heat stroke death through the complicated mess of conflicting symptoms to my own bout at the hospital has been a nightmare roller-coaster ... all downhill until the very last hill.
Going forward from here, I plan to be ready, should this sort of crisis arise again. My project, as soon as I'm back up to speed, myself, is to compile a list of phone numbers, addresses and instructions on how and where to get a bird necropsied, so I won't have to lose precious time jumping through ridiculous hoops. My list of "need to knows" are as follows, and I am open to suggestions to add to it:
Avian specialist veterinarians and their hours
Emergency vets with an Avian specialist on staff or on call
Direct contact numbers and e-mails for the appropriate labs IN MY STATE
If possible, a list of pricing (I got quotes from $14 to over $300 for the same service!)
Specific instructions on how to package and send a specimen
Have all packing and mailing supplies on hand, just in case.
Thank you, again, to everyone who responded so quickly, especially @micstrachan, who stepped up so quickly when the panic first set in. You people, and this community, are wonderful!