Help!! Marek's Disease??

[Haunted55]

She is looking a little better!!

Poo is more solid and she made 3 nice-sized ones while I was away. Her crop is fine. Her backside looks fine. No eggs inside as far as I can tell. Legs are still shaky, but not like before. She is trying to stand on her own and doing so with more success than before. Still unsuccessful, and still falls to one side when held up.

@Haunted: yes. Like a parakeet pops after a hard fall to the ground. It's an air sac thing. I don't understand it well, but i know it happens. I don't know why she would be popping unless there is some kind of obstruction or protuberance within her.

I'll keep you up to date.

It sounds like pneumonia from her being sedentary. Penicillin or Tylan please! If you can force her up or even hold her up for a bit every so often, 12 or more times a day, this will go a long way in helping her lose the fluid building up but she really needs an 'acme' strength antibiotic if she is showing signs of lung involvement. If you have it or can find it, a little lavendar oil dropped on her bedding will give some superficial relief.

 

[Gallina8]

Here she is today. Pretty much the same except that her poop looks EXTRAORDINARY! No eggs bound. Her face is only a teensy bit redder than normal.

She winces a bit after she eats though... not sure what that is about. She only takes grapes to get her to eat the vitamins (D and Calcium), and is eating veggies, eggs, some pellets, pasta, and some grit. I only feed her three times a day. I always put her pellets in pedialite so she drinks more than she would on her own- that shaky leg and her watery stool from earlier made me nervous that she'd dehydrate to death.

So, improvement. Much, no. I'm going to keep on pretending like this is something other than Mareck's Tx-wise...

 

[Haunted55]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/517234/medical-treatments-recommended-by-bycers


I would like you to check this link, under the Wry Neck, it gives you the dosing to treat for this. Try it. It certainly can't hurt and I still believe in happy endings. Your bird is a little old for these symptoms to be showing now, but with all of the recalls there have been on the feed in the last couple of years, who knows. I would also continue with the ACV and vitamins in her water. ACV will help keep her crop working properly by keeping the bacteria balanced.

I get that you want to think this is something else besides Marek's, I really do. I think everyone of us, who now have it, have been the same way. One thing I will ask you to do though, is act as if it is there. Do not go to someone else's house who has chickens, do not allow them there. Do not give, sell, trade or ever show these birds from your flock. This really is serious doo doo. You have to believe that not only are your chickens sick with it and now carriers, so are you, family members, cats or dogs, whatever. Please do not give someone else the 'gift that keeps on giving'. I hope this turns out to be nothing but a vitamin deficiency. I'd be dancing in the streets for you. Also, please keep the thread up to date with everything that goes on with this. It may help someone else. Also the last thing to ask you to do. Right now, when you dont need it, find out where you could have a necropsy done if this or one of your other birds does die. The necropsy will give you the answers we can only guess at now and give you peace of mind in the end. This is something every person who keeps chickens, or any animal for that matter, should know before they need it.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: You said that all really nice, Haunted.

 

[Gallina8]

Hey Haunted. I understand and am acting as though she has Marek's while believing Tx wise that she does not. You had posted a warning about that earlier and I will heed your warning. Thank you again for stressing.

She is better tonight. Laid a nice healthy egg while I was at work with no complications as far as I can tell! She's pooping regularly and it looks very healthy! Also able to sit up while only slightly favoring one side. Still on .1ml of the Cipro solution. Still has a shaky leg, and still can not stand upright- she just flails her legs like she's swimming in water. Her legs are strong, though.

The ACV Rx, is that a 10/90 mix? 30/60?

Also, I found some info on Botulism and wonder if maybe she is actually suffering from that?? The source I had indicated tremors, partial paralysis, and some other symptoms... It's possible I suppose...

 

[casportpony]

Hey Haunted. I understand and am acting as though she has Marek's while believing Tx wise that she does not. You had posted a warning about that earlier and I will heed your warning. Thank you again for stressing.

She is better tonight. Laid a nice healthy egg while I was at work with no complications as far as I can tell! She's pooping regularly and it looks very healthy! Also able to sit up while only slightly favoring one side. Still on .1ml of the Cipro solution. Still has a shaky leg, and still can not stand upright- she just flails her legs like she's swimming in water. Her legs are strong, though.

The ACV Rx, is that a 10/90 mix? 30/60?

Also, I found some info on Botulism and wonder if maybe she is actually suffering from that?? The source I had indicated tremors, partial paralysis, and some other symptoms... It's possible I suppose...

If she had botulism, I think she'd be dead or getting worse, but I don't know.

 

[Gallina8]

Re: Botulism.

Yeah. Probably. Been reading [a lot] and realizing that she is not, likely, suffering from botulism. Trying to be creative about approaching her symptoms though, and finding lots of helpful resources while I'm at it! Just shared in another thread.

 

[casportpony]

 

[Gallina8]

Casport, I am sure that it is not Botulism. Here is the link to the thread I posted about helpful diagnostic/disease/etc info

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754022/helpful-resources-found-for-diagnosing-your-sick-chicken

 

[casportpony]

Casport, I am sure that it is not Botulism. Here is the link to the thread I posted about helpful diagnostic/disease/etc info

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/754022/helpful-resources-found-for-diagnosing-your-sick-chicken

Yeah, I know, just thought you might want to see what's in the AAAP Avian Disease Manual - The pathologist I send my birds to calls it "The Bible". It's one of the few resources that has dosing info for some diseases.

Thanks for the link, I hadn't seen the first one, but have seen the other, even have the book, lol. I've been doing too much reading lately.