Lame pekin bantam NOT MArEKS

[mellissa]

hi everyone,

Here’s a puzzling condition with young pullet. Blood test results were negative to Mareks.

Pekin bantam has been shuffling since 8 weeks old. Her legs splay when put on Lino or slippery surface. She has normal droppings is eating and drinking. She can not walk and flaps around a bit and is unbalanced, however otherwise appears healthy. Now 16 weeks. She had blood test for mareks which came back today as negative.

Help what is this? 3 vets also straining the brain to figure this out. Video too large to upload.
Thanks

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

hi everyone,

Here’s a puzzling condition with young pullet. Blood test results were negative to Mareks.

Pekin bantam has been shuffling since 8 weeks old. Her legs splay when put on Lino or slippery surface. She has normal droppings is eating and drinking. She can not walk and flaps around a bit and is unbalanced, however otherwise appears healthy. Now 16 weeks. She had blood test for mareks which came back today as negative.

Help what is this? 3 vets also straining the brain to figure this out. Video too large to upload.
Thanks

I wasn't aware there was a blood test that checks for Mareks. I haven't heard of one. I though you could only diagnose it with a necropsy after the bird is dead. Sure sounds like Mareks, but thing like vitamin deficiencies and botulism can cause problems walking too. Otherwise a head injury may do it too.

 

[mellissa]

I wasn't aware there was a blood test that checks for Mareks. I haven't heard of one. I though you could only diagnose it with a necropsy after the bird is dead. Sure sounds like Mareks, but thing like vitamin deficiencies and botulism can cause problems walking too. Otherwise a head injury may do it too.

I wasn't aware there was a blood test that checks for Mareks. I haven't heard of one. I though you could only diagnose it with a necropsy after the bird is dead. Sure sounds like Mareks, but thing like vitamin deficiencies and botulism can cause problems walking too. Otherwise a head injury may do it too.

 

[mellissa]

Hi there is a blood test for mareks it had to be sent to South Africa and I’m in Australia. It took two weeks for results to come through. In the past post mortem was only way. Now thanks to new technology it can be tested for.

 

[Eggcessive]

I may be wrong, but according to what I have read, the best way to diagnose Mareks is to examine tumor tissue or feather shafts after death during a necropsy. There are also certain things to look for on organs. A few years ago I saw where a Texas poultry lab offered a PCR test for Mareks, and someone posted about another place where you could send in a feather for disgnosis. But, I still think there could be false negatives, even though I am not a vet. I would definitely get a necropsy done if you lose her.

There are other illnesse that can look like Mareks, and those are listed in the BYC article “Great Big Giant Mareks Faq,” if you Google it.

Leg bone deformities are common and can cause difficulty walking. Some of those to Google are varus valgus deformity and tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) in poultry. Having a non-slip surface or bedding can help with footing.