Marek's and nervous tick

[Farm4Suncee]

Thank you Nambroth I'll definitely do a more thorough check of her crop. She seems to have a type of contraction of the crop/throat when she pecks food on the floor. Do you think it would be worthwhile to tube some pedialyte in her, or is there some type of treatment I can do to cleanse her crop? She is a very sweet girl and one of our favorites.

 

[Farm4Suncee]

I tubed 35 ml of pedialyte. She wasn't happy with me. I'm hoping this will spark her appetite and help flush her crop out.

 

[Farm4Suncee]

Nambroth, were you able to feel a tumor on the thymus? Was it obvious it was a growth? She definitely doesn't like me feeling in that area and lengthens her neck when I massage and feel around the crop and neck.

 

[Nambroth]

I was able to feel the tumor, but it was quite small. Smaller than a marble... maybe just a little bigger than a dried pea. I thought it was something in the crop, but it was actually next to the crop (and putting just enough pressure on the crop to slow his crop down). But I must stress that every bird is different and it can really do different things in each bird.

He also had the tumors on the walls of his heart and through one ventricle, so when he would bend down especially, he'd get light hearted and seem woozy. A few days later he started panting for breath and his comb turned that terrible purple color. His heart was failing. The timeline might be different for other individuals.

Marek's can also cause other irregularities in the digestive system, most commonly the proventriculus, and abnormalities of the gizzard. Many find that the crop may be similarly effected. Her poop still looks fairly normal right? How much is she eating and drinking on her own for you?

 

[Farm4Suncee]

Here is a pic of her poop today, it's not as green as my other pullet that had mareks. I did tube her with 35ml of pedialyte last night and she has taken a couple sips of water. She did peck a little at her food but nothing substantial. Her throat occasionally does make a gurgling sound, almost like a burp or when water doesn't want to go down in our throats. Her crop is squishy and has a little in it. I have to run now but I'll keep you updated. If you can think of anything else I can try please let me know. If she doesn't start eating I can tube feed her but I'm really hoping she'll do it on her own. Thanks for your help and input.

 

[Nambroth]

Best wishes. Yes, at a minimum keep her hydration good. If she doesn't start eating soon it will be tube time. Does she eat her favorite treats? Even when my poor rooster was dying he tried to eat mealworms almost to the end, so excited by them he was.
My avian vet advised that sometimes b vitamins can help increase appetite. I used a nutritional yeast that had a high % of B vitamin and thiamine. Coconut oil (cold pressed) is also supposed to help with vitamin absorption and they love it, jsut offer small amounts in moderation if you want to try it. These are not cures, just supportive things you can do. If she has tumors and other things going on nothing can help her appetite but the above things won't harm her, either.

I agree that those droppings don't look "Marek's Scary" to me, but it's really hard to know what might be going on.

Hoping for you both!!

 

[Farm4Suncee]

Okay here is something new, she does have a somewhat fishy smell to her breath. I did give her some soft boiled egg and olive oil this morning,but she ate very little. I haven't smelled this on her before. I just gave her another round of 35 ml of pedialyte and that's when both my son and I smelled her breath.

 

[Nambroth]

What brand of feed to you give? Does it contain fishmeal?

I regret that I don't know what could cause the fishy smell other than feed (mine causes fishy breath sometimes in my hens, but it is quite faint). Maybe someone else has an idea if it's a symptom of something or not!