My gut says botulism, but could use some help

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad to see she is improving

 

[townchicks]

So, this is a long shot, but I'm just going to throw this out there because you said there was a new mare, and she eats the stool. I'm wondering if the mare might have just been dosed with ivermectin. Symptoms of ivermectin overdose is ataxia (uncoordinated jerky movement) and I have known of cases of dogs that ate sheep poop right after the sheep were treated, and got very ill, and/some died. Since you say she's prone to hogging treats to herself, she might have gotten too much, and that could be why the others are fine. Just a thought. I'm glad she is getting better.

 

[Nksg75]

Could I ask you to keep an accurate record of how you've treated her, including the videos and make an article of it so it doesn't get lost?

Sure, i would be delighted to. Please note that she is a long way from "back to normal"!
I am just pleased that when I pass her cage now, I don't have to reach in to make sure she is still alive!!

 

[Nksg75]

So, this is a long shot, but I'm just going to throw this out there because you said there was a new mare, and she eats the stool. I'm wondering if the mare might have just been dosed with ivermectin. Symptoms of ivermectin overdose is ataxia (uncoordinated jerky movement) and I have known of cases of dogs that ate sheep poop right after the sheep were treated, and got very ill, and/some died. Since you say she's prone to hogging treats to herself, she might have gotten too much, and that could be why the others are fine. Just a thought. I'm glad she is getting better.

Good info! I didn't even think about this.
Actually I am not sure if she had any wormers before today.
I do know that they just wormed her with invermectin today. This was a "free horse" so, who knows what care if any she has had in the past.

 

[Shadrach]

Sure, i would be delighted to. Please note that she is a long way from "back to normal"!
I am just pleased that when I pass her cage now, I don't have to reach in to make sure she is still alive!!

Sure I understand. It's just so much really interesting stuff gets buried here.
Anything you could put together I would (I'm sure some others would be to) be extremely grateful for.

 

[Nksg75]

I'm sure your chickens will eat horse poop, that would not be unusual.
Equine encephalitis is spread my mosquitoes. I think if that was the cause of your hen's problem your Mare would be down and in very bad shape since horses are highly affected by the virus. It would be worth doing some reading on the disease though.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

I would still lean toward Marek's as the cause. I'm sorry. If you have vet care, they can do a bit of testing to rule out infection or internal parasites which could be exacerbating her condition.

Yes, I thought of that as well. The mare is fine, so I am going to say most likely not EE, I will however read up on it.
Thank you
As far as the vet goes, I called and they are not aware of any blood test available that could tell me if it is Mereks, unfortunately she would have to do an autopsy.

 

[Nksg75]

Sure I understand. It's just so much really interesting stuff gets buried here.
Anything you could put together I would (I'm sure some others would be to) be extremely grateful for.

Your right! It does get buried, and is a pain to try to recall what the title could have been.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, I thought of that as well. The mare is fine, so I am going to say most likely not EE, I will however read up on it.
Thank you
As far as the vet goes, I called and they are not aware of any blood test available that could tell me if it is Mereks, unfortunately she would have to do an autopsy.

You are correct, the only way to truly get confirmation of Marek's is through necrospy. If you lose her, then refrigerating the body and sending it to your state lab
https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/
I recommend you read up on Marek's here
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

As suggested in my previous post - quoted below for your convenience, your vet (or probably your state lab) can perform testing to rule out infection or internal parasites which can exacerbate an illness. (gram stain and fecal float just to clarify)

I would still lean toward Marek's as the cause. I'm sorry. If you have vet care, they can do a bit of testing to rule out infection or internal parasites which could be exacerbating her condition.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I’m glad she’s improving. Looks as if she got into something poisonous.
Might be worth a walk about to see if you can spot something. Best wishes

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Its possible that Botulism was cultivated in fermented chicken feed. The Bacteria that is responsible for causing Botulism only grows and reproduces in the absence of oxygen. Botulism is not a disease that grows or reproduces in the body of the chicken, Botulism is a reaction to the toxin that is produced by the Botulism bacteria but only the toxin is needed to be ingested by the victim to cause Botulism. If this was not so then every thing on Earth would be dead because the Botulism bacteria is the second most common bacteria in the dirt that chickens and us humans walk and live on and it is a sure bet that both of us have eaten enough Botulism bacteria in our lifetime to kill a herd of large dinosaurs.

There is any number of molds and fungi that can grow in wet food that you may also want to rule out before going farther.