Mystery disease help

[KentuckyRooster]

I have had a mystery disease for some time. My vet is working on it, but he's a little baffled too. These birds develop lethargy and wither away to nothing in a matter of days. Then they die. The bird this x ray is of may be sent to a university for necropsy, she is alive still. Here is the x ray. Has anyone seen this before? URate build up. Appears to ultimately be kidney failure, but viral?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What age(s) are the birds? What breed(s)? What is the feed program? Confined or free ranged? General location? How long has it been going on?

 

[KentuckyRooster]

They are around 5 or 6 months old. Free range. Varied breeds impacted, bantams and standard, the x-ray is a red sex link. It started when they were only around 12 weeks old. They eat commercial feed usually Purina omega.

None of the birds I had prior to purchasing this batch have been sick, which is odd to me because they all live together and range the same area. Neither has a bird I bought from a breeder as a chick around the time this started, and she's the same age.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Oh and I live in idaho

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I would suggest considering mareks

 

[Honeybee22]

Are those urate crystals in her lower abdomen?
Could it be Avian Urolithiasis????

http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=36
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...s-of-poultry/urate-deposition-gout-in-poultry
http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/chicken_gout.html


I don't know, was just searching around the internet and wanted to help.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Are those urate crystals in her lower abdomen?
Could it be Avian Urolithiasis????

http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=36
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...s-of-poultry/urate-deposition-gout-in-poultry
http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/chicken_gout.html


I don't know, was just searching around the internet and wanted to help.

yes they are. I will check that out thanks. There are a ton of them as you can see!

I swear if one more person says Marek's. Its going to be checked for but the urate crystals point to something else being more likely

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Okay so pretty sure we've pinned it down.

The affected group was permitted to range with the big birds pretty young. Gout, and the crystals in the gut that we're seeing can be caused by too high of calcium. Eating layer feed too young could have caused all of this.

Not only that but it explains why none of my prior birds have got sick- I got all of them older, at point of lay or as adults. We are trying a treatment which is very new, on our sex link. It involves a chemical to acidify the urine and try and dissolve the crystals. If it works, then all of the birds will be placed on it for a while.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It started when they were only around 12 weeks old. They eat commercial feed usually Purina omega.

So sorry you are having trouble. I'm glad you pinned it down - I was going to ask about your feed, but looks like you have it figured out.

If you will, please keep the thread updated and detail how well the treatment plan works - this would be very helpful to others.

I hope everything works out for you.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

I did have them eating grower feed, but like I said they went out with the group and even though it was available to them so was the layer. I didn't really think anything of it.

I am treating them with DL-methionine. Trying it just on the one hen first, the one who is ill. I don't have a source for it pure yet. I need to get a liquid form to treat the group. What I have now is chewable tablets for dogs to prevent grass death from their urine. I've been crushing them up into a syringe, and also putting it in the water. This is a very last ditch effort to save my sex link. The vet is in on it as well, he supports anything I am willing to try because the only other choice is to put her down at this point. If the treatment kills her, at least I tried. But I found an article about this chemical working on this disease. The acidification of the urine helps dissolve the urate chunks.