I'm posting this from a doctor that someone on the silkie facebook page put me in touch with, advise for paralysis in my silkie who I'm sure has mareks -
"
Curcumin with Bioperine as close to 1000 mg Cap or Tab that you can get 1 3 x a day. You can get this at any store that sells Quality Vitamins and Health Stuff. Give1 81 MG Aspirin 3 x a day and see what happens"
in a later post he said "
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the Asian Spice Turmeric. Having the Bioperine a patented extract of the Black Peppercorn makes the Curcumin 2000 times more Bio-available.
The strength of what you got needs to be at or around 1000 mg total Curcumin and Bioperine combined."
Haunted- I recall you recommending tumeric.
He said recovery is 50/50 or so. I bought liquid tumeric but need to see about getting exactly what he recommended.
A link to what I found to buy - wow, getting 2 caps of this in her 3x a day would be work!
http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-tu...g-60-capsules-1/?pd_section=pr#productDetails
Gosh, I sure wish I hadn't lost my bookmarks some months ago! I did read a research paper about the benefits of tumeric, and it is true that black pepper (ground from black peppercorns) makes the tumeric more available to the body. This was for humans but I don't think there are any known
negative side effects of offering tumeric+black pepper. If it cannot hurt, it is worth a try, because what else can be done that you aren't already doing, right? I will see if I can find that paper again... (as always, listen to a licensed vet over my advice if you hear otherwise!)
Good news from my vet. The necropsy I had done on my roo showed no parasites and no infection - nothing to suggest disease. She will get a full report on Monday but it's looking good. I think if it were mareks at the very least they would have found cocci due to the effects on the immune system. Haunted's first reaction to my Roos case was probably not mareks. Sounds like she was likely right
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I know we mention cocci on here a lot, and it's true that Marek's does a number on the bird's immune system, but (and this is for the benefit of other readers too, not necessarily aimed at you Julie!) the lack of cocci findings in a necropsy should never be an indicator of Marek's not being present.
A few things to bear in mind for those that get their bird necropsied:
--A gross necropsy on a bird that has visceral Marek's will
usually show signs of tumorous lymphomas (or the pre-stages of this condition) but other forms of Marek's may leave no visible physical evidence during necropsy. Marek's lymphomas are most commonly found on (but not limited to) the ovary (in hens), spleen, liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, thymus, proventriculus (this is an area just before the gizzard, and may appear abnormal). The gizzard may also display discoloration inside as a reaction.
--The finding of lymphomatic tumors is often a sign of Marek's but it is important that there
are other diseases that can cause such lymphomas (see: Avian Viral Lymphoid Leukosis). Marek's is just usually the diagnosis because it is the most
common disease to cause lymphomas of this nature, and in certain locations within the body. The current trend of thought by professionals is that Marek's is much more common than many people realize, and may account for a good number of "unexplained" chicken deaths.
--A necropsy examining the sciatic nerve may reveal lesions which can indicate Marek's, but not all birds that develop paralysis show sciatic nerve lesions, even under microscope examination. My rooster that developed aggressive Marek's lymphomas and complete paralysis of both legs did not have any evidence based on sciatic nerve examination, even by a laboratory (the nerve was sent out for analysis).
--A gross necropsy can be a good launching point for diagnosis, but without a histology and especially a blood test, it is a very educated guess at best, and if the necropsy is inconclusive, it is really hard to say.
None of this is intended to scare anyone, nor to make anyone suspect Marek's where there is none... I just to educate about what all this necropsy stuff means. The only reason I keep emphasizing the blood test is that for many individuals,
it may mean the difference between "I now have a closed flock" and "I am clear to breed and sell chickens now".
As there are many very good breeders here on BYC, and many wanting to get into breeding (and/or showing and/or selling etc)... and especially those breeding or working on endangered breeds... it's can very important to know exactly what your flock is carrying (or not carrying).
I know not everyone can afford or even find a way to get blood drawn for the test, but if you are able to do it, it's worth considering if you are uncertain if your flock has Marek's or other infectious viral diseases or not. Education is the best weapon we have against this and other disease!
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