Please help. Vet has no idea

[pugspigchicks]

You think even with over a year in between Mareks would still be in the flock? I guess I find it strange that my vaccinated chick would get sick but none of my other unvaccinated girls got sick last summer with the first sick one. I started my flock last April 2017 and Storm died August 2017. Storm was 6 months old and my other Silkies were younger at 3-4 months. But I’m just being a hopeful chicken mom

 

[rebrascora]

It certainly can happen. They may have had a minor outbreak that you didn't notice. It can exhibit as something as minor as an inability to keep one eyelid fully open and that could resolve after a few days and you be unaware it ever happened, especially with silkies having a crest and dark skin. Maybe there were other symptoms that you did not witness or did not relate to being Marek's. It is a very odd disease and some of the milder strains might not necessarily draw attention to it.
The virus can also survive long periods in the environment.
It is such an incredibly common disease, most flocks will have exposure to some extent and people are just not aware of it. It could be the odd bird that dies suddenly for no apparent reason or from a respiratory illness that doesn't respond to treatment or gets a problem with coccidiosis at an inappropriate age (ie not a chick), or even has problems with parasites when other birds don't, all due to a compromised immune system caused by the disease. It is only when the more obvious paralysis or ocular forms show up that people are more likely to recognise it or even consider it. Most people just accept that chickens die and don't get necropsies done or don't research the symptoms thoroughly or their vet has no knowledge or experience and misdiagnoses or people just don't want to accept that their flock has Marek's and will grasp at any other diagnosis. It is a bit like the AIDs of the chicken world in a lot of respects. If you think about the percentage of the human population that have the Herpes cold sore virus, I think it will probably be similar for the Marek's virus in chickens due to how easily it is contracted.

These are just my opinions based on my own experience with it and the research I have done.

 

[Dancing With Chickens]

12 week old polish started with sudden onset of ataxia with neck twisting and jerking 6 days ago. Progressed to sitting to straight spastic legs. Wings work fine as she tries to fly. Legs are hypertonic. If I prop her chest to force her legs in the correct position she tries to run and move them correctly. She is eating and drinking. She’s bright eyed and currently on all vitamins. The vet has posted her case on a national vet board. He does not think it’s Mareks. To me it looks like vitamin E deficiency. Any thoughts. Thank you.

It could be vitamin e deficiency, or it could be something with her nervous system. Praying for her!

 

[Kiki]

Marek's virus can live on you land for years...even after you don't even have chickens anymore. Years.

 

[pugspigchicks]

Thanks everyone for all of the Information. It’s quite devastating and there is so much information. Some articles say it’s not very common in backyard flocks. Others say it’s ubiquitous. I’ve seen some “cure” their bird only for it to get sick later and necropsy show Mareks. If sweet Darla loses her battle I’ll do a necropsy for sure. I don’t want her to suffer so I’ll be making a call if she starts to get depressed or stops fighting. I’m worried about the rest of my teen birds :-( I’ve read its hotter than Ebola at its worse regarding its ability to infect.

 

[rebrascora]

Some strains are pretty devastating, but if we are right and your rescue silkie had it, then that suggests that you have one of the milder strains since you haven't had another incident till now. Much of the problem with Marek's is that it is mostly the hot strains that get diagnosed because it kills multiple birds in a short space of time, so people are more inclined to get a necropsy done and then it is documented as Marek's but many people lose one bird and maybe have another one go inexplicably lame a few months later, even a year later like you and don't connect the two. They don't tend to get a necropsy done so don't realise it is Marek's and so the authorities, like the director of the veterinary lab your vet consulted, usually only sees the extreme cases of Marek's and not the minor outbreaks of the mild strains that only kill the odd bird here or there or know about the many that recover from outbreaks. They are of course always at risk of future attacks when they recover from a mild outbreak because they still carry the disease but it can be months or years later with no ill effects in between.
Of course when people mention Marek's and do some research, most of the documented information is about those severe cases that have been diagnosed via necropsy and don't realise that there are probably 10 mild outbreak cases for every one severe one because the mild ones don't get diagnosed, or get put down to a vitamin deficiency that responded to supplementation. It is my belief that the majority of wry neck issues reported are actually down to Marek's but because they get better after vitamin supplementation after a week or two people assume it was a vitamin deficiency, when it may be that the vitamin supplement is supporting the bird's immune system and helping it fight off the virus. outbreak Many people believe that the paralysis is due to tumours and cannot be reversed but it is actually just inflammation of the nerves. The tumour development is a different stage of the viral action.

Again, the above is all just my opinion, based on my own experience of a mild strain of Marek's.
Look at it this way, if you have had Marek's in your flock for a year and these are the only 2 incidents, then it is not really that bad, is it, and since your polish here is fighting it and bright eyed and eating well and perhaps showing some signs of regaining leg control, you still have reason to be optimistic, even if it is Marek's.

 

[Cayuga momma]

From what I read the vaccine only helps prevent the tumors and paralysis.
Other diseases that resembles Mareks are:
Primary Lymphoid Leukosis
Avian Tuberculosis
Spirochetosis
Botulism
Joint infection or injury
Newcastle Disease

I hope she gets better and it's just a vitamin deficiency.

 

[pugspigchicks]

Thanks again everyone for all of your help and support. Yes, I’m
Under the belief that you gotta try even though my friends said to just buy a new chicken :-(. I’m headed home on my lunch break now to feed her. The vet gave me subQ fluids so that’s helping too. She gets so frustrated because she’s trying to sit up and can’t. I’ll keep everyone posted. Hopefully, I’ll have good news later this month.

 

[rebrascora]

Have you tried putting her in a chicken sling/hammock?

They can be easily made with every day items as above. Food and water pots can be clipped within reach to the front of the box. The fabric needs to be adjusted, so that the feet can just touch the bottom. Some birds find this beneficial but others don't like it. Be sure to take her out occasionally if she does settle to it and encourage her to walk.crawl towards a little treat, but don't apply any pressure for her to do so. The ones that I have had recover, did so by focussing on moving towards a goal of their own choice.... like your girl wanting to visit the flock. It is ugly to watch them crawling but over time they seem to relearn how to coordinate. Allowing some interaction with the flock in a safe environment is also important for keeping their spirits up, so do take her out to be near them whenever you can supervise. Fresh air, a bit of sunshine and some grass have all been beneficial in my experience as well as a bit of physical therapy as I have suggested. Just a few feet or yards each day for her to cover to get to where she wants to be and perhaps scatter some scratch or meal worms in the pen where the flock are and some on the outside next to her so that she has the stimulation of foraging with the flock. It just keeps their spirits up and their appetite keen. I would also give her a probiotic as soon as the course of antibiotics is finished.

 

[pugspigchicks]

She is in a hammock thing but she doesn’t like it. Her bestie spends the day with her. I take her outside daily. She’s happiest in the afternoons when I have her out. I have her with me for about 5 hours each night. If i hold up her body she walks her legs up my body. No matter how this ends I know I have given her the best chance and that she was loved.