Please help with diagnosis

[Waterfaery]

If they were wasting away for months I don't think it can be botulism.

-Kathy

I don't think they were wasting away for months. They were perfectly active until the evening before they died. Seminolewind suggested it as a possibility that they could have had Marek's for a long time without me knowing.

Www.hencam.com has some articles that might help. Charcoal or Epsom salts, I think.

Thanks for that. That's another good site.


I appreciate everyone's help, thanks.

 

[Waterfaery]

Thanks Nambroth,

That's very encouraging. I had read that if they make it past 24-36 hours they'll probably recover from botulism, although I'm worried that she's worse today than yesterday, so I don't know if that makes it different.

I'm going to try some molasses and epsom salts in the water. I don't think I'll do the whole flushing thing, as it sounds very harsh, but a bit in her water won't do any harm, will it?

 

[Nambroth]

Just be aware that the epsom salts will loosen her stool further, so it's very important that she say well hydrated right now. Check her crop often to make sure she is drinking if you don't see her drink regularly.

 

[casportpony]

Is she drinking?

-Kathy

 

[Waterfaery]

She has been drinking but at the moment she's just sitting around under a bush not doing anything. They are all doing that, though. It's a hot afternoon and they often get lazy at this time of day.

Should I leave out the epsom salts? What about molasses? What does that do?

 

[Eggcessive]

I have been off the computer much of the day, but I am still convinced this is botulism, especially with there being a hedgehog carcass nearby. I agree with Nambroth in that the molasses and epsom salt flushes are too late. Supportive care is what is most necessary--helping her eat and drink. Since her lower extremeties are weak, her water and food need to be right in front of her in a small area. Sorry I couldn't post links when you first posted, but I'm glad you looked up botulism. They also called botulism limberneck because as paralysis progresses upward in the body, they have a hard time holding up the neck, so it droops or lays on the floor. Someone else recently had a case of this, and their rooster survived, so I'm hoping your hen does well. I'm glad none of the others have shown symptoms so far. Here are 2 more links about botulism including the first one I recommended: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism
http://www.avianweb.com/botulism.html

 

[Eggcessive]

She has been drinking but at the moment she's just sitting around under a bush not doing anything. They are all doing that, though. It's a hot afternoon and they often get lazy at this time of day.

Should I leave out the epsom salts? What about molasses? What does that do?

I would remove them. If your sick one won't eat or drink, I would consider tube feeding her. A 60 cc syringe with a piece of aquarium tubing can be a tube feeding apparatus--here is a link about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[Waterfaery]

Thanks Eggcessive,

At this stage, I am inclined to agree with you and lean towards botulism or at least some sort of poisoning rather than a disease. The only confusing thing is that it is just on one side. Could that still be botulism? If that's the case, when should I expect an improvement? Or do you think the paralysis will continue to progress? If she is past the 24 hour mark will it still continue to get worse for some time anyway?

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure and keep the sick one in the shade, and make her take water. The disease takes hours to days to affect them. Then if they live for 48 hours they should recover. I can't find anything about only one-sided paralysis. One way to positively ID this is if the 3rd eyelid or nictitating membrane becomes paralysized which looks like a white film across the eye, that is botulism. Two more links to read:
http://poultrymanagent.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/3/2/16324570/021.pdf
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/chapter_38.pdf

 

[Waterfaery]

Thanks, those links gave great information.

It's coming to evening now and she's much the same as she was this morning, maybe a bit more wobbly but not too much worse. It doesn't seem to have progressed beyond that one leg, but the leg is definitely looking weaker. She is still able to stand and hobble, but she's choosing not to most of the time. She's spent a lot of the day either sitting still, sitting and preening or sitting and pecking the ground. She hasn't been scratching with her feet but she has been pecking into the soil and eating plenty of insects and grass etc. She seems alert and she stands up when we come over with food. She doesn't seem hugely keen on her normal pellets, although she has eaten some. She has eaten an apple, lots of cheese and some cake. We put her anti inflammatory on the cake to get her to take it. She's also eaten some oyster shell grit.

She's been in the shade all day. I don't know how to get her to drink more. She has had some water but not as much as usual, I think. I'm hoping she'll have got some hydration from the apple. I don't want to resort to forcing water into her unless I have to. We've given her some yoghurt and she's standing up eating that now. Hopefully that will give her some hydration, too.