Please help with diagnosis

[casportpony]

My vets have advised me to use Baytril in these ways:

• 15mg/kg once a day for five days
• 20mg/kg once a day for five days
• 10mg/kg twice a day for five days

-Kathy

 

[Waterfaery]

Just an update. I've read so many other threads and I've found that reading other people's experiences with symptoms and treatments that have and haven't worked has been really helpful, so I thought this might help others.

Féileacán is still hanging in there. There is no change in her leg but there is an improvement in her general mood and appetite. She still does the panting thing, which I think might be similar to what other people have described as gasping. I'm worried that there might be respiratory problems. She seems to do it more in the evenings, I don't know why. She's doing it less today than yesterday.

She's been sleeping indoors and we've been making sure she eats and drinks enough in the morning before letting her out to free range for the day. I'd like her to have as happy and normal a life as possible and it's been quite warm out, so we're happier to let her have some free time. She hops about in the shade under the bushes and then just rests there, pecking the ground. We bring her back inside in the evening and give her more food and water before she roosts on top of a stool in the sitting room.

We got all of the supplies for tube feeding, so we will be prepared to do it if necessary. We haven't done the tube feeding yet, but we have used the 60ml syringe to drop water for her to drink. We don't need to open her beak or anything, she just pecks and drinks the drops as they come out. This is great, because we can measure how much she is drinking. We are also trying some things like extra vitamins, electrolytes, hypericum and different foods. It turns out she doesn't like melon, after we bought a whole lot of them! We'll be eating melon for a while. Cat food has been very successful. It's probably not the correct balance of nutrition but we're happy that she's eating and this is the most successful thing we've tried so far. Live insects have also been a favourite.

I've been back at work so my partner has been with her during the day. He says that, as well as the monitored food we are giving her in the morning and evening, she is also eating and drinking of her own accord throughout the day. Apparently, she even had the energy to fly around a bit today.

I don't want to get excited because I've read about lots of others who have had ups and downs, but I am hopeful. If nothing else, I'm just glad she seems a bit happier again. Now, if we can just get her to put on some weight, that would be even better.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Cashportpony is likely on the right trail. It sure sounds like Mareks Disease to me. The advise to send any future casualties in for a necropsy is right on. Remember even then that it may be impossible for the lab to tell for sure, but it is thousands of times better than doing nothing.