Possible Mareks - Any Christmas miracles on offer?

[mattsom1981]

My most beloved of all Hens, my hatchling, a white Silkie bantam named "Buffy" is displaying Mareks like symptoms, notably leg paralysis with runny poop and slightly laboured breathing.

Assuming it is indeed Mareks, I already know the grim score, but she's so bright and alert that I don't have the heart to have her put to sleep...yet

She does Not have a twisted neck or anything like that, her wings are also fine, she just cant moved her legs - can anyone offer any tried and tested home remedy or glimmer of hope? I have to try everything!

I feel super sad writing this, chicken keeping can be really hard.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sorry your girl is displaying symptoms of Marek's.

I wanna say dosing with vitamins... at least E and selenium seem to show some promise. Looks like zinc deficit could also be at play. My bird with Marek's never displayed difficulty breathing or diarrhea. Poos were all normal and so was breathing. Only symptom was not being able to walk.

Sorry my bird who got it was plenty bright eyed and bushy tailed but after no improvement in mobility for two weeks, I culled. But I have seen a few people who make a sling type thing for the bird to practice putting weight back on the legs and building muscle again. Usually takes a couple months but they did see recovery...

Hope she feel better.

She is a beauty!

Here is a symptom tool to list any possibilities and you work to narrow them down...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

 

[mattsom1981]

Hi and thankyou so much for your lengthy reply - I'm in UK and I struggle to know where to obtain the right vitamins, perhaps any Brits vewing this thread could point me in the right direction?

Buffy is already a carrier of Mycoplasma, which I've had under control for some time now but I think the Mareks is causing it to surface - I have given her an Oxy shot to keep it under control whilst the body fights the Mareks virus.

I currently have her in a lovely little wooden box with plenty of hay to keep her propped upright - the sad thing is when shes sat in her box you'd never know shes sick!

 

[birdofhermes]

has she been sick for long? my rooster got into some rotten old meat pie when he was younger and had similar symptoms. i gave him a bit of molasses and powdered multivitamin in his water then he ended up taking 5 dumps in a row and was better after that

 

[mattsom1981]

Hi there, only about 3 days.... I dont think there's any meat pie laying around my way (lol), but I do wonder if its actually Mareks and not something else because I would have expected her to be more twisted up

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there, only about 3 days.... I dont think there's any meat pie laying around my way (lol), but I do wonder if its actually Mareks and not something else because I would have expected her to be more twisted up

I never had Marek's cause twisted neck.

Molasses is a laxative and should be used carefully. It does have some micro or macro nutrients in it. I would avoid it, personally. Especially if you already have runny stools. Yes, the bodies way of cleaning things out of the system is by expelling it as fast as possible. But dehydration is deadly VERY fast.

I would just crush up a human vitamin pill, or go to a pet department, or any liquid baby vitamin with NO iron would also work.

Quick electrolyte mix to fight dehydration..
2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and baking soda. Stir until dissolved and serve full strength. If you happen to have salt substitute (potassium chloride), 1/2 teaspoon of that included as well.

Other than legs not working, my birds ALSO had NO other symptoms.

My more likely guess is that the MC is causing Marek's to surface, than the other way around. But either way, it stinks and I hope she pulls through!

It was very hard to put down the chick that I worked hard to save its' life. Hope you don't have to.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she use her wings to help move around? Many things cause lameness. I just lost a hen yesterday doing that, and she had only been sick for a day or two. I put her down because she was starting to get her comb pecked and wouldn’t eat or drink. Her belly was full of ascites fluid, and she probably had egg yolk peritonitis.

Mycoplasma also has a type that causes joint swelling and infection, which can cause lameness as well. The ankle and hock joints become swollen and inflammed. Chickens can sometimes have MG and MS (mycoplasma synovitis) at the same time.

If you lose her or put her down, think about refrigerating the body, and sending it in to your state vet for a necropsy and tsting for Mareks, just to confirm the disease. It will ease your mind if it is not Mareks.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Any pharmacy should have the vitamins you need. Vitamin E capsules (versus tablets) seem to be favored here, for ease of use. You can also crush capsules and make a slurry to be given by syringe. I need to study up on how to do this so as not to choke them.

Is she not using her legs at all? Total paralysis, then?

Have you checked her over for hidden injuries? It does sound more disease related from what I've learned in the BYC forums, but downy feathers can hide a lot of secrets.