Quick question on Marek’s or other diseases!

[B_Chickle01]

I wanted to double check something to make sure I’m not misinterpreting something..So from alot of things I’ve read as well as comments from people on here and Avian Vet with Dept of Ag.. if death of chickens was in fact from Marek’s Disease.. if one of my hens started showing signs like all the others(lethargic wobbly off balance etc) and I gave her a shot of Vitamin B complex.. that wouldn’t reverse those symptoms IF they are due to Marek’s..correct? I saw another one of my Silkies today showing symptoms like rest and I decided to try shot of vitamin B just for the heck of it(figured it doesn’t hurt to try at this point) and then made her drink water with electrolytes in it and hours later you would of never known that earlier that morning when I saw her she could barely keep her head up I thought for sure when I checked on her after running errands she was going to be gone. Just checked on her again a minute ago and she’s still chipper!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I wouldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility of Marek’s. Chickens can temporarily recover from the symptoms of Marek’s while still having the disease.

 

[B_Chickle01]

I wouldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility of Marek’s. Chickens can temporarily recover from the symptoms of Marek’s while still having the disease.

That I understand but all of these chickens I’m speaking on are dying from it. All 8 of them that have shown symptoms died. I was told once they are showing signs of paralysis lethargic etc that there’s not anything you can really do to help. So I was wondering if that is unusual for that injection to seem to take away those symptoms they were thinking were due to Marek’s.


@azygous what do you think?

 

[azygous]

There are some very benign causes of paralysis and lameness. Dehydration, hunger, and hypothermia and overheating can all cause those symptoms. That's why I recommend sugar water with electrolytes as a first measure when you encounter lameness. Often something as simple as elevating glucose levels can effect an immediate change.

This sometimes improves these symptoms if caused by an avian virus, but it doesn't cure them. B-vitamins are wonderful at improving nerve connections that are being ruined by inflammation from these diseases, but they won't cure it either.

The clue that so many of your chickens are dying points to an avian virus, though. Deficiency disorders will clear up and the chicken will then go on to behave normally. In the case of avian viruses, they may improve for a few days or weeks, but then they will start to decline again as the virus increases its hold.

 

[Myrshine]

There’s another disease that can mimic Mareks Disease and that is Avian Leukosis Virus (ALV), which is a highly contagious virus, cause cancerous tumors to grow on the organs.

 

[Iluveggers]

Where do you live? How long have you been losing birds to illness?

 

[charlotte-and-the-bees]

There’s another disease that can mimic Mareks Disease and that is Avian Leukosis Virus (ALV), which is a highly contagious virus, cause cancerous tumors to grow on the organs.

We have both in our flock, sadly. It’s been brutal.

ALV doesn’t typically impact nerve cells, so when you see signs of nervous system impact it’s generally Marek’s. Not in every case. But this is what I’ve read and what I was told by the pathologist who has performed our most recent necropsy.