Severe weakness in legs/can't balance. UPDATE (avian vet diagnosed)

[rebrascora]

Do you know what they tested for?

 

[AmazingRachel]

Do you know what they tested for?

General blood work. Like RBC, WBC, and others. To test for Marek's, they would need to do a PCR test for fragments of the virus which could take a week (lab specialized) and it's not always accurate. They tested the fecal for parasites and it come back negative.
Worst comes to worst, I'll get a necropsy done on her if she passes or isn't getting better.

 

[rebrascora]

OK, thanks for that. Hoping she gets better but if the worst happens and if you do get a necropsy done, will you come back to us with the results.
For info, in case you are not aware, state veterinary labs or universities are usually a lot cheaper for necropsy than a private veterinary practice. There are lists of facilities that offer the service somewhere here on BYC, so it might be worth researching in advance, so that you have all the details to hand if you need them.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[AmazingRachel]

Thank you. I'm in NY so if I need to, I'll send it up to Cornell.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Update:
Newt isn't getting better. Her legs are still weak and she can barely pick her head up. When I get her up to give her the med, she goes nuts. Flapping her wings, kind of rolling on the ground and using her legs to kind of crawl. When I put her back in her enclosure, she has a lot of trouble catching her breath, really gaping for air. I also noticed that the front of her comb is kind of getting floppy.
She stopped eating and the only drinking she's doing is me force-feeding her with a needleless syringe. I'm going to see if the vet can put her down today. I would do it myself but if my Town gets wind (which they always do) that a slaughtered a chicken on my property, there's a chance I could lose my chicken owning permit. I also want to see if she could do a partial necropsy on her repro. tract and sciatic nerve. It would be cool to see and confirm Marek's tumors right there rather than going through the hassle of shipping it upstate.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Update:

Unfortunately, Newt passed away this afternoon. I'm sending her to Cornell to have a necropsy. I'll update when I get the results.
I also think it's Marek's but so far I've heard irl that it might be salpingitis or another repro. problem.
I'll know in a couple days.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

I'm sorry to hear about Newt. Curious to see what the find out.

 

[AmazingRachel]

@rebrascora @Meg-in-MT @EggSighted4Life @Eggcessive
Update:

I got the gross necropsy examination today and it's says that it's looking like egg yolk peritonitis. It is weird because from pictures I've seen, it shouldn't cause the severe weakness in the the legs that I saw. Also, the abdomen never appeared to be externally bloated. Only the ovaduct appeared swollen on x-ray. I'm not going to fight with this partial diagnosis. Even through it is partial, it was overseen by Dr. Jagne at Cornell. Judging by her credentials, I would think that she had very good idea on what she is talking about.

I should get the full report in a few days.
My other chickens are all in good health and consistently laying.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Thank you for the update. I wonder if the egg peritonitis can be a secondary issue (symptom)? Maybe that's why it presented so similar to mareks.

 

[AmazingRachel]

@rebrascora @Meg-in-MT @EggSighted4Life @Eggcessive

Sorry for updating so late:

It was indeed Marek's. Upon dissection, tumors were found on her organs and nerves. She also had pneumonia, which explains why she was having trouble breathing.
Dr. J thinks that the egg peritonitis was a secondary symptom caused by tumors in the area.
I figured out the "source" per se. One of the kids in my 4-H club has been buying chicks from a not-so reputable "hatchery" for several months. They keep dying and he doesn't know why but he keeps going back because the guy gives him new chicks. Anyway, this kid borrowed cages from me and my 4-H club leader (who has a small farm with 2 dozen chickens) for one of the fairs. About two months afterward (October or November), 7 chickens of my 4-H club leader's flock came down with what she thought was a respiratory disease, but when I got the results back from Cornell, I went over the symptoms and she said that her birds had almost exactly the same thing. They died within a week.
My chicken (Newt) showed symptoms the first week of February. Although, I remember that she didn't lay any eggs all winter (like November-ish onward). But, I'm thinking that Newt got really stressed with the week-long cold snap in first week of January and that may what have triggered the virus to start causing tumors and causing the peritonitis.

Good news:
-I have not seen any symptoms in my flock.
-Egg production is at full speed (My F2 Sapphire has laid two eggs in one day twice).
-The kid in my 4-H club has promised not to buy chicks from the "hatchery" (the "hatchery" is now selling puppies...)
-I got into college (Iowa State Uni) and I'm going to study Animal Science.