Silkie roo can't walk - necropsy results

[dlhunicorn]

Shaking the head often indicates an inner ear infection. If you have access to baytril give him that or another broad spectrum antibiotic (go with the higher dosage on the instructions).
You will need to keep your ill bird in a temp stable warm place (if they have to deal with cold stress they will not get better')
It MIGHT be acute fowl cholera (but it could be something else too)
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/202600.htm

...as you read the dosage you see that sulfonamides are sometimes effective for this.

 

[FisherMOM]

My birds are eating Layena? I think.

I throw the bag out after I fill the plastic tubs.
Purina makes this don't they? I know young ones shouldn't get layer pellets, but once their
chick food is gone, I have always given them what everyone else eats.

I am switching back to Blue Seal.


BTW.. I am leaning towards my chick's issue being Mareks. Some do survive , but only to die later on due to internal tumors.

I may loose 3/4 of my flock if this is Mareks disease.

If so, I may loose my Rusty too... we'll see.
Too late now, it's in the coop.

 

[seminolewind]

I wonder who all is on Purina Layena?

Today he was clucking at me. He got bread soaked in enfamil, vits and elytes, molasses, and vitamin E for breakfast. The enfamil has alot of vitamins in it.
He sits on his haunches and kindof scoots on his hocks and balances using his wings. One eye is closed. No drainage anywhere. When he eats, he beaks the food sideways. He is drinking and eating some. He's alert and perky from the neck up.

From all the reading I've done, the illnesses that come the closest (I'm not a vet) are EEE or EWE encephylitis (sp), Mareks,(but he's 2 years old) botulism. I'm wondering if dexamethazone would help if it's brain injury or swelling. With encephalitis, and Marek's, there is no medicine. Botulism would have to clear itself. I guess an ear infection would also be a possibility. I'm not sure if a vet could do anything.

So that's where I'm at today.

 

[dlhunicorn]

There are other oncological viruses that can affect the sciatic nerve and cause leg problems.
Botulism will cause a hanging neck so I doubt that is what your boy has.
Any time a bird is ill they will have a tendency to stop eating and drinking... taking steps to make their feed more palatable and giving a good general supplement like aviacharge 2000 will go a long way to ensure against deficiencies which will only complicate matters further.
You must ensure they get enough to drink as dehydration will kill them quicker than the original ailment.

 

[Sooner]

One thing that I left out I also treated for mites, thinking possible ear mites. Mine can stand just doesn't seem to want to because the balance is all off thus the reason I thought ear mites or infection.

There is no drainage from eye, beak or ear. I have started back with the penicilian, Vit E & yogart mixed with crumbles. She will eat this when she won't her regular food. She is still drinking this time but her balance it really bad like a drunk person. Makes me wonder if she had an ear infection the first time that didn't clear all the way up and has now returned.

With one two shots of Penicillian (Vit E & yogart/crumbles) she is already improving. Understanding she wasn't as sick this time as she was the last time plus she is in a shed with a heat lamp this time unlike before.

 

[seminolewind]

Hi, I emailed Dr. Peter Brown this morning with all the history and symptoms, he replied, and says it is most likely Marek's. No cure. He said give him a baby aspiring twice a day, and vitamin E. I had hatched most of my chickens. But the guy next door built a coop and got a variety of chickens of all different types, some were babies, some were 12 weeks old . Just sad.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Mareks in an older bird is very rare... Inner ear infections are quite common here in rainy ole holland and if you are lucky it will be this and not another oncological virus (which often produces similar symptoms as Mareks).

 

[seminolewind]

I'm pretty positive about the Marek's. He's got the classic one leg forward-one leg back stance. Even when I pick him up, his legs stay that way. He started with imbalance, then would not move from paralysis in his legs. Then he uses his wings for balance, but his wings are pretty much flaccid. Now if I pick him up, he can't hold his head up. When I put him down, his beak rests on the ground. He's had a good apetite up till today. One eye is affected, it's either closed or half open, and doesn't look like he can see out of it. This has all happened in the past week.

Mushmouse is a two year old Silkie. I have 22 chickens, all were hatched here except for one and no one was vaccinated because I had a closed group hatched from eggs living on virgin ground. The one not hatched here was a silkie and I got her 8 months ago. She was quarantined for a month-she had a snotty nose. A month after she was finally put in with the silkies, the same roo came down with coccidiosis, just him, and was treated. I have crows here in the area. The man next door built a coop and now has about 12 chickens, I don't know where he got them. His coop is 100 feet from mine.

So now I'm living in fear, fear for the rest of my flock, fear that he'll die, and if he lives, can he be put back with the rest. I don't even know when to call it quits. Should I tube feed him if need be?

He already gets all the suggested food, vits, etc.

 

[seminolewind]

Sad day. DH and I decided to take Mushmouse to the vet to euthanize him. The vet asked me if I wanted a necropsy, as we both thought it was Mareck's. He called this afternoon and said there were no tumors anywhere, and his best guess, judging by the symptoms, was Eastern or Western Equine Encephalitis, (swelling of the brain), and spread by mosquitoes. It's funny, the encephalitis had been my 2nd guess for the whole last week, but I never said anything.

I hope I did the right thing. He did love me. And you all know how it is about second guessing yourself when you let go of a loved pet. I held him in his last moments. He had a good life. RIP, Mushmouse.

 

[shay20]

Sorry to hear that happen.