Sodium Butyrate for Marek’s Lymphoma

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After receiving confirmation via necropsy report from UC Davis that the two hens I recently lost both had visceral Marek’s, I had posted over in Managing Your Flock regarding some logistical and planning questions. But my follow up questions bordered on the medical so am touching down here with one specific question I had that I was unable to find previous discussions.

Wondering if anyone has used sodium butyrate successfully with their Marek’s flock? I saw it was listed on Poultry DVM and then read some studies, including the attached white paper. It seems promising but I didn’t get any hits when I searched the BYC forum for it. If so, what form and dose did you use and did you see any good outcomes? I have found coated sodium butyrate tablets available at Walmart and Amazon but have no idea of efficacy of OTC supplements nor if dosing this way would be cost prohibitive.

Link to recent study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10932986/

I have also found coated sodium butyrate feed additives marketed specifically for the poultry industry (as well as for other livestock) in parts of the UK, Australia, and Asia to address weight gain/growth, bacterial resistance, and anti-inflammatory properties in broiler and laying hens. All propose to support gut health and stress protectants, with studies showing positive outcomes for bacterial infections like Salmonella without the use of antibiotics, as well as the study I linked showing positive outcomes regarding inhibiting MD linked lymphoma (see pic of attached study conclusion excerpt). It appears there have been quite a few studies addressing the positive benefits, but I haven’t seen it discussed here?

Does anyone know if there is a commercial feed in the US that is already incorporating NaB in any form? My internet sleuthing came up short here. If not, any BYC members from outside the US have any experience with incorporating this food additive into your flock management?

I did find a US Customs response, dated 2015, allowing import of the product specific for poultry use into the country with an attached tariff. Not sure if it’s since been disallowed, though if people can buy it for themselves, maybe not.

Original post here: —if I need to combine or delete these just let me know. I just wanted to move part of the health discussion to the correct forum.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/confirmed-marek’s-moving-forward.1663436/post-28594297

 

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I haven't heard of that treatment for Marek's. But here's a med that can help diminish the growth of Marek's tumors. https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/acyclovir Since Marek's is caused by the herpes virus, acyclovir is effective for Marek's, though it won't cure it.

It's a prescription drug, though. You would need to convince your primary doctor that you have either repeated shingles outbreaks or frequent cold sores and then use the prescription for your chickens.

 

[Closing Time]

I haven't heard of that treatment for Marek's. But here's a med that can help diminish the growth of Marek's tumors. https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/acyclovir Since Marek's is caused by the herpes virus, acyclovir is effective for Marek's, though it won't cure it.

It's a prescription drug, though. You would need to convince your primary doctor that you have either repeated shingles outbreaks or frequent cold sores and then use the prescription for your chickens.

Thank you! I will see if I am able to gat a script to have on hand when needed.

I was hoping this other option may be a less expensive and innocuous option while potentially being more effective in the long run for poultry keeping in general. It appears it is already being used in feed in places outside the US (though I’m also trying to confirm how widespread or is it just in controlled environments for study) but it looks like just increasing the dosing levels may have a pretty impactful effect to long term health of the bird, as it would maintain a steady blood level as opposed to dosing PRN. Just maintaining a healthy gut biome and providing support that allows the body to stave of some bacterial infections without the use of antibiotics, that alone sounds very interesting.

I did find unrelated studies that proposed benefit for human GI related morbidities, (IBS, Crohn’s, even complimentary support for colorectal cancers).

On the surface, it seems there may be something worth investigating here.