Treatment that does not involve trip to the vet for pullet w/ marek's?

[jaybme]

My chick got wobbly a few days after I vaccinated her for Marek's, and by the third day I knew it was serious. I gave her vitamins (poly vi sol) and the water by dropper on her beak many times a day. Adding blue food coloring to the water really did make her drink more on her own too, though she walked poorly.

 

[hinkjc]

Quote:
That would indicate the chick was not vaccinated properly. The bird the OP owns is 4 months old, so this would not apply, as Marek's vaccines are typically given to day old chicks.

Jody

 

[Oceanseve]

Yeah... Its marek's, she can't walk. She is in a box w food and water. Can I just add the polyvisol to the water? If so how much should I add to the water each day? I just wanna make sure she gets it.

 

[mypicklebird]

The title of your post is rather irksome for one that thinks that trips to the vet can be useful sometimes, but the easy answer is cull the bird. I know that this is harsh- but If she actually does have Mareks, she is unlikely to make a meaningful recovery. She will continue to eat, drink, poop ect with the form of Marek's you are seeing- but cannot care for herself. She cannot dust bathe, get away from her own feces, reach food and water unassisted. If she was out with other birds with no human intervention, they would peck and harass her- and she would dehydrate/starve to death. In protected indoor housing with you to help her- she may go on indefinitely, but it also may progress and she may have increasing difficulty breathing/eating/drinking.

I do not know anyone personally that have brought a bird though a crisis like this, but know plenty who have had birds in similar crisis- and have the path report say they had Mareks. Read as much as you can on the disease- wiki gives a decent overview. also here:

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disviral.htm

Are you ready to nurse maid for your pullet for months or longer? Is she currently suffering? No sores developing, or feces accumulating under her, & eating/drinking, not losing weight ect. Is is ok that she will not likely ever give you an egg? Did you get her primarily as a pet or an egg layer? Think about these things, and then decide what you want to do. jess

 

[Oceanseve]

Then why would I sink $100 or more into a vet visit when you are insisting she will die anyway? Thanks for the link but no thanks for the tackiness of the post

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
I have a Marek's survivor and my neighbor has some too. They get around just fine, dust bath,eat, lay eggs (not as many as the other birds), etc. Marek's is painless. The suffering happens from injuries the bird gets if it is picked on by others, flopping around while limbs are paralyzed, etc. And I am sure that the poster has enough common sense to know that if is the bird is confined in a small area, the area needs to be cleaned daily so that poop doesn't build up. Just so you know, this disease can go into remission, and the bird can regain use of its limbs. My Mildred can move just as fast as the others. She just has a little limp. She has been doing quite well for over a year now. I see her dust bath with her friends daily. If the bird is a pet and the owner has the desire to save the bird, that's their business. There are options other than culling. It is a personal choice. Let's not be so judgemental. As for the vet, the only treatment for Marek's is confining them in a small area or cage and good hygiene and nutrition while their body fights it. The vet can't do anything but tell you to put it down or put in a cage and see if it heals. There is no shame in asking if somebody on this board has been through this. Why spend $100 for the same answer you can get for free. There are more and more people in my area with poultry. When my vet gets a Marek's question, he has them call me or my neighbor because we have managed to pull birds through it. Mildred was caged for 3 weeks. She quite happily sat in the cage with food and water right in front of her. We took her out daily to clean the cage and check for improvement. She slowly regained the use of her legs. Both had been paralyzed with Marek's. I don't think she was any less comfortable sitting there recovering than she would have been if she had gone broody.

There is hope!!!

 

[horsejody]

Oceanseve, I pm'd you.

 

[hinkjc]

Personally I would cull the bird too. While you may be able to pull the bird through it, it is permanently damaged (the internal system of the bird). Mareks is a cancer and is shed from dander in the air, so you will have more problems with others getting it too. Not worth the risk IMO. I would recommend a vaccination protocol for your future flocks, as when mareks is known to be on the property that is really your only defense (which is also not fullproof).

Jody

 

[pips&peeps]

I agree with Jody, if the bird lives it will never be quite right and unproductive. You are also exposing all the birds on your farm to mareks. The vaccine does not prevent mareks disease, it is supposed to prevents tumors from forming in the bird.

You are also risking your neighbors flocks and could be carrying mareks virus on your clothing when you go to the feed store, thus potentually infecting hundreds of other farms, which in my opinion is very irresponsible.

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
The other birds have already been exposed to it and are already carriers. Culling this one won't help them. I do agree that vaccination for future birds is a good idea.