Very sick orpington - Kidney failure? Please advise!

[azygous]

That necropsy report sure isn't encouraging news for your remaining flock, but there's hope.

I have lymphotic leucosis in my flock, and it's manageable. Marek's in a flock is much worse, although new chicks brought into a flock can avoid the virus by being vaccinated. No such vaccination is available for LL, though. However, LL is a virus that many, if not most chickens can develop resistance to. The majority of my flock has developed this resistance so mortality is low when the flock is managed to promote maximum health and their environment is kept as free of bacteria as possible. My oldest flock members have been carrying LL their whole lives and are approaching eleven, twelve, and thirteen years of age.

Other BYC members who have Marek's in their flocks have managed the virus, as well, and some symptoms have been able to be reversed with medication and supportive care.

Having an avian diagnosis for a flock is not always a death sentence.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She has been treated twice with Albendazole. A fecal test yesterday was clear. When she drinks, there is a gurgling sound in her throat.

Yes, the whole flock has been treated.

I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you for posting the report.

I agree you may have to manage disease like Marek's and LL. There's many folks that can help with that, Carol I'm sure will give you some tips.

One thing I notice on the necropsy report is Capillary Worms. Early on in your thread you mention that you treated with Albendazole (2X) to treat the worms, but apparently they were still found during necropsy.

It would be a very good idea to treat your flock again (I see where you said you treated them). Not sure what dosing you used but I would use 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

That necropsy report sure isn't encouraging news for your remaining flock, but there's hope.

I have lymphotic leucosis in my flock, and it's manageable. Marek's in a flock is much worse, although new chicks brought into a flock can avoid the virus by being vaccinated. No such vaccination is available for LL, though. However, LL is a virus that many, if not most chickens can develop resistance to. The majority of my flock has developed this resistance so mortality is low when the flock is managed to promote maximum health and their environment is kept as free of bacteria as possible. My oldest flock members have been carrying LL their whole lives and are approaching eleven, twelve, and thirteen years of age.

Other BYC members who have Marek's in their flocks have managed the virus, as well, and some symptoms have been able to be reversed with medication and supportive care.

Having an avian diagnosis for a flock is not always a death sentence.

Thank you for your response. So informative. I spoke with the doctor in charge of necropsy at length this morning. She wants to wait for pathology reports before moving forward with specific testing for Marek's. Based on Debbie's age (7 months) and vaccination through McMurray Hatcheries, she now believes the likelihood of Marek's to be lower than that of ALV. Once we have definitive answers, I would love to know more about flock management from other BYC members. I'm encouraged to hear that this is not always a death sentence. Thank you.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you for posting the report.

I agree you may have to manage disease like Marek's and LL. There's many folks that can help with that, Carol I'm sure will give you some tips.

One thing I notice on the necropsy report is Capillary Worms. Early on in your thread you mention that you treated with Albendazole (2X) to treat the worms, but apparently they were still found during necropsy.

It would be a very good idea to treat your flock again (I see where you said you treated them). Not sure what dosing you used but I would use 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

Thank you so much for your response and condolences. We adored Debbie. The doctor in charge of Debbie's necropsy said that capillary worms were found in her crop, but not in the digestive system. Because of this, the worms would not have shown up in a fecal float. The oddity of this could be explained by MDV or ALV causing a severe disruption to Debbie's immune system. She believed it's very possible that the rest of my flock is worm free. I'm a bit hazy on the all of the details. The technical terms and the doctor's strong Indian accent made it difficult to understand everything. She provided her email address, so we may be able to communicate better that way. Oh ... the dosing I used was .05 per pound. I didn't weigh each chicken individually since they are similar in size. Each one received .5 mL of Valbasyn (sp) ten days apart. Thank you so much for your comments and concern. I'll post additional testing results as they are available.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

capillary worms were found in her crop, but not in the digestive system. Because of this, the worms would not have shown up in a fecal float. The oddity of this could be explained by MDV or ALV causing a severe disruption to Debbie's immune system. She believed it's very possible that the rest of my flock is worm free.

You may want to read up on Capillary Worms. There's several "species" and this dictates where they "live" in the body. Here's one link to get you started. (Note, I'm having issues with this editor and I can't get it off bold I'm not yelling at you, I promise)​

https://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2649&Itemid=2938​

Harm caused by Capillaria worms, symptoms and diagnosis​

Capillaria annulata and Capillaria contorta are the most damaging species. They can seriously harm the lining of the crop and the esophagus, especially in turkeys end pheasants, but also in chicken up to 4 months old. The lining of the crop and the esophagus becomes inflamed and swollen, which can make swallowing impossible for affected birds. Fatalities are frequent in cases of heavy infections.

The species in the intestine get into the villi and even into the intestinal glands, and in case of heavy infections they can cause enteritis and fibrosis.

Predominant clinical signs, mainly in young birds are diarrhea (mucous or even liquid), anemia, apathy, ruffled feathers, loss of appetite and weight, reduced egg production in layers, etc. Affected ducklings may not properly swim.

Diagnosis is based on detection of typical eggs in the feces and/or on identification of the worms in their predilection sites after necropsy.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

You may want to read up on Capillary Worms. There's several "species" and this dictates where they "live" in the body. Here's one link to get you started. (Note, I'm having issues with this editor and I can't get it off bold I'm not yelling at you, I promise)​

https://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2649&Itemid=2938​

Harm caused by Capillaria worms, symptoms and diagnosis​

Capillaria annulata and Capillaria contorta are the most damaging species. They can seriously harm the lining of the crop and the esophagus, especially in turkeys end pheasants, but also in chicken up to 4 months old. The lining of the crop and the esophagus becomes inflamed and swollen, which can make swallowing impossible for affected birds. Fatalities are frequent in cases of heavy infections.

The species in the intestine get into the villi and even into the intestinal glands, and in case of heavy infections they can cause enteritis and fibrosis.

Predominant clinical signs, mainly in young birds are diarrhea (mucous or even liquid), anemia, apathy, ruffled feathers, loss of appetite and weight, reduced egg production in layers, etc. Affected ducklings may not properly swim.

Diagnosis is based on detection of typical eggs in the feces and/or on identification of the worms in their predilection sites after necropsy.

This is very interesting. I'll talk more with the doctor who performed the necropsy about treatment options. In the initial diagnosis, they appeared in a fecal float. After treatment, the fecal float was clear, but the worms were present in the necropsy results (in the crop). So strange. I'll try to find out more from the doctor and post my findings. Thank you!

 

[Sally PB]

So sorry for your losses, chicken friend and family member.

Thank you for sharing what you are learning. You are part of what makes BYC such an invaluable resource for everyone.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

So sorry for your losses, chicken friend and family member.

Thank you for sharing what you are learning. You are part of what makes BYC such an invaluable resource for everyone.

This is very nice. Thank you.

 

[topochico225]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've been following this thread, and it brought me to tears when I learned about poor Debbie. I know what it's like to lose a lovely, sweet chicken. I feel for you.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've been following this thread, and it brought me to tears when I learned about poor Debbie. I know what it's like to lose a lovely, sweet chicken. I feel for you.