Pekin unable to walk

Chook lassie · **Joined:** Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:49 am **Posts:** 39

Unfortunately, I lost my 4 month old pet Pekin bantam recently and am wondering what was wrong with her. I noticed that she was unable to walk and that her left leg was the cause. I assumed she may have injured it because she winced each time I touched it. I kept her in insolation in order to recuperate. However, she was not improving, so I took her to the vet for an X-Ray, but in his infinite wisdom, he prescribed some metacam for a week. Sadly, she passed away yesterday and I am wondering if I have done all that I could for her. She was not eating well, despite my efforts in giving her Poly Aid plus and force feeding her with some scrambled egg. She had a sister, of which both were very close and now it saddens me to see the remaining one feeling quite alone.

Marek's disease did come to mind, but given she was showing some pain, could it have been something else? I would appreciate some input from anyone out there.

Thanks,

Chook Lassie

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

Without having seen a picture of her it is very hard. I would have leant towards mareks myself with your description of the problems she was having.
Sorry for your loss.

Chook lassie · **Joined:** Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:49 am **Posts:** 39

Hi Sebducks,

Regarding my lame Pekin, surely if it was Marek's she would not have shown any pain when handled and doesn't it affects both legs????

parvo · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:39 pm **Posts:** 735

Mareks often starts with one leg. You are right in that it doesn't usually cause pain but in some circumstances it can be painful.
A broken leg or leg injury won't usually cause a bird to die on its own.
I'm sorry I can't be more specific but without a lot more information about her it is very hard to tell ie were there any swellings? where exactly was the pain coming from? were there any other abnormalities? what was her body condition like? was there any swelling or pain in her abdomen? etc etc.
At the end of the day only a post mortem examination would give you your answer.
An Xray may have been helpful but you would need to Xray the whole bird, not just the affected leg, to get the most information.
I am sorry for your loss and wish you good luck with the rest of your birds.
Just keep an eye out for any other birds showing signs of lameness.

Cheers

Parvo

Chook lassie · **Joined:** Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:49 am **Posts:** 39

Thanks Parvo, I do hope that it was not Mareks. She was nearly 5 months old and given the vet had not diagnosed Mareks, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was not. Because he diagnosed it as being an injury, i kept her with her sister who was with her right to the end as they were inseparable and I'm now really concerned for her sister. I have isolated her from my other flock and will keep an eye for any lameness. They both have not been out free ranging like the rest of my big girls, so I'm wondering how she could have contracted Mareks, that is if it was.

Both girls were naturally hatched and were not vaccinated. She did lose quite allot of weight though, i guess that was because she could not get to her food. Apart from that and the lameness, she showed no other symptoms. She became quite weak at the end. If it was Mareks, I can't understand why the Vet did not diagnose it as such.

Any advice on what I can do to stop it from spreading to the rest of my flock? I have disinfected the isolation quarters where she was kept in and have disposed her poop and bedding properly. Unfortunately, hubby cremated her as we do with all of the chooks we lose,so we are unable to get a postmortem done.

Thanks again Parvo.

Cheers.

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

There are not many vets who have the experience with poultry or other birds to identify diseases such as Mareks, unless of course your lucky enough to have an Avian Vet in your local area.

Here is an article on Mareks which may be of assistance in the future http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/mareks2.pdf

Perhaps the vet did not xray quite the right area for diagnosis of her injury, I wonder could it have been her spine area causing the leg nerves to pinch thus causing the pain?

parvo · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:39 pm **Posts:** 735

It is difficult to diagnose Marek's disease in the live bird. It is usually only confirmed at post mortem.
It seems that you have done all the right things, Chook Lassie.
It is more than likely that if it is Marek's all the in-contact birds will already have been exposed, well before your girl showed clinical signs. Whether they develop the disease now depends on their own immunity. There is not much more you can do now but just monitor them.

However, I did say IF it is Marek's. If it was just a severe injury, even a spinal one as Sebducks suggests, you may have nothing to worry about.

Be vigilant, but don't stress unnecessarily

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