# Is there life after Marek's disease?



## Charlotte (Apr 17, 2013)

I am currently treating a pullet with Marek's disease, and have been wondering whether I'm being foolish trying to save her. Will I be able to reintegrate her with my flock if she does survive this initial outbreak, or will I be putting the rest of my hens at an increased risk of contracting the virus? 
Would an L-lysine supplement be of any use? It's proven to discourage the reproduction of herpes virus cells in felines and humans, but I have found no documentation of use in birds.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There can be. If they survive the initial illness there might be issues later. They have found lesions on organs from the original illness in birds that survived.

I'm assuming she was with the flock when it first made its presence known. If so then they have already been exposed.


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## Charlotte (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks, Robin. Yes, she was with the rest of the flock when the symptoms started, so they were all exposed to the same environment and each other. I have 6 other hens ranging in age from 5 months to 3 1/2 years, all vaccinated as day-old chicks. My sick pullet is 5 months old and was also vaccinated. 
She started staggering on Saturday morning. I separated her from the flock and kept her in a guinea pig cage in our laundry room, then I took her to an avian vet on Monday. He put her on antibiotics to fend off any secondary infections. I've been crushing each antibiotic dose and a low-dose aspirin and mixing it in a slurry of canned cat food and water. She's been taking it pretty well from a crookneck syringe. 
She is staying upright, but still staggering and putting most of her weight on her hocks, not her feet. Her wings are marginally affected, too.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That presentation is also indicative of a toxin. Your vet was fairly certain that was what he/she was looking at?

Who knows how they do it but they do find bad stuff that makes them sick.


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## Charlotte (Apr 17, 2013)

We did talk about toxicity. He asked me about any metals around the chicken yard, etc. The yard is very clean. He thought that the number of wild birds in our yard who frequent the feeders and bird baths, and, of course, the crows who walk around the chicken yard like they own the place, might be a likely source of Marek's contamination. 
One of my first hens snatched an earring out of my ear and swallowed it when she was about a year old. She died less than five days later. A vet I spoke with later said that it was probably metal poisoning. I didn't know at the time that the department of agriculture would perform a necropsy at no charge. I have the form to fill out for one just in case my current pullet passes away.
The doctor did say that the only definitive diagnosis of Marek's is through postmortem examination. I didn't want to euthanize her because we're not _absolutely sure_ it's Marek's. I don't think I could forgive myself if I had her put to sleep only to find that it wasn't Marek's.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not just metals. There are things that lay in the soil and go toxic. There are plants, some bugs. If they had a stash of food some where you didn't see. A dead mouse. Corn develops aflotoxins fairly easily. Just like Mareks the possibility exists and chances are they'll find it.


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## Charlotte (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I will send the vet an email and ask if we should draw a blood panel to check for other toxins.
I took the pullet, Emily, outside for her evening meds and let her eat some grass. She seems to be getting a little control back in her legs. She's still staggering, but not just standing frozen and falling flat on her face like she was on Monday.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That sounds more and more like a toxic reaction. You can do a molasses flush. I just don't know how effective it would be so many days later. And I don't think a blood test will show anything. So no sense in putting her through it again. Especially if you're seeing improvement in her condition.


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