Silkie with balance issues

[Year of the Rooster]

About almost a 2 weeks ago I noticed that one of my Silkie was walking very little. Then I saw her just lying on the floor on her side in the corner and refused to get up. Since then, I have brought her inside and she is now in a dog kennel. Right now she seems better than when I first brought her in but she doesn't seem to be getting any better, or worse for that matter. She is being fed a mixture of wild bird seed and chick crumble (for extra protein) and water (also with a teaspoon of colloidal silver added to it; it's a chick waterer). Her appetite doesn't seem to be lessening, she eats and drinks regularly. Her last poop, about 10 minutes ago, was watery and green. I had her out a bit ago to see how she was walking, and she can walk, but tends to lose her balance easily. If she falls over she has a difficult time righting herself unless she runs into an object that stops her. And sometimes she will walk with one foot almost crossing over another (kinda like she is drunk). I have ruled out Marek's for now as she is perfectly capable of standing in place and so far there is no paralysis. Could she have a slipped tendon? I appreciate any help

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Sounds very suspicious of botulism. It causes diarrhea and paralysis. This is what Merck says about it:


Botulism: Introduction
(Limberneck, Western duck sickness)
Etiology
Transmission, Epidemiology, and Pathogenesis
Clinical Findings
Lesions
Diagnosis
Treatment and Prevention
Botulism is an intoxication caused by ingesting Clostridium botulinum exotoxin or by absorbing toxin produced in the alimentary tract (toxico-infection). (See also botulism, Botulism.)
Etiology:
C botulinum is a gram-positive, sporeforming, anaerobic bacterium that inhabits soils and marine and freshwater sediments. It is commonly found in the gut of poultry and wild birds and in litter, feed, and water in broiler chicken houses. Intoxications are sporadic in poultry, but massive mortality has occurred in waterfowl in western North America. Outbreaks in poultry and waterfowl are predominately caused by type C toxin, and types A and E are less frequently incriminated.
Type C intoxications are found in chickens, turkeys, ducks, and pheasants. However, the disease has been identified in 117 species of feral birds representing 22 families. Mammalian species affected by type C toxin include mink, ferrets, cattle, pigs, dogs, horses, laboratory rodents, and various zoo animals. Botulism was reported in ruminants fed poultry manure contaminated with C botulinum type C spores. The zoonotic potential of type C botulism is minimal. Only 4 poorly documented type C botulism intoxications have been reported in people, but cases have occurred in nonhuman primates.

Transmission, Epidemiology, and Pathogenesis:
Ingested preformed toxin, absorbed into the blood, binds to nerve terminals and blocks release of acetylcholine. The result is flaccid muscle paralysis. Death is due to cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Toxin is elaborated in dead carcasses after postmortem release of the organism from the gut. Maggots acquire toxin from carcass tissues and, when eaten by scavenging poultry, serve as a source of neurotoxin. Alternatively, if toxin levels are sufficiently high in carcass tissues, cannibalism can initiate disease. Other feed sources have been implicated in outbreaks in backyard poultry flocks. Botulism in water fowl may result after ingesting dead invertebrates found in water that contains decaying vegetation.
Toxico-infectious botulism is reported to occur in intensively reared broiler flocks housed on litter. Mortality may range from a few birds to 40% of a flock. The conditions that allow toxin elaboration in the alimentary tract are not clearly understood because C botulinum can be recovered from normal chickens on farms without histories of outbreaks. However, two outbreaks of type C botulinum in commercial broiler flocks were associated with elevated iron content from feed and water sources. Iron promotes the proliferation of enteric bacteria, including C botulinum .

Clinical Findings:













Botulism poisoning, generalized paresis, chicken




Clinical signs in poultry and wild birds are similar. Flaccid paralysis of the legs, wings, neck, and eyelids is seen. Paralytic signs progress cranially from the legs to include the wings, neck, and eyelids. “Limberneck,” the common name of botulism, describes neck paralysis. In affected waterfowl, neck paralysis can lead to drowning. Affected chickens have ruffled feathers. Signs in broiler chickens may also include diarrhea with excess urates in the loose droppings.
Lesions:
No characteristic gross lesions develop.

Diagnosis:
Definitive diagnosis requires demonstration of the toxin in serum, liver homogenates, or crop or GI washings from morbid birds. Mice injected with samples of such material become paralyzed and die unless protected with specific typing serum.
Leg paralysis is the only sign in mild intoxications, which must be differentiated from Marek’s disease, drug and chemical toxicities, or appendicular skeletal problems. In waterfowl, botulism must be differentiated from fowl cholera and chemical toxicities, especially lead poisoning.

Treatment and Prevention:
Affected birds may recover without treatment. Numerous treatments have been reported, including use of bacitracin (100 g/ton in feed) or streptomycin (1 g/L in water), but none have been uniformly successful.
Collection and disposal of dead birds is important in preventing and limiting outbreaks, especially in pheasant and broiler chicken flocks. Fly control may reduce risk of toxic maggots in the environment. Some, but not all, recurrent outbreaks in broiler flocks may be prevented by cleaning and disinfecting with products effective against spore-forming bacteria. Disinfection around poultry houses is suggested because spores are found outside the houses and can be reintroduced into housing. Litter treatments, although not always effective, have included sodium bisulfate at 1 lb/1,000 sq ft (1 kg/200 sq m). In waterfowl outbreaks, ducks should be dispersed from affected areas and water levels stabilized. Elimination of large shallow areas may prevent conditions favorable for decay of vegetation and die-off of invertebrates.
Active immunization with inactivated type C bacterin-toxoids has been succ

 

[arianna]

I had a silkie rooster that had balance issue when I bought him. Someone who breeds silkies told me that is a vitamin B deficiency and that silkies are more prone to it than other breeds. I added vitamin and electrolytes powder in his water and after a week he had no more problems with his balance.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Thank you both for your suggestions! I will try the vitamins first and see if that's the problem, if not, then it might be botulism.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Well, unfortunately she died tonight between 4:30 and 7:45 i'm guessing. Which makes me believe it's either Marek's or Botulism. None of the things we gave her seemed to help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry for your loss, I just lost a little hen to botulism I am pretty sure, no one else has been affected, they free range and I think she might have ate something in the enviroment that caused it.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I'm sorry for your loss, too. What were her symptoms, and how long did she exhibit them? I think my hen lasted about 2 weeks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My hen was fine Sat. eve when I went to do head count and lock them up, Sunday morning I noticed her limping inside the coop brought her inside and put her into a large dog crate, she wouldn't eat or drink, Sunday evening she finally ate some kefir . Monday I coudn't get her to eat or drink, but still wanted to give her sometime to work it out, On Tuesday still wouldn't eat or drink, so after putting everyone up for the night I was just getting ready to bring her out again and try, when I heard her flapping around picked her up and she died in my hands, just closed her eyes, didn't appear to be in pain at all just didn't make it.. So she went from Sunday till Tuesday night. It's so hard to tell with them they can be sick alot longer than we know. they are good at hiding symptoms till the last minute.. keep a close eye on the rest of your flock just in case it is Mareks but hopefully it won't be..

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Yea, it's so hard to tell what this is. Last winter I had almost the same thing with another hen (she was a Sebright). She started with a limp, then slowly she couldn't walk at all. She could keep her feet under her, but she refused to move and when she did, she fell over. Both of these girls were losing a lot of weight too. I hope none of my other birds get it.