Vitamin treatment for paralysis... dosage?

[SheppFamilyFlock]

I have an 8 week old chick who was starting to show some signs of leg paralysis a few days ago. I think it's a vitamin deficiency.. the bird is not showing any other signs of Marek's which was what I was most worried about.

The only poultry vitamins I was able to find at my local farm store were Poul-Vite, and the only dosage information I was able to find is to dissolve the whole package in 180L of water, or 1 g in 1.8L of water, for supplementary vitamins. Poultry Cell seemed to be unavailable for me on Amazon.

Is that the dosage I should use for this one chick? Even as a more intensive treatment? I don't want to overdose the thing but I want to make sure I'm giving it enough to hopefully reverse the paralysis.

Since Tuesday her legs have gotten worse. Is there anything else I should be looking out for? Any other treatments I can try? I am having to hand water it, it will eat from a dish placed right in front of it but won't seem to drink out of the waterer, I have to use a small syringe type bottle to squirt water into its beak. She was walking on her hocks on Tuesday morning when I removed her from the flock, and now her legs are vertical split and she seems to be unable to even crawl.

Thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

I'm not sure on those products but I recommend 400i.u vitamin E capsules and a third of a B complex tablet every day for a few weeks, any brand from the grocery store. You can grind it and mix it into food or give it directly.

 

[AbL]

I have a similar case, but the chick is only for weeks old. Her symptoms getting worse from slightly lame on Sunday to laying on one side and not getting up today.
I gave her 400 iE Vitamin E (but I'm not sure how much she really swallowed) and switched to crushed pellets of VitE for my horses, as she wasn't to fond of the oily substance in the capsules
Four times a day 0,2-0,3ml of B-complex liquid. Every time she took a good quantity I had the impression she got a bit better and some D3 drops, although I'm unsure of the right dosage.
She wasn't getting really better so I took her to the vet, and he thought we might try injected vitamin, maybe oral wasn't resorbed enough or not enough in quantity. Got her first injection a few hours ago, we'll see how this will turn out.
Doc said it'll take 3-4 days to see if she is responding.

 

[RoyalChick]

Vitamin B2 is the vitamin most usually associated with curly toe paralysis.
My vet told me not to worry about overdose as it doesn’t accumulate in the body.
So I got B2 drops on line and gave human doses for many weeks.
Each time I tailed off my girl stopped walking again so I would start up with the B2 and after several days she would be back normal again.
I think it was two months before I managed to stop the supplements for her.

With any of the fat soluble vitamins you need to be much more careful about dose.

 

[AbL]

Vitamin B2 is the vitamin most usually associated with curly toe paralysis.
My vet told me not to worry about overdose as it doesn’t accumulate in the body.
So I got B2 drops on line and gave human doses for many weeks.
Each time I tailed off my girl stopped walking again so I would start up with the B2 and after several days she would be back normal again.
I think it was two months before I managed to stop the supplements for her.

With any of the fat soluble vitamins you need to be much more careful about dose.

When I told the vet I've tried it with Vitamins, he told me sarcastically" So, you intoxicated her!" - fortunately I knew it's not the case, otherwise I might have felt bad...

 

[RoyalChick]

When I told the vet I've tried it with Vitamins, he told me sarcastically" So, you intoxicated her!" - fortunately I knew it's not the case, otherwise I might have felt bad...

Tell you vet to read the Merck Veterinary Manual. It covers paralysis due to vitamin B2 deficiency.

 

[orelsi]

I go with a tiny amount on the tip of a tea spoon, once per day, when it comes to chicks. Vitamins (especially B) with a bit of selenium usually does the trick. Doing the math and measuring for such tiny amounts is a PITA. I've never poisoned a bird with they way I do it.