వీక్ legs

disorders in turkeys and concluded that the cause was a refractoriness to Vitamin D3. Recently Ibrahim et al. 1988. Brit. Poult. Scit., 29:721--assumed from his studies that the leg abnormalities are related to either or both mineral deposition and or collagen formation, with tannins acting either in the digestive tract or directly on the bone tissue. He was able to alleviate the problems by supplementing the feed with orthophosphoric acid or feed grade dicalcium phosphate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have discovered that it is possible to treat leg disease and infections in leg joints in poultry, such as chickens, ducks, geese, such as force fed geese, and specifically in turkeys, by administering to them non-steroidal anti-inflammatory inhibitors of prostaglandin synthetase and specifically prostaglandin E 2 . Not only have we found that such treatment returns the birds to be active, walk and feed normally to gain weight, but by suitable administration of such medication during the critical period of growth, the debilitating effects of leg disease can be avoided. The administration of this medication on an industrial scale can be by introduction in the drinking water or via a slow-release formulation mixed with the food. Such slow release formulations are common for use of analgesic and other medications presently available for human consumption. We have found this medication to be effective even in terminal cases, where the turkeys have come back to function normally. Among medications we consider to be effective in treating leg disease are the analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents Diclofenac Na, NAPROXEN, IBUPROFEN, NABUMETONE, ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID, SULINDAC and INDOMETHACIN, the preferred agent being INDOMETHACIN.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used extensively in the management of a wide variety of musculo-skeletal disorders, including degenerative joint disease and usually without adverse effects on bone cartilage metabolism. This of course has been well established in human beings. One of these drugs, INDOMETHACIN, has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic properties and has been shown to be one of the most potent inhibitors of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase, and thus of prostaglandins synthesis. Prostaglandins, and particularly those of the E series, are known to be potent stimulators of bone resorption.

The exact dosage for use in treating the affected poultry will of course have to be determined for each medication, as well as for each species of fowl. In the case of turkeys it was found that INDOMETHACIN given via the drinking water at 2 mg. per kg. per day provided marvelous recovery of turkeys suffering from leg weakness, to the extent that they were able to complete their feeding cycle and be sent for slaughter and processing together with the rest of the group, having attained satisfactory weight gain. One of the particular advantages of using INDOMETHACIN as the medication of choice in this case is the fact that this compound is not absorbed into human tissues. Thus it is possible to stop the administration of the medication two to three days before slaughter and assure that the birds will have no residues of the medication in their body.

The following experiment was conducted with three groups of 50 turkeys each. One group was a healthy control, the second group had leg weakness without treatment and the third group had leg weakness and was treated with INDOMETHACIN at 2 mg. per kg. per day for a period of seven consecutive days administered by mouth. The following results were obtained: