Avian (Cruz) Flashcards
What color is bruising in birds?
Green
What can be seen on a blood film from a bird with lead poisoning
Irregular, damaged, “angry” RBCs
T/F Birds are very prone to cataract formation, especially after trauma.
True
What sites can you take blood from on a bird? Which is preferred? Where are hematomas least likely?
Right jugular vein (preferred)
Ulnar/Wing/Basilic Vein (At the elbow)
Medial metatarsal vein (hematomas least likely)
How do you expose the skin on a bird (for examination)?
Gently (skin thin, easily broken, easily bruised) spread feathers to the side
Feathers are arranged in ____.
Tracts
What does it indicate if a bird is not preening itself?
The bird is sick/neglected
What are these feathers called?
Blood feathers/Growth feathers
What are these? What do they indicate?
Stress bars (disruption in the normal pattern/color of the feather)
Indicate a chronic issue causing stress to the bird
What are the feathers indicated in red (1-10)?
What are the feathers indicated in blue (1-16)?
Primary flight feathers (attach to metacarpals and digits)
Secondary flight feathers (attach to ulna)
What is the feather called that is blacked out?
Downy
What is the process of a bird replacing its feathers called?
Molting
T/F: Feathers are used for thermoregulation.
True
How do we treat a broken blood feather?
a. Trim it and apply pressure to stop the bleeding
b. Pluck the feather while mildly restraining the bird
c. Anesthetize the bird, pluck the feather, and use a hemostatic agent or procedure to stop the bleeding
d. Nothing, it will molt and regrow eventually.
c. Anesthetize the bird, pluck the feather, and use a hemostatic agent or procedure to stop the bleeding
This is an EMERGENCY and PAINFUL
How would you remove feathers around a wound to clean up the wound?
a. Trim with small animal clippers
b. Pluck by hand or forceps
c. Cut at the very base using curved scissors
b. Pluck by hand or forceps
GENTLY!
What’s going on here?
Feather cysts!
Common in DOMESTIC/PET birds not in wild birds
T/F: Open fractures are more common than closed fractures in birds.
True
What type of bandage would you apply to an open wing fracture to protect it?
Wet-to-Wet
You know what to do
- Humerus
- Radius (on top)
- Ulna
- Radiale (top) and Ulnare
- Carpometacarpus
- Second digit (specifically phalanx 2)
- Primary feathers
8 . Secondary feathers
- First digit
In the picture below, the blue bones are called the _______ and are made up of fused _____ vertebrae.
Notarium
Thoracic
In the picture below, the bones in blue are called the ______ and are fused __________ vertebrae.
Synsacrum
Lumbar and sacral
Where is a common place for spinal fractures in birds?
The free vertebrae between the notarium and synsacrum
What 3 things can you assess/do to determine whether a spinal fracture is present if you do not have an x-ray machine?
Pinch the toe (no response indicates spinal fracture)
Assess the area around the cloaca (heavily soiled indicates fracture)
Move feathers to the side on the back between the synsacrum and notarium and look for buising or palapate for a fracture (can apply alcohol for better visualization)
What structure is used to assess a BCS in a bird? What muscles attach here?
Keel/ stenrum
Pectoral muscles
What structure do you use for radiographic positioning?
Keel/sternum
What is this bone?
Clavicle
What is this bone?
Coracoid
What is this bone?
Scapula
What is the treatment for a fractured scapula, coracoid or clavicle?
Body wrap
Can you flush/irrigate a pneumatic bone for wound care?
Yes, but must be extremely careful and gentle
When placing an intraosseus catheter in a vird, which bone is most often used?
Ulna
Which bones in birds are pneumatic?
Skull
Humerus
Clavicle
Keel
Pelvic girdle
Lumbar and sacral vertebrae
What is indicated by the blue arrow? What about the blue arrow head? What are their purose?
Major paragial ligament/tendon
Minor paragial ligament/tendon
Increase the surface area of the wings
Where are SQ fluids ususally administered?
Inguinal area
On most birds, the _________ bone is most proximal featherless part of the leg.
Tarsometatarsus
In terms of the oral cavity, what does hypovitaminosis A cause?
Blunting of papilla around palantine fissure
What is the most commonly used inhalant anesthetic? At what percent for maintenance?
Isoflurane
2-3%
Why should gentle PPV be always be administered to a bird under anesthesia?
To ventillate the airsacs (which are being squished by the organs)
The movement of which of the following structures areneeded in the respiratory cycle?
a. Stenrum and ribcage
b. Deep and superficial pectoral muscles
c. Coracoid
d. Synsacrum and notarium
e. a and b
e
Stenrum and ribcage
Deep and superficial pectoral muscles
What percentage of body weight is blood in a bird? What percentage of this volume can be safely sampled (i.e. removed)
10%
10%
What larger structure is indicated by the arrow? What are the smaller structures surrounding it?
Choana
Papillae
You know what to do
A- Choana
B- Arytenoid Cartilage
C- Glottis
D-Tongue
You know what to do
A- Keel
B- Ribs
C- Heart
D- Airsac
E-Proventriculus
F- Small intestines
G- Ventriculus
You know what to do
A- Trachea
B-Esophagus
D- Lungs
The crop is on the ____(left/right) side of the bird.
Right
Which organ is found at the junction of the proventriculus and the ventriculus?
Spleen
Why should the mucles in the limbs not be used for injections?
Renal portal system
Which side is the ovary in the normal bird?
Left
Which nerve is affected in Marek’s Disease?
Sciatic
You know what to do
A- Tracea
B- Lungs
C- Airsac space
D- Liver
E- Esophagus/Crop
F- Proventriculus
G- Ventriculus
H- Intestines
J- Kidney
X- Gonads and adrenals
Y- Spleen (or where is should be)
Finding what in poop indicates maldigestion?
Undigested food
Seeds
Why do birds not get jaundice?
They do not have biliverdin reductase
What 3 components do normal bird droppings contain?
Urates Feces Urine
Finding what in feces may indicate a clostridium infection?
Gas bubbles
Biliverdinuria and green feces indicates what disease process?
Advanced liver disease
A lot of urine in feces indicates what disease process?
Renal disease
T/F Iron toxicity can cause an increase in biliverdin resulting in green droppings.
True
Pet birds have predominantly gram ____ flora.
Positive
T/F E.coli can be cultures in normal psittacines and raptors.
True
What is the most common cause of SQ emphysema caused by airsac leakage and what bacterial organim is most commonly associated with this?
Cats
P. multocida
What can be seen on a blood film from a bird with aspergillosis?
Irregular, poorly defined, “angry”, activated heterophils
Oropharyngeal lesions (white plaques on mouth) can be caused by:
a. Candida
b. Capillaria
c. Papillomatosis
d. Pox virus
e. Trichomonas
f. All of the above
f. All of the above
What are the 8 P’s?
- Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (Circovirus)
- Psittacosis
- Proventricular Dilation Disease (Borna virus)
- Pox virus
- Papillomatosis
- Pacheco’s Disease (Herpesvirus)
- Polyoma
- Paramyxovirus (Newcastle disease)
T/F: Psittacosis is zoonotic.
True
What are the 3 forms of Psittacosis?
Respiratory
Gastrointestinal (lime green diarrhea)
Non-specific debilitating
What antibiotics (class) are used to treat Psittacosis?
Tetracyclines
T/F: Pox virus is not very contagious, direct contact is required.
False, super contagious
_______ infections can cause cloacal prolapse.
Papillomavirus
Which disease causes outbreaks of sudden death and characteristic lesions on the liver?
Pacheco’s disease
Which disease causes profuse SQ hemorrhage?
Polyoma
Which virus causes torticollis?
Paramyxovirus
What ectoparasite causes mange in birds?
Knemidokoptes (scaly face and leg mites)
