> Can sex based on the color/texture of the cere - Males = blue - Females = brown/pink, hyperkeratotic Doesn't work with color mutated birds

- Males = more prominent cheek patch - Females = color is more washed out, have stripes in their tail feathers

Avian Exam Flashcards by Corie Borchert

Psittacines

Parrots and parrot-like birds

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Passeriforms

Canaries, finches, mynahs, etc

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Columbiformes

Pigeons, doves

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Anseriformes

Ducks, geese, swans

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Galliforms

Chicken, turkeys, pheasants, etc

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Falconiformes

Diurnal birds of prey like hawks, falcons, eagles

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Strigiformes

Owls

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Role of color “morphs” in avian medicine

Different color morphs have different diseases

* More color morphed the bird is from the normal/native color = more likely to develop disease

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Fun fact about psittacine (parrot-like) beaks

> Two part beaks, animal is able to move both parts

- Allows them to manipulate food before they swallow (unlike finches or doves)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Where do the majority of birds come from?

South America (New World) - Macaws, amazons, conures, pionus, caiques, quaker parrots, parrotlets

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Birds that come from Africa (3)

African greys (Congo = paler grey with red, Timneh = all grey)
Poicephalus = Senegals, Meyer’s parrots, etc.
Lovebirds

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Birds that come from “Australasia”

Budgies
Cockatiels
Cockatoos
Eclectus
Others = grass parakeets, rosella,s lories, lorikeets

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Sexing budgies

> Can sex based on the color/texture of the cere

Males = blue
Females = brown/pink, hyperkeratotic
Doesn’t work with color mutated birds

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Sexing cockatiels

Males = more prominent cheek patch

- Females = color is more washed out, have stripes in their tail feathers

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Sexing eclectus parrots

Females = red, blue, purple = more social

- Males = green, timid, stays at home

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Three pillars of avian lifestyles

1) Foraging (and diet)
2) Social interaction
3) Feather care = helps them fly and thermoregulate

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Housing husbandry of pet birds

Confine to cage when unsupervised
Multiple diameter perches
Be cautious of lead and zinc coated cages and toys
Don’t house in the kitchen = hygiene, PTFE from teflon
Minimize temperature changes, direct drafts
Keep away from other pets

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Common household toxins

1) Poisonous plants, EX: philodendron
2) Avocados
3) Lead
4) Zinc
5) Teflon vapors from heated pans
6) Self-cleaning ovens

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What should you be doing if the bird is out of the cage?

SUPERVISE - open doors, other animals, children, fans, stove tops, etc

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Things to remember about birds and bathing

Showering helps keep feathers healthy and skin moist
DO NOT soak bird feathers to make them dripping wet
Allow bird to drain in a warm or sun dry room

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does the role of birds as prey have to do with clinical disease?

Birds = prey = mask symptoms of disease

- Usually miss early treatment and ID of disease

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Purposes of new bird exams

Pre and post (3-7 days) purchase
Ensure health
Rule out infectious disease (bring them in ASAP to diff diseases they acquired from your house)
Discuss husbandry, behavior, life style, diet

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Purposes of annual wellness exams for birds

Monitor health
Ensure early detection of problems

> > History = origin, age, sex, breeding history, contact with other birds, diet (pellet, seed mix, treats, table food? BALANCED?), caging (perches, toys, cage material)
PE = observation in cage (attitude, posture, RR), body weight, BCS, hydration, EENT, neck/crop, palpate coelom, auscultate thorax, skin/feathers skin, uropygial gland, cloaca, wings/legs
+/- Sedation with midazolam and butorphanol IN or IM
Diagnostics = rads, bloodwork, to find infectious dz or organ dysfunction
Grooming, discussion of diet, behavior, lifestyle

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What should you do with every new bird to your household?

QUARANTINE every new bird = most important step to prevent disease spread
Consider even in a separate building (viruses can spread through the air)
Lasts 4-6 weeks

What should you keep in mind with during avian PE's?

> Restraint can be stressful = establish priorities, monitor stress level (dyspnea, rapid breathing) * Consider sedation = midazolam, +/- butorphanol IN or IM - Sedation = less stressed bird, no vocalization, fully reversible, no side effects

How do we BCS a bird?

Palpate the pectoral region and keel

Is an oral exam essential in a bird PE?

YES - extremely important, window to GI and respiratory systems (choanal slit)

Things to look for with coelomic palpation (3)

- Enlarged organs, Ex: liver, etc. - Retained eggs - Masses like neoplasia

Things to look for with the cloaca

> Common genitourinary and GI outflow - Swelling - Width - Pubic bone width - Masses - Prolapse - Bleeding - Fecal staining

Things to look for with the feathers (2)

- Depigmentation | - Feather damaging behavior

True or false - "perched" and "bird in a box" is an acceptable positioning method for radiographs

FALSE - not going to get normal positioning

Appropriate positions/views for avian radiographs (2)

1) Lateral - avoid "bird-o-grams" | 2) VD or DV = bend wings at the side to prevent rotation

Restraint methods for avian radiographs (3)

1) Manual + sedation (reduces injury and stress of patient) 2) Restraint board = higher risk for patient but avoids personnel radiation exposure 3) Chemical restraint = sedation (midazolam, butorphanol) or general anesthesia

How do you know if you have rotation on avian radiographs?

1) Overlying coracoids on lateral 2) Overlying coxofemoral joints on lateral 3) Keel and thoracic vertebrae should overlie on VD

True or false? The clavicles are fused in birds

TRUE - paired and fused clavicle

Cause of polyostotic hyperostosis in birds

+ Deposits of Ca++ in the medullary bone - Common in the femur, tibiotarsus, humerus - FEMALES * Due to estrogen circulating during reproductively active times

How do we shoot the wing?

Cranio-caudal - holding the bird upside down

What organs can we see in the coelomic cavity on radiographs?

- Esophagus and crop - Lungs - Cardiohepatic silhouette - GI = proventriculus, gizzard, intestines - Repro tract - Spleen - Kidneys - Gonads

Three separate cavities in the coelom

1) Pericardium 2) Hepatic - Together = cardiohepatic silhouette 3) Intestinal-peritoneal with GI, spleen, and repro tract * All separate

True or false - the hepatic and intestinal-peritoneal should fit within the coxofemoral joints on radiographs

TRUE - if it doesn't = may have organomegaly

What is the normal width (% of thorax) of the heart on VD in birds?

50-60% of the thoracic width *Species differences = falcons (larger), psittacines (parrots)

Rad dx? Enlarged cardiac silhouette, lost of waist of silhouette

Pericardial effusion - next step is echo

What causes a mineralized descending aorta?

Increased vitamin-D or Ca++ = atherosclerosis

Spleen on avian radiographs

* Only visible on lateral (NOT ALWAYS visible) | - Usually surrounded by air sacs on the lateral

What are the cervical air sacs connected to?

Infraorbital sinuses in the skull *Not connected to the caudal air sacs

What do we suspect with hyperinflation or consolidation of the air sacs?

>Air sacculitis = fungal in most cases (Aspergillus), chronic, African greys and Pionus parrots are susceptible - Confirm with laparoscopy

Is radiography a sensitive way to diagnose air sacculitis?

No very highly sensitive = use auscultation, blood CBC, etc.

DDx for air sac compression (4)

1) Organomegaly = liver, repro tract 2) Coelomic effusion 3) Coelomic mass - neoplasia 4) Obesity

Correct egg position for laying

Tapered portion coming out first, dilating the birth canal

Portions of the GI tract you can see on lateral radiograhp

- Esophagus and crop (cranial diverticulum) - Proventriculus = middle - Stomach (ventriculus) and gizzard = underneath coxofemoral joint - Intestinal cavity = caudal to coxofemoral joint

On the VD, which side does the stomach/proventriculus get pushed to

Left side

DDx for proventricular dilation (4)

1) Gastritis 2) Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) from avian borna virus - neuropathy and hypomotility 3) Foreign body = rare 4) Neoplasia

What is one of the most common metallic foreign bodies in birds?

Lead

Contrast we can use with avian radiography

- Barium - Iodinated > Via crop lavage

What can we use to help examine a bird's swallowing ability?

Fluoroscopy - doesn't require restraint *Also can be used for excretory urograms

Uses for U/S with avian diagnostics

- Can't really be used for the upper coelom due to air sacs and sternum/keel, patient size is small too - May be able to see effusions with sicker birds, Ex: hepatic effusion - Repro tract, Ex: ovarian cysts

Uses for CT for avian diagnostics

- Get 2D radiograph slices - Can be used to construct 3D images * Limited for soft tissue, better for bony structures - Can utilize contrast - Requires anesthesia/sedation - Fast

What imaging modality can we use to examine soft tissue in a bird?

MRI - limited by patient size, cost, and anesthetic duration necessary