Avian Medicine Flashcards
Class for birds
Aves
2 commonly kept pet birds
- Psittaciformes
2. Passeriformes
Parrots, parakeets, conures, cockatiels, cockatoos, and macaws are from the class
Psittaformes (Psittacines)
Finches, sparrows, crows, canaries, and other perching birds/songbirds are from the class
Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Ducks, geese, swans are all in the class
Anseriformes (Waterfowl)
Cranes, herons, flamingos, and storks are from the class
Ciconiformes (Waterbirds)
Diurnal birds of prey such as falcons, eagles, and hawks are in the class
Falconiformes (Raptors)
Chickens, turkey, grouse, quail, and pheasants are in the class
Galliformes (Fowl)
Most numerous class of birds
Passeriformes
Class that is not easily handled
Passerines
Class that is easily handled
Anseriformes
Birds have anatomical adaptations for 2 things
- flying
2. egg laying
All birds are ____________ which means they lay eggs
oviparous
Bird feathers are made of
keratin
Very large feathers that originate from the carpus and metacarpus and pygostyle
Primaries
Large feathers that originate from the radius and ulna
Secondaries
Feathers that are over the body
contour
Feathers that produce powder to clean and insulate
Down
Feathers used for insulation/courtship
semiplume
Feathers used for sensory/tactile roles
Filoplume
Feathers used for sensory roles
Bristle
Feathered tracts
Pterylae
Featherless tracts
Apterylae
Common body cavity of birds
ceolum
Bases of flight feathers are covered with smaller contour feathers
Also cover the ears
Coverts
Wing web
Area used for SQ inj
patagium
Size sutures to use on avian pts
40 or 50
Oil gland at the base of the tail
Uropygial gland
How much of a bird’s mass is their bones?
5%
Many bones are ____________ to simplify the number and makes them lighter for flight
fused
Some proximal bones are ______________
pneumatic
Bones that communicate with the respiratory system
pneumatic
A long sternum which provides attachment of pectorals
Keel
Preferred muscle for IM inj
pectorals
Humerus and femur are conisdered
pneumatic bones
What happens if you place an IO catheter in a pneumatic bone?
They will drown
How many chambers does a bird’s heart have?
4
Shunting of blood from the caudal half of the animal to the kidneys prior to reaching the liver and heart
Renal Portal System
____________ movements allow breathing without __________________
sternal, diaphragm
Useful test on birds because it would be increased in the blood with kidney failure
Nitrogenous waste
Uric acid
Ureters empty into what structure?
Cloaca
Common emptying chamber for repro, GI, and urinary systems
Cloaca
Unlike dogs, a bird’s vision is
in color
Comprised of voluntary striated muscle and birds can dilate and constrict at will
Iris
How many air sacs do birds have?
9
This sense is similar to mammals
Hearing
Sound producing structure just cranial to tracheal bifurcation
Syrinx
A V-shaped opening on the roof of the mouth lined with papillae which communicates with the nasal passageways
Choanal slit
To detect upper respiratory pathogens, where should you swab for cultures?
Choanal slit
Stores food and has peristaltic waves 1/min
crop
The true glandular stomach
Proventriculus
Gizzard, muscular stomach
Ventriculus
Divided into two sections and greatly expanded for the crop
Esophagus
Feces of parrots contain __________ __ organisms
gram +
Test that helps reveal the presence of GI pathogens
cloacal culture
Birds regurgitate these which include indigestible materials formes in the gizzard
pellets
Droppings are AKA
mutes
Urates in mutes are
white
Feces in mutes are
dark
Urine is
clear
Males have two intraceolomic ___________
testicles
Male genes
ZZ
Only used to transport semen, not urine
Phallus
Which ovary is functional in females?
Left
The number of eggs a female lays and incubates
Clutch
Replace mammalian neutrophils
Heterophils
What do avian RBCs look like?
Oval and nucleated
Birds do not have platelets, they only have
thrombocytes
Which color tube should you collect bird blood in to preserve cell integrity?
Green (Heparin)
Bird blood looks similar to
reptilian blood
These type of diets provide POOR nutrition
Seed
Overall health has been improved with the introduction of
pelleted foods
When feeding via a tube/gavage, the tube should be placed
Over the tongue, to the right side of the mouth
The esophagus is locted to the ___________ of the trachea
right
When restraining a bird, you should never restrict this movement
sternal
When restraining waterbirds, what type of PPE should you wear?
Eye protection
When restraining raptors, what should you secure since they rarely bite?
Talons
What should you be wary of when restraining roosters?
Spurs
Of all domestic fowl, which poses the least threat?
Ducks
___________ rarely bite but may is talons are restrained
Owls
This could be indicative the bird does not feel secure
Flapping wings
A useful restraint tool that can be used on medium-large birds
Bird Board
Which vein should you use to assess a bird’s hydration status?
Basilic vein
VRT
used to assess hydration status
Vein Refill time
Inhalant of choice to use for anesthesia
Isoflurane
2 ways to assess depth of anesthesia
- RR
2. depth
This type of intubation is possible
air sac
Method for delivering anesthetic gases
mask induction
What sort of tube should you use for intubation?
Uncuffed
Small birds should never go without food for longer than
3 hrs
It’s not recommended to do this before gas anesthesia unless when the crop is emptied
Fasting
2 common surgical procedures
- Crop evaluation/biopsy
2. Eggbinding
Performed to restrict flight and reduce the chance of injury and escape
SYMMETRY IS IMPORTANT
Wing clip
Feathers you should never clip because they are immature and vascular
Blood feathers
What should you leave on either side of a blood feather when doing a wing clip?
Guard feathers
If a blood feather is damaged, it should be removed how?
Plucking
When restraining for a wing trim, where should you grasp?
Carpal joint
What type of tool is used for beak and nail trims
Dremel
Performed to dx crop infx
Crop wash
Performed to dx infx of upper respiratory tract
choanal culture
Performed to dx infex of lower GI tract
Cloacal swab
Best yield for phlebotomy
Easy to visualize in the apterylae
Right jugular
What size syringe and needle should be used for blood draws?
1ml or 3ml
22-25 ga
Vein located on the medial surface of proximal ulna
Cutaneous ulnar
Vein located on the medial side of the tibiotarsus
Medial metatarsal
Safe amount of blood that can be safely collected
1%
Total blood volume of a bird is ___% of their total body weight
10
Easiest way for an owner to give meds to a bird is
liquid oral
What 2 bones should you utilize for IO catheterization
- ulna
2. tibiotarsus
What size cage should owners purchase for their birds?
Largest cage possible so they can stretch their wings
2 common metal toxicities
- Lead
2. Zinc
Perches should vary in
diameter
Good substrate for caging
newspaper
You should avoid these in bird’s cages because of lead poisoning and causes hormonal release
Mirrors
Where should a bird’s cage be located?
Where you spend a lot of time with it
2 rooms of the house a bird should not be placed
- bedroom
2. kitchen
How many hours of sleep do birds need?
10-12
Bathing, playing on cage bottom, preening, molting, sleeping on one foot, regurgitation, flashing eye movements, and shivering are all considered ______________ behaviors
normal
Feather destruction, sitting on the cage bottom, fluffed feathers accompanied with shivering, regurg and vomiting, mean bird turned friendly, decreased or no fecal production, open mouth breathing, tail bobbing, falling off perch when awake, and abnormal molting are all considered __________________ behaviors
abnormal
Not very common in avian medicine: Fractures, dislocations, bite wounds, ceiling fan injuries, bumblefoot
Trauma
Due to stress and boredom when bird has normal head feathers, but body is sparsely feathered
Can be socially contagious and become an addiction
Feather Plucking Syndrome
Dystocia in birds
Failure of an egg to pass through the oviduct at a normal rate due to oviduct fatigue from low Ca levels
Obesity may be a factor or eggs are too large
Egg binding
This can deplete the body of Ca
Excessive egg laying
May be a courtship behavior in young males
Regurgitation
Lead poisoning, foreign bodies, and crop stasis could be identified from excessive
regurgitation or vomiting
2 Heavy metal toxins
- Zinc
2. Lead
Non-stick cookware toxicosis occurs from using
teflon cookware
Some colognes, perfumes, air fresheners, and plants may be
toxic
These can be toxic when they are shelled due to aflatoxins
Peanuts
A veggie that is toxic to most animals due to a certain enzyme it contains
avacado
Occurs from feeding an all seed diet
Choanal papillae become blunted, erosions develop on feet, and poor feather and skin health
Hypovitaminosis A
What kind of veggies are high in Vitamin A?
Dark yellow
Birds are often presented with seizures from diets low in Ca
Hypocalcemia
What breed of birds are predisposed to Hypocalcemia?
African Greys
Caused by gruel that is too hot
Many birds will need surgery
Crop burns
Haemochromatosis is AKA
Inherited metabolic deficiency
Iron Storage dz
Uric acid deposition around the joints, pericardial sac, and viscera
Gout
Pododermatitis is AKA
Can be caused by perches not varying in diameter and poor husbandry
bumblefoot
Bumblefoot is seen with ___________ birds
obese
A zoonotic dz that causes flu-like symptoms in humans, reportable dz caused by a bacterial-like microbe
Some birds may be carriers
No vax, euthanasia or tetracycline as tx
Chlamydiosis
Common infectious dz caused by Mycobacterium avium and shows c/s such as: liver dz, wt. loss, and GI tumors
Zoonotic
Dx: acid fast test or biopsy
Tx: long term abx
Avian Tuberculosis
AKA air sacculitis
pneumonia
Viral infection caused by papoavirus that causes papillomas to form in the digestive system
Oropharynx and cloaca is most common location
Tx: removal of warts, but can reoccur if removed
Herpes type of virus
Avian Papillomatosis
Viral infection - H5N1
60% mortality in humans
AKA orthomyxovirus
Avian influenza
Many strains of this virus exist and forms lesions around eyes, beak, and feet
Not zoonotic, host specific
Avian pox
Most commonly seen pox transmitted via the mosquito, mites, or through broken skin
Canary pox
A Herpes virus of unknown action that causes sudden death
Conures are carriers
Pacheco’s Dz
Caused by a polyomavirus that affects birds 2-14 wks of age
Vax available and effective
Budgie Fledgling Dz
Circovirus shed in feces, feather dander, and bodily secretions where feathers and beak grow in twisted
Psittacine Beak and Feather Dz (PBFD)
Fungal infx that can be caused from ingesting moldy food
Aspergillosis
Contagious and fatal viral dz affecting all species of birds and affects various body systems
Especially alarming for poultry industry
Exotic Newcastle Dz (END)
Caused by the Flaviviridae family
Mainly infects crows, jays, raptors, and horses. Poultry are resistant
Spread by mosquitos and causes neurological CS and death
West Nile Virus
Fungal inf caused by Candida albicans
WHITE lesions in the oral cavity, esophagus, and crop along with regurg and delayed crop emptying
Common in pigeons, raptors, and parrots and young or immunosuppressed birds
Candidiasis
Caused by Polyoma virus that paralyzes the nerves in the proventricular stomach and causes the bird to not digest food
AKA Macaw Wasting Syndrome
Proventricular Dilation Dz
Knemidokoptes pilae is AKA
Causes pitting and scaling of beak and skin as well as legs and feet in some species
Dx: skin scrape
Tx: topical ivermectin
Scaly leg and face mite
These are rare in indoor/captive birds
Parasites
