Bird diseases Flashcards
Common nutritional diseases in caged birds (4)
- iodine deficiency
- vit A deficiency
- calcium deficiency
- obesity
Common respiratory diseases in caged birds (6)
- psittacosis/chlamydiosis/ornithosis
- aspergillosis
- air sacculitis
- teflon poisoning
- avocado poisoning
- asthma
Common digestive tract diseases in caged birds (11)
- candidiasis
- epithelial hyperkeratosis
- crop burns
- crop infection/’sour crop’
- trichomoniasis
- avian bornavirus
- megabacteriosis
- giardia
- roundworms
- pacheco’s disease
- salmonellosis
Common liver and kidney diseases in caged birds (3)
- liver disease
- gout
- kidney disease
Common skin diseases in caged birds (4)
- avian circovirus
- polyomavirus
- cnemidocoptes pili
- external parsites
Common endocrine disorders in caged birds
- diabetes mellitus
- hypothyroidism
- secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism
Heart disease in caged birds
not uncommon in older birds
normal HR 250+bpm
signs:
- reduced appetite
- reduced activity
- falling off perch in evenings
medication:
- ‘vivitonin’
- pimobendan/benazepril
- frusemide
Iodine deficiency in caged birds
Very common in budgerigars
Often presents as respiratory distress, caused by goitre pressing on trachea
Treat via supplemented seed, ‘pink block’ or Lugol’s iodine in the water
Vitamin A deficiency in caged birds
Assume it exists in all birds on an all-seed diet
Signs include
- Poor feathering
- Oculo-nasal discharge
- Swellings round eyes
- Blocked nostrils progressing to rhinoliths
- Abscesses on palate
-Renal failure
Remember vitamin A is responsible for the health and integrity of epithelia
Treatment
- Care with supplementation to avoid toxicity
- 10,000-20,000 iu per 300g as single injection
- Better to supplement by mouth, in food
- Improve diet
Most in-water supplements are of little value
Calcium deficiency in caged birds
May occur in any bird, especially if on a seed diet (parrot mix)
African greys are notable
□ Lassitude
□ Picking over painful joints
□ Tremors
□ Fits
Often (but not always) seen in quite young birds
The fitting African grey
- Control seizures/tremors with injectable calcium (Ca gluconate)
- Supplement
- Improve diet
- Install UVB lights
Persistent egg layers - especially cockatiels
- They keep laying to make up a clutch, but the owner keeps taking the eggs away
- Presents cachexic, collapsed and eggbound
Treat hypocalcaemia and cachexia and the egg will usually be passed - if not use oxytocin
Obesity in caged birds
Usually the result of a high-fat seed/sunflower/nut diet
Feeding of rich human foods
Atherosclerosis
Enlarged liver - hepatic lipidosis
Less space for air sacs and other internal organs
Often triggers feather picking
Change in faeces colour and consistency
Psittacosis/chlamydiosis/ornithosis in caged birds
Chlamydophila psittaci
respiratory or GI signs
zoonosis
spread in spores in dry faeces
isolate if suspected
treat with doxycycline for 45 days (or euthanise)
Aspergillosis in caged birds
One cause of ‘wheezing parrot’
Common in birds fed parrot mix and kept in dry environments
Diagnosis
- Radiography
- Endoscopy
- Aspergillus titre? - possibly
Plaques of fungal detritus may detach and obstruct an airway - causing severe respiratory distress or sudden death
Treatment not always effective
-Itraconazole, voriconazole etc.
F10 and Salbutamol nebulisation (1:250 dilution)
Air sacculitis in caged birds
Non-specific bacterial infection following
- Poor diet (hypovit A)
- Low RH
- Exposure to smoke (passive smoking)
Aspergillosis
- Fungal granulomata
Teflon poisoning in caged birds
New non-stick pans
- Respiratory signs
- Death in 45 minutes
Stain resistant new carpets and furnishings
- Ironing board covers
- Respiratory distress
About the only excuse for parenteral corticosteroids in birds
Avocado poisoning in caged birds
All parts are toxic - contain a natural antifungal (Persin)
Death occurs up to 12 hours after ingestion
Pulmonary congestion +/- s/c oedema
Diuretics and activated charcoal may help (if you see it alive)
Asthma in caged birds
Mainly seen in large macaws
Can use salbutamol nebulisation
Candidiasis in caged birds
Mainly in young hand-reared birds
Nystatin by mouth
Epithelial hyperkeratosis caged birds
Hypovitaminosis A
Crop burns in caged birds
Hand reared birds
Fed too-hot hand rearing mix
Crop infection/’sour crop’ in birds
Most often in poultry
Trichomoniasis in caged birds
Protozoan affects upper part of digestive tract - oesophagus and crop
- Inappetance and regurgitation
Transmitted to aviary birds (especially budgies) by wild birds (especially pigeons) - also a problem for wild birds
Often diphthetic lesions in mouth/oesohpagus
To prevent disease
- Hygiene important
- Use sanitiser in water supply e.g. Citrosan or cider vinegar
In birds of prey - ‘Frounce’
RTA owls often have trichomoniasis
Carnidazole/metronidazole to treat
Avian bornavirus (proventricular dilatation) in caged birds
‘Macaw wasting disease’
Proventricular dilatation disease (African Greys/Cockatoos)
‘Neuropathic gastric dilatation’
Immune reaction to the virus - neurological disease > GI disease
Often seen in very young birds
Signs
- Regurgitation
- Flaccid, non-emptying crop
- Passing undigested food
Weaned young birds start to ask to be fed again
Radiography - often reveals a dilated proventriculus
Definite diagnosis - biopsy
Viral dysautonomia
Often fatal
Highly contagious so good barrier nursing
Megabacteriosis in caged birds
Budgerigars
Large gram positive rods in faeces (sometime) or from mucosal scrape of proventriculus at post mortem
Regurgitation, diarrhoea, anorexia, pasty faeces
Diagnosis
- ‘megabacteria’ in faeces or mucosal scrape from proventriculus
- Large G-positive rods
Treatment
- Easily digestible food
- Acidify water
- Ketoconazole
- Amphotericin B
- Nystatin in canaries
Prognosis guarded
