Birds Flashcards
What kind of feathers are these?
the first one is: Contour
the second one is: Down
these are the ones you will pluck for wound care & related procedures
Powder Down feathers
tips of feather start breaking up- making a powder
hypersensitivity rxn, esp Macaw birds. Macaw respiratory syndrome
What is shown in this image?
feather tracts- naked patch of skin good for jugular blood draw
moving the feathers to the sides for physical exam or wound care
______ is the shedding of old feathers to be replaced by new feathers
molting
Make sure to check for ___ before trimming the wing feathers
blood feathers (growing feathers)
How do we treat a broken blood feather?
pluck it -some vets disagree
broken blood feathers are a common emergency
Explain preening
“zip”
barbs and barbules get zipped together so the birds feathers are together and smooth
healthy birds preen… a bird that doesn’t preen looks dirty and ungroomed
Do feathers cover the entire area of a birds body?
Label A & B
no
A= Pterylae
B= Apteria
Jugular bird venipuncture
right is bigger than left
located in feather tract so move feathers aside to view
How would you remove the feathers to clean up a wound?
pluck by hand or forceps- contour and down feathers
(very thin skin, careful putting holes into it)
What do the red arrows indicate?
Stress bars
they mean something happened during development of the feathers
may be vitamin A deficiency
What is the lesion?
feather cysts
ingrown feathers
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
- most important virus in practice
- affects young birds
- clinical signs can be delayed
- circovirus: immunosuppressive
- high mortality in some birds
- acute and chronic forms
What is the pic showing?
feather dystrophy
What are the pictures showing?
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) Circovirus
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) Diagnosis
- blood test: PCR assay
- feathers, dander, environment
- positive blood tests: repeat in 90 days
- inclusion bodies on follicle biopsy
- juvenile birds: CBC
- WCC <1,000 indicative in some birds
On a pre-purchase health exam of a 7 yr green cheeked conure, you astutely notice a small, bilobed swelling at the base of the tail that has a few protruding short feathers. It feels greasy and the bird is sensitive to the touch. What do you recommend to the owner?
do nothing, this is a normal anatomic structure in this species
its the preen gland
c. surgical removal of the feather follicles
Flight feathers in the wings are attached to the _____; remember this when handling birds
bones
Elbow joint venipuncture site
basilar vein (wing vein)
Cavities of _____ bones are filled with diverticula from air sacs (called ____ bones)
long bones- humerus and femur
pneumatic bone
T/F: open fractures are common in birds
true
Open fractures are common and it is imperative that you determine if the fragments are….
viable or dead
Where is most of the birds muscle mass located?
centrally
What is the subcutaneous tissue like in a bird?
skin is thin and they have little SQ tissue
Bird cervical vertebrae
they have >7 cervical vertebrae
neck is 2.5x longer than mammals and has greater flexibility
flexible neck and strong beak “replace” the hands
_____ = fused thoracic vertebrae
notarium
_____ = fused lumbar and sacral vertebrae
synsacrum
Common vertebra fracture site
between the notarium and synsacrum
Sternum (keel) clinical importance
Explain how we body condition score birds
representation of transverse section of the sternum and pectoral musculature
BCS? Why is the skin yellow?
Obesity
skin is yellow from fat
What is important when positioning birds for radiographs?
make sure the keel is superimposed with the spine!
symmetry and alignment is important!
What is important to remember when restraining birds?
DO NOT restrict the movement of keel and ribs
Label the bone
clavicle
Label the bone
Coracoid
label the bone
scapula
Can you flush (irrigate) a pneumatic bone for wound care?
we worry about introducing bacteria
use gauze to contain water use smaller needle, be careful
When placing an intraosseous catheter in a bird, which of the following bones would be the most appropriate to use?
a. humerus
b. radius
c. coracoid
d. femur
e. ulna
f. tibiotarsus
g. E & F
E & F:
e. ulna
f. tibiotarsus
Locations for the intra osseous catheter
radius and ulna
(check placement with radiograph)
Patagium & Patagial ligaments
triangular area composed of skin and elastic tissue
major (leading edge of wing- palpate its integrity)
When examing birds, where should we hold the bird?
hold the bird by bony structures during exams
label the structure
choana aka palatine fissue
check for sampling
What is the red arrow pointing to?
tracheal opening
What is unique about bird tracheas?
do birds have an epiglotis?
they have complete tracheal rings
no epiglotis
Can we take samples from a birds trachea?
yes, sample with swab w or w/o anesthesia
Nasal flush
put water in nostrils and it comes out choana slit to get sample
Where do foriegn bodies commonly get stuck in birds?
tracheal bifurcation = syrinx
it should look very clean
____ is the voice box at the tracheal bifurcation
syrinx
Ostium
connection b/t bronchi with air sacs
little holes connecting
Parabronchi
tertiary bronchi
transport air to through the lung
air capillaries where gas exchange occurs as the air flows through
What tissue is pictures?
lungs: honeycomb pattern created by parabronchi
