GIT birds

Question 1

What are the main differences between dog GIT and bird GIT?

Answer 1

• Observe the bird first before handling it.
• Careful handling, do not restrict rib cage.
• Look at droppings in travel cage.
• Limited celomic palpation due to large ribcage.

Question 2

What are the most common GIT conditions in birds?

Answer 2

• Crop impactions and infections e.g. sour crop
• Foreign body/lower GI obstruction
• Systemic infection (e.g. viral)
• Endoparasites (especially backyard chickens)
• Dietary change (diarrhoea) or poor diet e.g. hypovitaminosis A
• GIT infection/enteritis (e.g. bacterial, viral)
• Liver disease e.g. hepatic lipidosis
• Neoplasia
• Antibiotic overuse

Question 3

What are normal causes of regurgitation in birds?

Answer 3

• Courtship behaviour (male psittacines)
  ◦ can become obsessive - if there is a mirror can do this repetitively and loose weight - remove mirrors
• Physiological cast formation (raptors)
• Crop milk feeding (pigeons)
• Fear, excitement (vultures, penguins)

Question 4

What are abnormal causes of regurgitation in birds?

Answer 4

• Iatrogenic (medically induced)
• Organomegally
• Infectious cause (e.g. bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal)
• Obstructive GI tract
• Crop stasis +/- infection
• Plants (yew, rhododendron, range of houseplants, avocado)
• Toxicity (e.g. lead, zinc, chocolate)

Question 5

How does crop stasis presented?

Answer 5

• Regurgitation
• Delayed crop emptying
• Sour odour (due to stagnant fluid)
• Inappetence, dehydration, and lethargy.

Question 6

What does an empty crop in the afternoon mean?
What does a full crop in the morning mean?

Answer 6

empty in afternoon- anorexic
full in morning - crop stasis

Question 7

Where can haematochezia be caused? What are examples?

Answer 7

haematochezia can be from the cloaca itself or the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract or reproductive tract. E.g:
* Egg-laying problems
* Cloacal papillomas or neoplasia or ulcers
* Infectious enteritis
* Heavy metal toxicity (kidneys)

Question 8

What are the 2 types of cloacal prolapses? What can they be caused by?

Answer 8

• Rectal prolapse = due to enteritis, parasites etc.
• Oviductal prolapse = in egg-laying females that strain excessively

Question 9

What are differentials for stomatitis?

Answer 9

• Candida (yeast)
• Bacterial
• Capillariasis (endoparasite)
• Trichomoniasis (flagellated protozoa)
• Viral e.g. pox virus (wet form), pigeon herpesvirus - not as common

Question 10

What is proventricular dilation disease? What are causes?

Answer 10

• Caused by a Bornavirus that mainly affects psittacine birds.
• Does not always cause clinical signs, birds can be carriers.

Causes
* Inflammatory disease of the GI and neurological systems.
* The damaged nervous system does not allow nutrients to be digested or absorbed.
* Causes an increase in the size of the proventriculus.
* Progressive, fatal condition.
* No known treatment.

Question 11

What is a good indication for liver disease in birds? What are common causes of liver disease?

Answer 11

Biliverdinuria is a strong indication of liver disease (green colouration of urate fractions of the excreta).

Common causes:
* Bacteria (mycobacterium, chlamydiosis, salmonella etc.).
* Viruses (polyomavirus, adenovirus).
* Protozoa (atoxaplasmosis, coccidia).
* Parasites (fluke, migrating nematodes).
* Toxins (mycotoxins, plants, chemicals).
* Hepatic lipidosis is very common in obese birds (high fat diet).
* Amyloidosis (due to long term inflammation).
* Neoplasia