Seizures
Bird Health Care
Symptoms:
A seizure is a sudden, temporary loss of consciousness and control of motor function. Seizures may be mild to severe, partial or generalized, frequent or infrequent; and may involve twitching, paddling or convulsing. The bird may appear disoriented and unable to perch. When a seizure occurs, a bird may vocalize, lose consciousness, fall off its perch, flap its wings uncontrollably and stiffen its body. Fortunately, many birds will recover from a seizure and slowly regain their ability to control their movements and perch. Generalized seizures are more severe. The bird loses consciousness, vocalizes and flaps its wings uncontrollably. Partial seizures are characterized by a continuous twitching of a wing or leg.
Causes:
A variety of causes may trigger seizures, such as central nervous system diseases, a brain tumor or infection, head trauma, inherited predisposition, hyperthermia, liver disease, metabolic diseases (hypocalcaemia, hyperglycemia); toxicity from lead, zinc, aflatoxins and certain insecticides. (Click here for non-toxic insect / pest control.) African Greys are known to be susceptible to Calcium deficiency, which leads to seizures and/or leg paralysis, sudden collapse or fainting. Although the pathogenesis is not clearly understood, it appears as though these birds are unable to mobilize their body calcium stores. PDD or Pacheco's Disease are also known to cause seizures. These are only some of the diseases / conditions that will cause seizures. The vet has to run myriad tests to identify the cause. If no cause is found, the bird is said to have idiopathic epilepsy.
Treatment:
The bird should be placed in a quiet dark box and taken to a veterinarian immediately. They will need supportive care, including a warm, quiet, safe environment, fluids, nutritional support, antibiotics (whenever appropriate) and anticonvulsants. Diazepam (valium) is used to temporarily stop the seizures.
Blood tests will be taken to try to determine the cause of the seizure. Antibiotics, fluids and glucose may be administered to stabilize the bird.
A baseline complete blood count and chemistry (CBC) will reveal whether anemia, inflammation or infection is present. Blood chemistries provide an indication of liver and kidney function and the electrolyte status of the patient. The vet may test for certain infectious diseases, such as chlamydia, polyoma and proventricular dilatation (PDD).
If the cause of the seizures can be found, treatment is generally directed specifically towards correcting the underlying problem. Lead and zinc toxicity, for example, may be treated by chelating drugs and removal (if possible) of the lead or zinc particles.
Vets who are presented with African Grey exhibiting neurological signs / seizures may presumptively treat him or her with intravenous calcium gluconate as well as with diazepam.
Hypocalcaemia may be treated by supplying calcium and vitamin D3 and correcting the deficient diet. Metabolic problems should be corrected whenever possible. If hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is present, glucose / dextroxe should be provided to normalize blood sugar. Liver disease, if present, should be treated.
A radiograph may demonstrate the presence of metallic densities in the gastrointestinal tract. Although one cannot rule out the presence of lead or zinc toxicity if no metallic densities are present. Finding them lends support to the possibility of heavy metal poisoning as the cause of the seizures. Definitive diagnosis is based upon the presence of toxic levels of lead and zinc in the blood.
Birds that are found to have epilepsy may be maintained on Phenobarbital to control and, hopefully, eliminate their seizures.
Many disease-causing organisms / toxins are transmitted via air and water. If you suspect a disease problem (or if you would like to prevent one), please investigate the possibility of filtering your air and purifying / treating your birds' drinking water.
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Information contained on this website is provided as general reference only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought./p>
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