Caring for a Sick Bird / Emergency Care
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Emergency treatment for the ill bird at home
Provided by Dr. Rob Marshall, Avian Vet - http://www.birdhealth.com.au
The following instructions refer to emergency treatment to be given at home, prior to hospitalisation. Veterinary attention should be sought as soon as possible to determine the exact cause of illness and specific treatment methods.
Provide Warmth.
The ill bird requires warmth (about 30-35 degrees Celsius / 86 - 95 degrees Fahrenheit). A hot water bottle or bar heater is the best form of heat. Do not use fan heaters or lights.
Give energy fluids by mouth.
The ill bird has low blood and energy levels that must be restored rapidly. Force-feeding is necessary when the energy levels drop so low that the bird does not eat or drink and is in danger of dying. A bird with cold feet needs this type of heating. Give 1 ml of very warm water containing 10% glucose NV Powder using a dropper. Crop needling using ER Formula (alternatives to ER Formula) is recommended for those who are confident with the crop needle technique. This procedure is technically difficult and should not be undertaken by those who are inexperienced, as it is potentially fatal if done incorrectly.
*AvianWeb Note: Pedialyte from the store works great to hydrate your sick bird. Replace water with pedialyte.
Give sterile seed and remove all other foodstuffs.
In my experience, poor quality feed is the single most common cause of illness in the pet bird. At the first sign of illness remove all other foodstuffs from the cage, including seed, seed bells, millet sprays, grit or sand, fruit or vegetables. Grit and minerals are removed until recovery is complete because the ill bird will over-engorge on grit and become ill with an obstruction problem. Continue with NV Powder that contains plenty of useful minerals.
Clean out the cage and disinfect with a cage cleaner.
It is very important to keep the germ count in the cage and water containers as low as possible at all times but especially when the pet bird is unwell. Cage cleaner cleanses the cage of the ill bird and is repeated each week as part of the regular cleaning process.
Give NV powder in the water.
Vitamin and mineral levels also drop with illness and supplementation of the diet is needed for recovery to take place. NV Powder is rich in the immediate energy source of glucose and also vitamins and minerals. Give NV Powder in the water for three days to the ill and recovering pet birds.
If possible give the appropriate medicines by mouth.
Finches, canaries, doves and some parrots drink enough water to ensure that they get the correct medicine dose each day, but other small parrots, especially sick cockatiels or budgies may not drink enough of the medicated water to be fully effective. For this reason some medicines are best given by injection, crop needle, nostril or by dropper in the mouth.
Administering medication to less than cooperative birds.
After the bird starts eating on its own, follow this program:
Convalescent Programme for Recovering Ill Aviary Birds or Wild Birds
| DAY OF WEEK | WATER SUPPLEMENTS | FOOD SUPPLEMENTS | CAGE INSTRUCTIONS | ADDITIONAL ADVICE |
| Friday | Water Cleanser* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
Clean the cage and utensils daily with Water Cleanser. | Monitor the sick bird each day and provide extra warmth where necessary. If there are no droppings then the bird requires force feeding using the ER Formula. |
| Saturday | NV Powder* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| Sunday | NV Powder* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| Monday | Fresh water* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| Tuesday | Fresh water* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| Wednesday | Fresh water* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| Thursday | Fresh water* | Turbobooster Energy supplement, F-Vite |
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| *Some birds may require antibiotics. | ||||
Copyright © 2004 Rob Marshall, All Rights Reserved.
Veterinary Medicine / Labs & Related General Information: Bird HotLine - Vet Talk: Your Questions Answered ... Demystifying Veterinary Medicine ... To Necropsy or Not to Necropsy ... California Avian Lab Home (Complete Lab Services, excellent info too) ... Lambriar Animal Health Care Supplies ... The Avian Medicine Chest
Vet Examinations: Parrot Physical Exam ... The Health Exam ... The New Bird Exam ... The Annual Well Bird Exam for Pet Birds
Complete Blood Count (CBC) / Avian Blood Panel / Hematology / Serology: Complete Blood Count or CBC ... The Complete Blood Count ... Glucose and Protein ... Other Parameters Evaluated on a Blood Chemistry Panel ... The Complete Blood Count ... Laboratory Results Interpretation
Find a Vet / Vet Listings: Avian Vet Search ... Association of Avian Veterinarians ... Find A Hospital (healthypet.com) ... A1 VetQuest Veterinary Veterinarian Search Referral ... Birdsnways - Board Certified Avian Veterinarians ... Selecting An Avian Vet ... Recommended Vets
Lab Testing of the Pet Bird: The California Avian Laboratory offers tests for a variety of conditions / diseases and test interpretations.
Info on Frequently Used Drugs: Itraconazole - RxList Monographs
Supportive Care: Sick birds need supportive treatment, such as warmth and fluids. When caring for a sick bird I replace the water with Pedialyte, which will counteract any dehydration. You need to watch the bird carefully because if it stops eating and drinking then you have to forcefeed him or her. Your vet will give you instructions accordingly. Follow any treatment program your vet recommends. Below is some information that may be of interest to you. Don't hesitate to print anything out and take it to your vet to consult with him.
HEATING OPTIONS (for both Baby Birds and Convalescent Adult Birds):
- DANGER: Non-Stick Surface Heating Lamps!
- Heating Lamps / Bulbs
- Heaters
- Emergency Heat - tips to help you through severe weather conditions, during an electricity outage
- Hospital Cages
- Salamander Ceramic, Quartz, Metal and Flat Faced Panel Electric Infrared Heating Elements Accessories
Emergency Heat! How to survive during power outages and severe weather conditions.
VETERINARY
I feel strongly that any bird should be provided with veterinary care. For breeders or multi-bird households it is even more crucial to act upon a sick bird, to find out the cause of the sickness and if it is something that is infectious. The responsibility we breeders carry is enormous, not only over the lives and wellbeing of the many birds that we own, but also for the babies that we sell.
Saying this, I am also aware of the RISKS associated with a vet visit. Like a breeder friend of mine said: "What better way to pick up a disease!" I totally agree with that. I feel a breeder would be better served to have a vet come to their premises rather than going out and potentially exposing their bird to a deadly disease. Unfortunately, it is very difficult nowadays to find a vet who offers this kind of service
However, there ARE ways to minimize risks of 'catching a disease' at the vet's:
1. Express your concern of your bird getting in contact with an airborne (or otherwise) disease pathogen at the veterinary office, and ask to make an appointment very early in the morning before many (if any) sick birds have been on the premises, or -- if this is not possible -- at any other time when traffic in the office is slow. Of course, if it's an emergency and the bird is very sick, we can't be all that picky about the appointment time, but still, there are measures you can take to minimize exposure to any airborne or otherwise pathogens.
2. Keep your bird in a COVERED carrier at any times other than the actual examination by the vet. (A clean, oversized towel or a blanket serves this purpose well.)
3. Stay away from any other patients and their owners -- consider them potentially contagious. Do not allow anyone to touch your bird with the exception of the health care staff for the purpose of examining your bird.
4. Once in the treatment room, place a CLEAN towel on top of the treatment table and place your bird on it. Preferably, your bird should at no time touch the surface of the treatment table. On numerous occasions I was told, "I don't have to worry about that! My vet disinfects right in front of me!" Please note that the "Spray & Wipe" method of disinfecting does NOT work since disinfectants need up to 20 minutes of actual contact to kill disease causing pathogens.
5. Observe the vet / vet's assistant to see if they wash their hands in between patients and if not, I would strongly recommend changing vets. In an ideal situation, a vet would comply with advanced infectious control measures.
A bird that was at the vet's, or any other place where there are birds of unknown health status (i.e., bird shows), should be considered potentially contagious and quarantined for a MINIMUM of 2 weeks, preferably a month up to three.
How long I quarantine my birds depends on the risk they were exposed to. If they came from a pet situation prior to coming to my place and have been of good health for many years, I may only quarantine for 2 weeks. If they come from a petstore or a suspect breeder, then I may go up to 3 months. Additionally, I perform disease testing at the vet's for really suspect birds, or for healthy looking birds perform DNA testing, which only costs $55 for three diseases (i.e., Polyoma, Beak & Feather, and Psittacosis). There are several companies listed below that provide this service.
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