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Common avian diseases

Marie Gunnarsson
Institute for Clinical Chemistry
Swedish Agricultural University
Common diseases
Common diseasesin cagedparrots:
Trauma
Toxicosis
Neoplastic disease
Compulsiveegg laying
Egg-binding
Respiratorydisease
Aspergillosis
Chlamydiosis
Common diseases
Common diseasesin cagedparrots:
Obesity
Ingluvitis
Hepatitis
Proventricular dilatation syndrome
Mites(scalybeakand tasslefoot)
Psittacinebeakand feather disease
Feather plucking
Trauma
Injuries is mostly
seenamongbirds
that are allowedto
fly freelyinside the
house. The most
important adviceis
to prevent the
injuries beforethey
happen.
Trauma
Common causes to trauma:
The bird sits on top of a door that is being
closed and fractures a leg or toe.
The bird flies into a window and gets a
conclusion or fractures a wing.
The bird lands onto the stove or into a
boiling pot and gets burn injuries.
Trauma
Common causes to trauma:
The bird is being chased/captured by the
familys cat or dog and gets bitten.
Remember that a cat bite is always life
threatening to the bird. The bird can die
from an infection within 12 h.
The bird sits on top of another birds cage
and gets bitten in the toes.
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Toxicosis
The most common causes to toxicosis:
Heavy metals (lead and zinc)
Smoke (from fire or an owner smoking)
Teflon (birds can die within a couple of
hours from a gas that develops when food
is burnt in a frying pan with teflon
surface.)
Avocado
Lead poisoning
Leadis for example
foundin foil
surroundingwine
bottles, weightsin
toysfor birds, frames
to old mirrorsor
windows, weightsto
curtainsand in old
paint.
Lead poisoning
Clinical signs
Clinical signsof leadpoisoninginclude:
weakness, lethargy, vomiting, passage of
bloodin the faeces, seizures, kidneyand
liver damage, chronicnon-regenerative
anemia dueto bonemarrowsuppression
and death.
Lead poisoning
Diagnosis
A bloodsampleto measurethe level of leadin
the bloodis requiredto diagnoselead
poisoning. Radiographycanbe helpful if a
radio denseparticlecanbe seenin the gizzard
or ventriculus. However, a negative
radiographicexamination doesnot ruleout the
diagnosis leadpoisoning.
Lead poisoning
Treatment
The goal with the treatment is to removethe
leadfrom the bloodand the gastrointestinal
tract to prevent further uptake. Ca-EDTA
binds metal in the bloodand is given
intramuscular. To prevent uptakefrom the
intestineactivatedcharcoal and laxativelike
peanut butter is given.
Zinc poisoning
Zinc can be found in
galvanized metal
which include a lot
of things in the birds
surroundings for
example zippers,
paper clips, wires in
bird cages and bowls
for water and food.
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Zinc poisoning
Clinical signs
Clinical signsof zincpoisoninginclude:
hemolytic anemia, kidneyand liver
damage, weakness, lethargy, vomiting,
seizures, convulsions, feather plucking
and death.
Zinc poisoning Diagnostictests and
treatment are the
same as with lead
poisoning.
Treatment shouldbe
initiatedas soonas
leador zinc
poisoningare
suspectedsinceit
will pass several
daysbefore
diagnosis is
confirmed.
Neoplasitic disease
Tumorsoccur mostlyin elderlybirds. An
exceptionto this ruleis budgerigarswho
oftenhavetumorsalreadyfrom oneyear
of age.
Neoplasitic disease
Renal adenocarcinomain budgerigarsis a
leading cause of death in males. In
femalesovariantumorsare more
common. Males canalsohavetesticular
cancer. Clinical signsare in all cases
lameness, weight loss and a palpable
abdominal mass. Radiographsare helpful
in diagnosis.
Neoplasitic disease
Lipomasare most
commonlyseen
amongbudgerigars.
The lipoma
eventuallygets
troublesomefor the
birdas it apply
pressureon
surroundingorgans
and changesthe
birdscentreof
gravity.
Neoplasitic disease
Cagedbirdsoftenhavefibrosarcomas
that haveaffinityfor wings, legs and
face. Someof thesecanbe treatedwith
amputation.
Lymphosarcomasand avianleukosis-like
syndromesare alsocommonlyreportedin
pet birds.
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Compulsive egg laying
Compusiveegg layingis a rather
common problem in cockatielsand
lovebirds. Insteadof layingan ordinary
large litter of 3-5 eggs shecontinuesto
layegg after egg. To accomplishthis a
great amount of calciumand nourishment
is required. Eventuallythe egg laying
leadsto malnutritionwith egg-bindingas
a possibleresult.
Compulsive egg laying
It is not easy to
break the birds
unnatural
behaviour but it
canbe done
without medical
treatment or
surgery.
Compulsive egg laying
To break the behavior, the daylight length
shouldbe reducedto 6-8 hoursthe first three
weeks. The followingweeksthe light canbe
turnedon 10-12 hoursa day. Nestingboxes
haveto be removed. The eggs are supposedto
be left in with the hen to inhibit further laying.
For somebirdsit is enoughto movearoundthe
thingsin the cageor to movethe cageto
different roomsnowand then.
Compulsive egg laying
Unfortunatelythese
manipulations are
seldomenoughto
inhibit the
compulsiveegg
laying. In thosecases
medical treatment
with hormonesor
surgical spayingare
indicated.
Egg-binding
Egg-binding is most commonly seen
among cockatiels, budgerigars and
lovebirds. It can be caused by many
different factors like age, obesity, cold,
dry air, poor diet, calcium deficiency,
compulsive egg laying and salpingitis.
The hen bird often sits on the floor of its
cage and becomes lethargic. Sometimes
they breath heavily and get staggering.
Egg-binding
Diagnosticsinclude
history, clinical
signs, palpation of
the egg and
radiography.
Treatment by giving
the birdcalciumand
providesuitable
nestingmaterial and
a warmdamp
environment maybe
adequate.
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Egg-binding
In moredifficult
casesthe egg has to
be collapsedwith
needleand syringe
either per cloacaor
via midlinethrough
the abdominal wall.
This procedureis
obviouslyperformed
duringanesthesia.
Respiratory
disease
Respiratorydiseases
are verycommon
amongcagedbirds.
Several factors
contributeto
developingdisease.
Examplesof such
factorsare vitamin A
deficiency, dry
indoor air, polluted
air from smoking and
food containing
mold.
Respiratory disease
Common respiratorydiseases:
Chronicrhinitis
Sinusitis
Airsacculitis
(Aspergillosis)
(Chlamydiosis)
Aspergillosis
(Mycoticpneumonia, Pneumomycosis)
Aspergillosisis causedby Aspergillus spp
frequentlyAspergillus fumigatus. Inhalation of
sporesfrom contaminatedlitter or feedcauses
infection. The fungal sporessettleout in the
region of the syrinx, the abdominal air sacs
and the lung.
Aspergillosis
Clinical signs
Clinical signsof Aspergillosisinclude:
dyspnea, hyperpnea, inappetence,
emaciation, increasedthirst, somnolence
and other neurological signs. If aflatoxin
is producedthe birdcancontract liver
damage, failureand death.
Aspergillosis
Diagnosis
MarkedlyelevatedWBC count
Radiographsto show thickeningof air sacs
Endoscopyto examinesyrinx and internal air
sacs
Tracheal and lungwashes
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Aspergillosis
By cultureor by
microscopical
examination of fresh
preparations the
funguscanbe
demonstrated.
Treatment is
difficult. It mayhave
to go on for the rest
of the birdslife.
Chlamydiosis
(Psittacosis, Ornithosis, Papegojsjuka)
Chlamydiosisis a zoonosiseasilyspread
to people. It is causedby the bacterium
Chlamydophila psittaci. Birds maycarry
it and developdiseaseunder stress.
Shortlyafter purchasebirdsshouldbe
tested.
Chlamydiosis
Clinical signs
Clinical signsof chlamydiosisinclude
weight loss, depression, lime-green
urates, loosefeces, emaciatedwhen
examinedand respiratorysignsusually
relatedto an airsacculitis.
Chlamydiosis
Diagnosis
Radiography enlargedliver and/or
spleen
Hematology elevatedWBC count,
monocytosis
Biochemistry elevatedAST
Chlamydiosis
Diagnosis
Serology canonlyshow if the birdhas
beenin contact with the disease.
Antigen in feces risk for falsenegative
Culture difficult, oftenfalsenegative
Chlamydiosis
All birdswith a
positive test result
haveto be treated
evenif theyshow no
signof disease.
Treatmentswith
doxycyclineare very
effectivebut require
45 daysof therapy.
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Obesity
Obesityis a very
common disease
amongbudgerigars
and amazons. The
problem is relatedto
the fact that the seed
diets commonlyfed
to the birdshave
excess fat.
Obesity
Obesityincreasethe risk for:
Hepaticlipidosis
Atherosclerosis
Lipoma
Xanthomatosis
Ingluvitis
Ingluvitismeansinflammation of the
crop. It canbe causedby a varietyof
pathogens; yeast suchas Candida
albicans, bacteriasuchas E.coli and
parasitessuchas Trichomonas spp.
Regurgitationof seedin budgerigarsand
cockatielsis oftencausedby
Trichomonas spp.
Ingluvitis Diagnosis of the
causal agent canbe
made by cytologyor
cultureof a crop
wash.
Clinical signsof
ingluvitismay
includevomiting,
weight loss,
depression and a
palpablecropfilled
with fluid.
Hepatitis
Hepatitisis a verycommon disease
amongpet birds. It is oftencausedby a
combination of an increasednumber of
bacteriain the environment and poor
feed.
Clinical signsincludevomiting,
inappetence, loosefeacesand yellow-
greenurates.
Hepatitis
Hepatitiscaused
by bacteriacanbe
treatedwith
antibioticsfor a
long period of
time in
combination with
improvedfeed.
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Proventricular dilatation
syndrome
The diseasewasinitiallyseenin macaws
and thereforealsoreferredto as macaw
wastingsyndrome(arasjuka). Later on it
has beenseenin other species as well. A
viral etiologyis suggested, althoughthis
remainsunproven.
Proventricular dilatation
syndrome
Clinical signs
The diseaseis characterizedby lethargy,
regurgitation, chronicweight loss,
enlargedproventriculus, nervoussigns,
abnormal droppingsand cropimpactions.
Proventricular dilatation
syndrome
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is basedon clinical signs,
radiographsshowingan enlarged
proventriculusand exclusionof
differential diagnoses. For a certain
diagnosis a biopsyof the gizzardor crop
is required.
Proventricular dilatation
syndrome
Thereis no
treatment for this
disease. It has
alwaysa deadly
outcome.
Mites
Cnemoidocoptes
pilae is common on
budgerigarsand rare
on all other
psittacines. The
diseaseis thought to
dependon a
immunodeficiency
and is thereforenot
thought to be
contagious.
Mites
The mitescause conditionsknownas
scalybeakand tasslefoot. The signsin
the face are crustingof eyelids, cornersof
the mouthand cereat the baseof the beak
oftencausingbeakdeformities.
Thickeningand crustingof the skin are
signsof diseaseon the legs.
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Mites The mitescan
be recovered
from skin
scrapingand
demonstrated
by microscopy.
Ivermectinis an
effective
treatment.
Psittacine beak and feather
disease
This diseaseis causedby psittacine
circovirus. It mayinfect anypsittacine
bird. Primarilybirds<3 yearsold appears
to be affected.
The diseaseis not common in Sweden.
Whenit occursit is mostlyin africangrey
parrotsand lovebirds.
Psittacine beak and feather
disease
Clinical signs
Typical signsare feather loss, abnormal
pin feathers, abnormal maturefeathers,
lack of powder down, beakabnormality,
pigment loss in coloredfeathersand
immunosuppression.
Psittacine beak and feather
disease
Diagnosis
Clinical signs
Detect virus in blood
Biopsiesof affectedfeather follicles
Psittacine beak and feather
disease
Thereis no treatment
for this disease. Most
birdsdie withinfour
yearsin other
infectionsdueto
immunosuppression.
African greyparrots
usuallydie withina
fewdaysdueto
severehematological
changes.
Feather plucking
It is thought that
25% of the birdsthat
havea problem with
feather plucking
suffer from an actual
clinical disease. 75%
are dueto
psychological
reasons.
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Feather plucking
Initiallydiseasehas
to be excludedby
performinga
complete
dermatological
examination. If no
diseaseis foundthe
birdsenvironment
has to be
investigatedand
hopefullythe
triggeringcause can
be found.
Feather plucking
Possibletriggeringfactors:
Small cage
Boredom
Sexual or social stress or frustration
Attention seeking
Fear, nervousness
Changeddiet
Compulsiveegg laying
Lack of privacy
Feather plucking Treatment of
feather plucking
birdswith
psycological
problems implies
graduallychanging
the birds
environment. Most
oftenthe birds
unfortunately
becomeconstant
feather pluckers.
Good luck!
Pleaseturnto the
referencelitterature
for moreinformation
about the mentioned
diseasesor if you are
interestedin other
aviandiseases.