Talking Green Parrot - Information for those who live with Amazons

From our Vet - The Well Bird Exam

Understanding Your Well Bird Check-up

 

Having recently purchased a new bird, often at considerable expense, many people are understandably hesitant to spend more money on a veterinary examination and laboratory testing. The reasons for the tests, and the information that may be derived from them, are outlined here to help you better understand your bird's potential health problems. Our goal is for our avian patients to live a long and healthy life (which can be as long as their owners).

Why are tests necessary?

First of all, birds, unlike people, cannot tell you when they are sick. To complicate matters, they have evolved to "hide" any illness to prevent being recognized by a predator as easy prey. The day that a parrot looks sick in the wild is the day that bird dies. This "masking" of their signs of illness has led to the misconception that birds get sick and die very quickly. Many people will say, "He was fine yesterday—alert and eating – then we found him on the bottom of the cage, nearly dead, this morning. " In actuality, the bird was most likely ill for some time, but was not demonstrating any signs of illness. This is where a thorough physical examination and laboratory testing can identify problems before they become lethal.

Why are so many tests necessary?

Avian medicine is one of the most difficult specialties in private practice. The bird, due to its unique biology, is very adept at maintaining the appearance of health even when very sick. Birds can carry illness for a long time before becoming ill. Fortunately, using the latest in medical technology we can get " inside" the bird’s body and detect health problems. Without doing these tests, we as doctors have no way to determine if an illness is threatening your bird’s health. These test are like pieces of a puzzle. No one piece can give us the information, but together these tests give us a total picture of your bird’s health.

Routine Avian Tests

The following is a list of a complete avian medical examination, and a brief summary of the information that each test provides. (although no amount of testing can 100% guarantee a healthy bird, these tests can detect the most common diseases, giving you and your bird all the advantages that medicine has to offer.)

Please feel free to discuss these tests with the technician or doctor. The cost of each test is also listed.

Physical Examination

A complete physical exam will detect many common problems and/or symptoms (i.e. respiratory illness, maluntrition, Vitamin A deficiency, bone or joint abnormalities, sinus or eye infections, mites, feather disorders, etc.) Unless a bird is very young or extremely tame, a thorough physical exam cannot be used to allow complete visualization of the mouth and throat, and improved general examination of air sacs, lungs, bones, and joints, skin and feathers. While the birds is under the sedative effect of this gas, any other procedures that the bird might object to if awake (drawing blood samples, taking X-rays, trimming toe nails or wings, removing leg bands) can be performed. By sedating your bird we can eliminate any stress to your pet!

Complete Cell Count

(CBC): A blood analysis done her in our office by certified veterinary technicians. This test checks for anemia, infection or blood parasites. It also gives an indication of liver function and blood protein levels.

Psittacosis Titer (Parrot Fever)

This blood sample is sent to the laboratory to check for psittacosis (chlamydiosis). This disease can potentially spread to humans. Please ask the technicians for a handout on Psittacosis if you are not familiar with this disease. Results are available in 7 to 10 days. We usually do this test one time.

Fecal Flotation / Direct Smear Parasite Tests

These tests check for the presence of parasites (worms) or protozoa in the intestinal tract of birds, including roundworms, coccidia, and giardia (a potential human pathogen).

Fecal Gram Stain

This test checks for abnormal yeast infection and tells us how many abnormal bacteria the bird has in the intestinal tract. The gram stain with the bacterial and fungal culture and sensitivity determine if your bird is suffering from subclinical or clinical infections.

Bacterial and Fungal Culture and Sensitivity

Culturing your bird allows us to detect abnormal and potentially dangerous bacteria and fungal diseases. Birds are very prone to getting both bacterial infections and fungal infections. These diseases often do not cause any signs of illness until the infections are quite advanced.

X-Rays

X-rays are one of the most important tests due to the unique avian anatomy. Virtually every organ and bone can be visualized on the radiograph and is outlined by the air sacs. The number of disease states that can be detected with x-rays are too numerous to completely list. Pneumonia, abscesses, liver disease, fungl infections, malformed bones or joints, old fractures, egg binding are some of the most common.

SMAC (Serum Blood Chemistry Analysis)

This is a blood test that checks out the individual organ functions in birds – kidney, liver, pancreas, etc. This test gives us 25 biochemical tests, which give us information as to how the body is functioning metabolically. Conditions that can be detected with this test include severe liver disease, diabetes, kidney function abnormalities and calcium deficiency.

Psittacine Beak and Feather Virus Test

This blood test detects the presence of this deadly disease long before clinical signs of beak rot and feather disease occurs. This test is recommended for all cockatoos. In some cases this test is indicated for other species. All susceptible breeding birds should be tested before going into the aviary.

Polyoma Virus Test (Papovavirus)

This fecal test detects the presence of polyoma virus. This virus is the number one cause of death in baby birds. This test is very important for handfeeding babies and for birds that are going to be used for breeding. This test is very important for birds going into a breeding aviary.

Polyoma Virus Vaccine

This vaccine is a must for any handfeeding bird or any birds going into a breeding aviary.

In general the basic routine tests (or minimum data base) for a new pet bird include:

Other test may be indicated for your specific bird. The Doctor will discuss these tests on examination, for example birds for breeding aviaries should also receive the Psittacine Feather and Beak test as well as the Polyoma test and vaccination since these two diseases are the major causes of viral induced death in aviaries.

After the initial exam we recommend a yearly examination. Only a few of these tests are necessary on a yearly basis depending on your bird’s environment. The Doctor will discuss the routine yearly care at the time of examination.


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