Disclaimer - Always best to consult with a vet and please understand that I have no medical training!
I should stress that IMO, the two things to treat first are hypothermia and dehydration, which is mentioned again later in this post.
You've just discovered your bird is sick... Now what? In this post/thread I will attempt to describe how I deal with the mildly sick to the critically ill bird when I cannot consult with a vet. Topics covered will be:
- Identifying a sick bird
- Items needed
- Stabilization
- Hospital cage setup
- Exams
- Poop inspection
- Oral fluid therapy
- Subcutaneous fluid therapy
- Giving injections
- Gavage feeding
- Choosing medications
Step one is to determine how sick the bird is. When outside, how does it look, sound, and act? Stand back in a place where they can't see you and watch them. These are the signs I look for:
- Weight loss in adult birds and youngsters
- Lack of weight gain in youngsters
- Standing with eyes closed
- Discoloration or change of comb, wattles, or caruncles
- Swelling in the abdominal cavity
- Excessive sneezing or yawning
- Wings drooping
- Fluffed feathers
- Head tucked in
- Wobbly gait or limping
- Not interested in food/treats
- Not drinking
- Not roosting
- Roosting early
- Roosting longer than others
- Hanging out alone
- Vocal changes
- Behavioral changes of any type
- Sitting when others are not
- Panting or open-mouth breathing
- Abnormal droppings
- Nasal/eye/ear discharge
- Facial swelling
- Raspy breathing
- Change in eggshells
- Change in laying habits
Once you've identified a sick bird you will need to examine it. This is where it gets a little tricky, 'cause often examining a critically ill bird is enough to send it over the edge
Items Needed
- Scale - Kitchen or postal scale for small and medium-sized fowl, bathroom scale for large and x-large fowl.
- Warm, draft-free place for sick birds
- Tube and syringe for tubing fluids and food if they aren't eating.
- Chlorhexidine (Novalsan) for wound care.
The Exam
- Begin only if the bird is stable and warm enough.
- Bring inside where it's warm and get a baseline weight.
- Evaluate body condition using these charts.
- Check for mites, lice, ticks, maggots, etc. and treat accordingly.
- Check *entire* body for swellings, cuts, bruising, fractures, etc.
- Check the range of motion in legs and wings
- Check eyes, mouth, and ears for abnormalities (odor, discharge, pus swelling, etc,)
Here is the choanal slit, it's what their nares (nostrils) are connected to:
The photo above by BYC's @Nambroth
When they shut their beaks/bills it covers the glottis and is how they breathe.
"At the base of the tongue, the glottis and the laryngeal mound are located. The larynx of mammals is used for vocalization, but it is the syrinx, located down much further, that is responsible for sound production in birds. The glottis is the opening to the windpipe or trachea. The choana is located on the roof of the mouth. It is a slit that connects through some passages to the nostrils. One really neat difference that birds have is that the glottis will fit snugly into the choanal slit when the bird closes its mouth, and the bird will then have a closed connection from the nostrils to the windpipe. When a human breathes through the nostrils, the air goes through the back of the throat, which is an open area, to the trachea through the larynx."
Source: http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/anatomy.html
Exam continued
- If it's of laying age, check for a stuck egg. See instruction below.
- Temp of body, and legs - are they hot, warm or cold?
- Crop - Is it full or empty? If full, is it full of fluid or food?
- Watch carefully for signs of distress and put the bird down immediately if you see any
- Check hydration status
Stabilizing the sick bird
Start by placing the bird in a warm room, and slowly correct the hypothermia. If responsive, give warmed fluids at 20ml/kg and repeat in 60-90 min if crop has cleared.
A bird suffering heat stroke should be placed in a *cool* room with access to cool water.
Poop inspection
Birds have two type of poop and they're what I call regular poop and cecal poop. Regular poops are the ones the do most often and cecal poop are the stinky, creamy ones that they do a couple of time a day, usually morning and evening. It's important to get to know what normal poop looks and smells like.
Cecal poop vs regular poop
These are overnight poops from a 7 year old rooster that appears to be quite healthy. On the left is a normal cecal poop, on the right are pretty normal regular poops, though one pile has a little spec of red.
This is the same poop moved to a paper towel. regular poop on top, cecal on bottom.
Same poop again. Notice the creamy texture of the cecal poop compared to the regular poop. Interestingly, I think maybe I can see a cecal worm in this picture. Will go back and see if I can verify.
This one is part cecal poop, part regular poop. I call it "The Combo"
Normal peafowl cecal poop:
More poop pictures:
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/941872/byc-poo-page-warning-pictures
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/941731/peafowl-poop-normal-and-abnormal-lots-of-poop-pictures
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/719075/not-family-friendly-peafowl-poop-pictures-work-in-progress
- http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html
Sick birds are almost always hypothermic, so it's very important to place them in a warm, quiet draft free room where you can maintain the temperature of the cage at at least 80 degrees. Be careful when using heat lamps or heating pads because many birds are too sick to move away from the heat if they're too hot.
Provide food and water, but make sure the water dish is one they cannot drown in.
This would make a good hospital cage:
http://www.rainbowparrots.com/brooder.php
Things You Should Never Do
- Never bathe a sick bird.
- Do not hold the bird upside down.
- Do not vomit the bird unless a vet has advised you to do so.
- Do not give oil with a syringe unless a vet has advised you to.
- Do not leave the sick bird outside in the cold.
How to Check for a Stuck Egg
Put on a glove and water based lube and very gently insert you finger in the vent. If an egg is there you will feel it at about an inch in. Here are some pictures to help you visualize where the egg should be:
If you find a stuck egg and the hen is still pooping, tube warmed fluids at 10 ml per pound, wait 60-90 minutes, then tube more fluids and give calcium gluconate at 50mg per pound. Place hen in a steam filled bathroom and let the fluids and calcium do their magic.
Do not give oral fluids if the bird cannot poop!
Wound Care
Start by inspecting all of the bird as it can be easy to miss smaller punctures and lacerations. Carefully pluck feathers 1/2" away from wound edges. Feathers should be plucked in the direction that they grow to avoid the skin tearing. Thoroughly clean wound with sterile water, saline, or chlorhexidine (Novalsan)or betadine.
https://www.calvetsupply.com/product/Chlorhexidine-Solution-16oz/Disinfectants-and-Cleaning
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/chlorhexidine-disinfectant-gallon
Click here for an excellent post on wound care.
Bumblefoot Surgery
Click here to read a post about doing your own bumblefoot surgery.
Fractures
See this link - https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf
IM (intramuscular) Injections
All intramuscular injections should be given in the breast muscle towards the front of the bird. Never give injection in the leg or thigh. Needle should be inserted at a sharp angle and inserted about 1/4". Be careful not to go all the way to the breast bone. Remember to pull back on plunger to check for blood. If you see blood, redirect needle and try again.
Subcutaneous Fluids
Click here to see how I give subcutaneous Fluids
Subcutaneous Injections
This is how some people give subcutaneous injections.
Another place to give subcutaneous injections is in the inguinal flap
This photo by BYC's @Nambroth
How to give Oral Medications
Oral Dosing by @new 2 pfowl
• How do I know if I should be administering medication orally?
This depends upon various factors, such as what the medication is and how ill your bird is. In general, keep in mind that oral dosing is often the best way to control dosage and to ensure that your bird actually receives this dosage.
• What tools do I need to dose orally? Where do I get them?
You will need a small oral medication (needleless) syringe, suggested size 1 ml/cc, depending upon the dose being administered. They can be easily obtained online (for example, search for “oral medication syringe” on Amazon).
Please see details elsewhere in this thread about where to obtain medication.
• How do I determine the dosage?
Please see helpful dosing information elsewhere in this thread.
• How do I do it, anyways?
You will need a helper to ensure the safety and proper medication of your bird.
1. Have your medication measures and the syringe prepared before taking any action.
2. Catch and restrain the bird.
3. Have your helper gently pry the bird’s beak open.
4. Be sure that you understand where the medication-filled syringe should be inserted.
The opening in the center at the back of the tongue is the trachea – nothing should ever go in there!
5. Gently insert the syringe alongside the tongue, and inject the medication slowly to ensure that it does not spill over into the trachea.
* Please note that images are courtesy of Craig Hopkins, http://www.hopkinslivestock.com/peafowl.htm
How to Warm Fluids and Food
Click here for tip on how to warm fluids and food.
Tube Feeding Links
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1064392/step-by-step-tube-feeding-guide-pictures (under construction)
- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding
-Kathy
Disclaimer - Always best to consult with a vet and please understand that I have no medical training!
Find and avian vet in your area here:
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/vetfinder.htm
State vets:
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
Labs:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf
This is a work in progress, please check back for updates!
Anyone wanna help write this? Looking for volunteers to write a paragraph or two about a few subjects. Of course you will be given full credit for anything you write.
For example, it would be really helpful if someone could write up some suggestion for making a hospital cage and go into some detail about why the heat is necessary. If you don't know, I could try to explain it as well as provide some links for you to read.
Also need one for basic wound care. Something that describes how to debride, flush, clean, wrap, etc.
References I use:
http://avianmedicine.net/publication_cat/avian-medicine/
http://avianmedicine.net/publication_cat/clinical-avian-medicine/
http://avianmedicine.net/publication_cat/avian-examiner/
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cahfs/about/publications/cahfs_connection.cfm
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/
http://redcreekwildlifecenter.com/wct.pdf
http://redcreekwildlifecenter.com/wcc.pdf
http://www.ncwildliferehab.org/conf2012/Handouts/FluidTherapy
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/reference/foodandwater.html#domestic
http://www.rainbowparrots.com/brooder.php
The AAAP Avian Disease Manual
Veterinary Parasitology Reference Manual
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
Diseases of Poultry
The Merck Veterinary Manual
From this link:
http://www.fvmace.org/FVMA_83rd_Annual_Conference/Proceedings/Technical Procedures for the Avian Patient.html
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