Association of Avian Veterinarians

Severe Ascaridiasis in Aviary BirdsAuthor(s): Bill Parsons, Margaret A. Wissman and Wesley ChapelSource: Journal of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1993), pp. 100-101Published by: Association of Avian VeterinariansStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30135017 .

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IN MY EXPERIENCE.

APPLICATION OF A BEAK BALL TO PREVENT

SELF-MUTILATION Matthew Bond, DVM Loxahatchee, Florida

A Bali Mynah (Leucopsar roth- schildL) hen in our collection chroni- cally mutilated her skin. After an exten- sive work-up, including biopsies, a col- lar was applied. While this prevented further mutilation and promoted heal- ing, it was stressful for the patient, caused feather wear, and hindered fly- ing ability, which prevented her return to the collection.

A ball of UV light-sensitive dental acrylic was placed over a base of a needle tip that was threaded through the upper beak, and the point was trimmed from the lower beak. The results have been excellent: the muti- lation ceased, the skin and feather con- ditions have improved dramatically, and the bird was successfully returned to an aviary with the beak ball still in place.

Ascaridiasis may be so severe as to dilate large portions of the gastrointestinal tract.

UVlight sensitive acrylic was formed into a beak ball to prevent self-mutilation.

100 JAAV

SEVERE ASCARIDIASIS IN AVIARY BIRDS

Bill Parsons Margaret A. Wissman, DVM

Wesley Chapel, Florida

Many veterinarians are under the assumption that if breeder birds (or any birds, for that matter) have no access to the ground or the bottom of the cage, they do not need to be checked or treated for ascarids. We have recently seen three groups of birds that proved otherwise.

Case 1. A group of Amazons that been housed outdoors in suspended flight cages for years was prophylactically wormed, first with fenbendazole, then with ivermectin three weeks later. Many adults passed roundworms. One older

hen that had died (from trauma by its mate) was found on necropsy to have significant ascarid infestation.

Case 2. A female Green-winged Ma- caw, which was purchased as a hand- fed baby at 8 weeks of age, was origi- nally housed indoors in a large, wrought-iron cage with a bottom grate. Several years later, the bird was moved to a suspended flight cage in a protected outside aviary for breeding. Eight months after successfully hatch- ing a chick, the bird died. Necropsy showed an emaciated bird with diar- rhea pasted around the vent. The small intestines were dilated and the proven- triculus contained ascarids measuring 4-6 cm in length. Ascarids were so abundant in the jejunum that the entire GI tract proximal to the obstruction

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Ascarids may be present even in asymptomatic birds with no access to the ground.

was dilated. Histopathology was per- formed to rule out neuropathic gastric dilatation and other diseases.

Case 3. A clutch of 4-month-old Green-rumped Parrotlet chicks was presented with a "pot-bellied" appear- ance and loose stool. They were owned by an employee of a pet store who retrieved seed from the bottoms of cages at the store for use in his own bird collection. Fecal smears showed Giardia sp., fecal flotation was positive for ascarids and fecal culture showed heavy growth of E. coli. The birds were treated with fenbendazole, 100 mg/kg PO QID for 3 days, as well as appro- priate antibiotic therapy. All three chicks passed numerous roundworms, and one bird died on the second day of treatment. The ascarids were ap-

proximately 1.5 cm in length, large in comparison to the size of the birds.

Aviary and companion birds need to be monitored for ascaridiasis. These parasites can cause fatalities, and un- like many other avian diseases, can be easily treated.

USE OF PREEMIE INTRAVENOUS CATHETER

CathyJohnson-Delaney, DVM Seattle, Washington

An intravenous catheter originally designed for use in premature human infants (and promoted for laboratory animal medicine) has great potential in avian and exotic small animal practice. The L-Cath is a through-the-needle catheter with a breakaway introducer.

Thie vessel is accessed with the intro- ducer needle. The catheter, with pre- assembled stylet, is advanced through the needle to the desired length. The introducer needle is removed by re- tracting it from the insertion site and peeling it away from the catheter. The L-Cath comes in sizes suitable for avian patients: 25 gauge needle with 28 gauge catheter, and a 20 gauge needle with 24 gauge catheter. The 20/24 comes in lengths of 8, 18 and 30 cm; the 24/28 is available as 8, 14, 20 or 25 cm long. The catheter has been main- tained in human infants for up to 30 days without problems. I have tried the two smallest sizes (lengths) and found them extremely easy to place and keep patent. Because of the price (approxi- mately $30 each and sold only in boxes of 10), several clinics may choose to divide a box. Product information is available from Pharmacia Deltec, Inc. (St. Paul, MN 55112; 612-628-7310 or 1-800-433-5832).

THE USE OF ENROFLOXACIN IN JUVENILE PSIlTTACINES

Matthew W. Bond, DVM Loxahatchee, Florida

Enrofloxacin (Baytril-Miles, Shawnee, KS) has been used at Avicultural Breed- ing and Research Center in Loxa- hatchee, Florida and in my own prac- tice for several years for the treatment of bacterial infections in psittacines of all ages, and has been administered as early as one day of age in some cases. The treatment currently used at ABRC is either oral or subcutaneous at doses of 15 mg to 20 mg/kg BID. No skeletal deformity in neonates or older birds has been attributed to the use of en- rofloxacin at this dosage. A more ex- tensive paper has been submitted for publication to the Journal of AAV.

Vot. 7 No.2 1993 101

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