|
Nail Clipping:
Beak Clipping: As with toenails beaks can get overgrown. Right you can see a lovebird with a beak that has got out of hand. Normally if your birds beak appears to be growing uneven or getting long a simple clipping will sort it out. Don't neglect your birds beak, at the first sign of a problem bring it to us. |
Sometimes birds toenails get long & sharp. There are
perches that can help to keep this under control but if your bird continues
to suffer with this problem bring it along to one of our clinics & have them
cut on a regular basis.
|
Scaly Face:
'Scaly face' is a common parasitic infestation in caged birds, caused by the
burrowing
Fortunately these days treatment is simple and very
effective, using the parasiticidal drug Ivermectin.
|
|
Blocked Nose:
|
The picture on the left shows a 18
week old African
Grey which had the right nostril constantly clogged with
mucus from birth. This was due to a blockage at the back of the throat.
A tube was inserted & left in place for two weeks. This enlarged the
opening at the back of the throat & when removed allowed the mucus to drain
normally. The picture on the left shows the bird at one year old with
a the now open airway.
|
Self Mutilation:
This is a bad case of self
mutilation. The African Grey
 started to feather pluck
 at about 5
years of age. It progressed to the stage shown on the left.
Right shows the wing bandaged & although the feather plucking continued
the self mutilation decreased to a level allowing the original deep
wound to heal.
This bird will never get fully
feathered but remains a wonderful character, a very tame companion &
prolific talker. Much can be done for other birds if the problem
is caught early enough. At the first signs of plucking there is
normally a good response to drug treatment and although little is known
as to why some birds pluck & others don't, regular check-ups & spraying
with tepid water to keep the feathers in good condition will help
greatly.
 
|
|
Blood Sample:
Samples of blood are often
required to aid diagnosis, and laboratory
 examination of
 quite small
volumes can give us information on red and white cell counts, liver and
kidney function, glucose or calcium levels, the presence of toxins such
as lead or zinc, and many more besides. We also take samples for DNA
analysis to determine sex, or to identify diseases such as psittacosis.
Small birds may be sampled from the jugular vein (pictured below);
parrots are usually sampled from the ulnar vein under the wing
(left); while waterfowl have a very accessible median metatarsal vein on
the leg (right).
|
|
Foam & Perspex Collars:
 Collars: may be required in
the short term to break the cycle of plucking problems. It is still,
however, necessary to diagnose the underlying cause of the plucking,
and deal with that, but the collar may prevent the bird doing
further damage while such treatment takes place. The picture on the
left shows one made from foam pipe lagging, while that on the right
is a purpose-made perspex collar. |
|
Bumblefoot:  This is a common chronic
infection in the feet of birds, most commonly found in waterfowl and
birds of prey. It usually follows persistent injury from unsuitable
perching or flooring, coupled with secondary infection. The severity
of infection and damage is graded: mild cases may be treated with
antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and improvements to hygiene and
housing; while advanced cases may need extensive and repeated
surgery, or even euthanasia. |
|
Sinus Abscess:
Sinus abscesses: are common in
birds, and may be the result of
 straightforward
bacterial or viral infection in species such as canaries (left) or
poultry. A commonly implicated organism is Mycoplasma. In
African grey parrots (right), the underlying cause is almost always
a deficiency of vitamin A, complicated by secondary bacterial or
fungal infection. In these cases, treatment involves cleaning and
flushing of the nasal cavity, plus appropriate antibiotic or
antifungal therapy, followed by attention to DIET to correct the
deficiency. |
|
Ovulatory stasis
('egg retention') in a Bearded Dragon.
 (Left) shows eggs inside the abdominal cavity, with a fatty and cirrhotic liver at the top of the picture.
(Right) shows eggs attached to
supporting ligaments removed from the abdomen, with smaller
follicles visible in the ovary towards the animal's back.
|
A
common problem this summer in these animals of breeding age, is when
eggs develop inside, but are not produced successfully. If caught in
time, surgical removal is successful, but sadly for this individual
she was brought in to the surgery too late, so these are
post-mortem pictures.
|
Replacement of a
cloacal prolapse in a Bearded Dragon.
This is a common occurrence in
animals reaching sexual maturity, as it can be in birds.
Picture (Bottom Left) shows the fleshy mass protruding from the cloaca, being the engorged lining tissue of the cloaca everted. The animal's feet have been taped to prevent damage to the delicate tissue by the sharp claws. The picture (Middle left) shows the prolapse being soaked in saturated sugar solution. This can have the effect of reducing the swelling by drawing fluid out of it by osmosis.
Picture (Middle Right)
shows one stay suture through the cloacal opening to reduce
its diameter and prevent re-extrusion.
Picture (right) shows the finished operation, with stay sutures across the cloacal opening, and fixation sutures through the body wall.     |
|
Marmoset Neutering
A recent clinical case a little out of the ordinary was the castration of a Marmoset, who was becoming a bit of a handful. His previous companion had been another old male, who sadly died, but his replacement - believed also to be male - turned out to be a young female! Obviously the inevitable happened, and Malcolm became very frisky and aggressive, so the solution was to neuter him.      |
