| |
Disease |
Further signs
that suggest
this problem |
What the vet
will need to
reach a diagniosis |
Treament |
| Nesting problem |
|
|
|
|
| 1. Inside of nests stained with yellow diarrhoea
of nestling, youngster stunted, increased death rate first few days of
life |
E. coli diarrhoea |
|
Droppings, microscopic examination ,staining and/or
culture |
Antibiotics. Neomycin. Sulfa AVS in water and soft
foods (egg and biscuit, canary starter) |
| 2. Pale, weak youngsters, hen can be found dead
in nest |
Blood-sucking mites |
Crusty pinpoint feeding sites visible, particularly
under the wings |
Recently dead or unwell nestlings |
Moxidectin. Spray cages with Permethrin prior to
breeding |
| 3. Nestlings dying, 10 – 20 days of age, many
youngsters affected and dying |
Circo virus |
Black spot visible in abdomen, which is an enlarged
gall bladder |
Sick or recently dead youngster for autopsy, tissue
collection and histology |
Management – break in breeding, thorough clean
of aviary, identify carrier birds |
| 4. Nestlings dehydrated, weak with yellow diarrhoea |
Cochlosoma, a flagellate that lives in the digestive
tract. Fresh birds infected through dropping contamination of food and
water |
In finches fostered under Bengalese, which act as
asymptomatic carriers. Problem most severe in chicks aged 10 days to
6 weeks |
Fresh droppings for microscopic examination |
Ronidazole (Turbosole), 400 mg/kg of soft food
and 400 mg/1 litre of water for 10 days. Organism does not survive in
the environment |
Juvenile
less than
1 year of age |
|
|
|
|
| 1. Generally unwell and dying birds |
Atoxoplasma,( a type of coccidian) |
Birds usually 2 – 9 months, high mortality
(up to 80%), blue spot (swollen liver) visible through abdomen wall |
A sick or recently dead bird for autopsy. Parasite
eggs occasionally found in droppings |
Sulphonamide antibiotics, eg ‘Tribrissen’,
interrupt the infective life cycle but does not affect the intracellular
stages. It therefore reduces but does not eliminate egg shedding. Given
for 5 days per week until the birds are well |
| 2. Lethargy, weight loss, yellow (= amylum or undigested
seed) dry droppings often containing undigested seed. High mortality
rate in nestlings |
Camphylobacter, a bacterium spread by dropping contamination
of food and water, carried by wild birds |
Bengalese often act as asymptomatic carriers, Gouldian
finches particularly vulnerable |
Appearance of bacteria (often curved rods) in droppings
under the microscope suggestive, culture of droppings or autopsy |
Antibiotics, e.g. Erythromycin, Baytril |
| 3. Generally unwell with some deaths |
Polyoma virus |
Debility and death in birds of all ages, including
adults and nestlings but particularly juveniles. Surviving adults sometimes
develop elongated beaks |
Fresh bird for autopsy and pathology. PCR (DNA)
test on blood or droppings |
No medication available. Controlled through altered
breeding strategy and blood testing. A break in breeding enables many
(approx. 85%) birds to develop a protective immunity in the absence of
vulnerable juveniles. Cabinet breeding or blood testing identifies persistent
carriers |
| 4. Shortness of breath, coughing, diarrhoea |
Cryptosporidia, a coccidian |
Diamond Firetails may be particularly susceptible,
exhibiting diarrhoea and death |
Autopsy |
Medication (paromomycin) is available overseas but
not in Australia. Wild birds can be source of infection. Infective eggs
passed in droppings, therefore ongoing hygiene will decrease exposure |
| 5. Diarrhoea and some deaths |
Giardia, a flagellate |
Usually young immunosuppressed birds |
Microscopic examination of fresh droppings |
Ronidazole (Turbosole), 3 g (1 tsp)/2 litres of
water |
| Any age |
|
|
|
|
| Main symptom respiratory distress |
Avian Pox |
Crusty wart-like lesions on non-feathered parts
of body and/or yellow plaques inside mouth. Difficulty in breathing,
high mortality rate. |
Appearance often diagnostic. Autopsy and histology
(looking for bollinger bodies) |
Management. Separate birds, control insects, treat
secondary diseases |
| |
Mycoplasma |
Red watery eyes, nasal discharge, shortness of
breath, matting of feathers around eyes |
Appearance suggestive. Laboratory diagnosis can
be difficult |
Tylan or doxycycline either separately or together |
| |
Blood-sucking mites |
Pale and lethargic Crusty pinpoint feeding sites
visible, particularly under the wings |
Examination of an unwell bird, or a recently dead
bird |
Moxidectin. Spray cages with permethrin |
| |
Air sac mites (Sternostoma or Cytodites) |
Loss of condition, cough, sneeze, nasal discharge,
unable to sing, response to treatment. Particularly common in Gouldians |
Dead bird for autopsy, droppings, unwell live bird |
Moxidectin orally or spot on |
| |
Trichomoniasis (canker), a flagellate |
Weight loss, regurgitation, dried saliva around
beak |
Crop flush from live bird |
Ronidasole in drinking water, 'Flagyl' syrup
trickled into throat in acute cases |
| |
Bacterial infection, e.g. Enterococcus faecalis |
Red watery eyes, nasal discharge |
Live bird for bacterial culture from trachea |
Antibiotics, antibiotic choice preferably based
on the result of a culture and sensitivity, review hygiene |
| |
Aspergillus, a fungus |
Weight loss, shortness of breath. Usually low infection
rate but virtually all unwell birds die. Often a history of stress +/-
exposure to damp unhygienic conditions |
Diagnosis sometimes possible in live birds through
microscopic examination of droppings or a throat or sinus swab. Diagnosis
usually made at autopsy |
Medication (usually itraconazole) available for
individual birds of value. Identification and removal of source of fungus.
Identify and correct any management or environment flaws |
| |
Egg binding |
Horiizontal posture, hen in nest, egg overdue. Egg
palpable in abdomen |
Clinical examination, x-ray |
Heat (brooder approx. 30?0C) plus oral calcium
initially. Veterinary intervention if no response. Ongoing provision
of palatable calcium supplements before and during breeding will decrease
likelihood of problem, as will delaying pairing until warm weather |
| |
Toxoplasma, a protozoan that infects cats. It is
likely that infective eggs excreted in cats’ droppings get into
the aviary.eg: through the provision of seeding
grasses collected outside the aviary |
More so in canaries. Shortness of breath initially,
with some surviving birds becoming blind several weeks later |
Autopsy and pathology |
Trimethoprim/sulphadiazine may be effective |
| |
Cytomegalo virus |
Conjunctivitis. Principally in Gouldians |
Autopsy and pathology |
Separation of unwell birds, hygiene, quarantine |
| Main symptom diarrhoea and weight loss |
Acuaria or gizzard worm, a parasitic worm |
Enlarged gizzard often palpable in abdomen. Undigsted
seed in droppings |
Microscopic examination of droppings reveals the
parasite’s eggs. At autopsy, the fine white worms are just visible
below the koilin lining of the gizzard |
Insects act as intermediate host, therefore more
of a problem in finches that are particularly insectivorous, e.g. Crimson
Finch. Moxidectin is an effective wormer. Ongoing hygiene leads to decreased
parasite exposure |
| |
Coccidiosis |
Huddled, fluffed and lethargic. Diarrhoea sometimes
with blood |
Droppings collected from sick bird in late afternoon.
Autopsy |
Baycox (3ml/1L for 48 hours), protein supplements
(sprouted seed, seeding grasses, soft foods) |
| |
Megabacteria (avian gastric yeast) |
Fluffed and underweight. Often continually eat |
Droppings, Autopsy of recently dead bird if available |
Acids (citric acid 1tsp/6L) or probiotic to in-contact
birds, thorough clean of aviary, Amphoteracin B to sick birds. Identify
genetically susceptible birds. |
| |
Salmonella (a bacteria) |
More prevalent in wet times of year, outside aviary,
low hygiene, exposure to mice or wild bird droppings. |
Autopsy and culture. Pooled dropping samples, checked
3 – 6 weeks after therapy to check success. Canaries do not become
carriers of Salmonella (common in other birds) |
Antibiotics, usually Baytril. Provision of chopped
greens and soft foods will help prevent dehydration, multivitamins in
water, hygiene |
| |
Yersinia (a bacteria) |
As above |
Autopsy and culture |
As above |
| |
Other bacteria, e.g. E. coli |
Some birds may have an infection elsewhere, e.g.
in eyes or sinus |
As above |
As above |
| |
Chlamydia
(formerly Chlamyida)
|
Often also have conjunctivitis and nasal discharge,
low mortality. (less than 10%) Some birds develop into asymptomatic carriers.
Periodic flare-ups of disease can occur following stress |
Throat swab (preferred) or cloacal swab. Autopsy.
Blood (Immunocomb) test |
Doxycycline (Doxyvet 1tsp/2L), Baytril (1drop twice
daily per 100g/bw or 10ml/1L of drinking water) |
| |
Tapeworms |
Weight loss, visible ribbons of egg packets (called
proglottids) in droppings. More likely to occur in species that eat a
lot of live food, eg: Crimsons |
Examination of droppings for proglottids or discovery
of adults in bowel at autopsy |
Insects act as intermediate hosts. Medication of
choice is praziquantel but must be used with care in finches. Moxidectin
Plus (which contains Moxidectin and praziquantel) appears effective and
safe at 5 ml/1 litre or 1 drop/100 g body weight. |
| |
Mycobacterium, avian tuberculosis |
Principally weight loss accompanied by either diarrhoea
or shortness of breath. Usually Gouldians affected |
Microscopic examination of droppings following
special staining may be suggestive of problem. Biopsy of suspect lesion
Autopsy, pathology |
Medication available for individual birds of value.
Infected birds often euthanised. Long-term quarantine |
| |
Round and hairworms |
Increased vulnerability to other disease |
Microscopic examination of droppings. Autopsy |
Usually Moxidectin, 2 mg/ml, 5 ml to 1 litre water
for 1 - 3 days or 1 drop/100 g body weight |
| |
Candida, a yeast |
Delayed crop emptying and failure to thrive in
nestlings. Related to unbalanced diet, poor hygiene, overcrowding, stress
or the uncontrolled use of antibiotics |
Microscopic examination of droppings or throat
swab |
Probiotics (e.g. Probac) or acids (e.g. apple cider
vinegar, 5 ml/litre). For individual birds, Nilstat, 1 ml/300 g body
weight. Correction of predisposing factors |
| Sudden death |
Toxic exposure |
May have salivation, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing |
Detailed history |
Identification and aviodance of toxin |
| |
Starvation |
Blood in droppings, too ill to eat, getting wrong
food or no food at all, someone else looking after the birds |
Recently dead bird for autopsy |
|
| |
Plasmodium, a form of avian malaria spread by mosquitoes |
Weight loss, lethargy, shortness of breath. Blue-faced
Parrot Finches particularly susceptible. Wild reservoir in sparrows |
Blood sample for microscopic examination or autopsy |
Chloroquin or Pyrimethamine. Can be prevented with
weekly doses |
| |
Hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) |
Particularly Zebra, Parrot and Star Finches. Associated
with inadequate exercise and high energy diet, such as soft foods and
meal worms |
Autopsy and pathology |
Dietary correction. Increased protein in diet and
ensure adequate levels of choline and methionine. Supplementation with
some herbs (dandelion and milk thistle) may help |
| Miscellaneous |
Scaly face. Knemicoptes mite infection |
Crusty lesions on face and legs |
Appearance often diagnostic. Microscopic examination
of crusts |
Moxidectin (2mg/ml , 1drop to effected birds twice
at a 3 week interval) |