VRPB News A review of the laws regarding animal welfare. The VRPB has received communication from the Legislative Reform Team at the DJPR ( Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), formerly the DPI, regarding reforming Victoria’s animal care and protection laws. This occurred because the VRPB, being keen to keep abreast of developments that might affect pigeon racing,had signed up on the Engage Victoria website to receive updates on the reform of Victoria’s animal care and protection laws. The DJPR contacted us because the Minister for Agriculture, Gayle Tierney, released in late August the Plan for Victoria’s new animal care and protection laws for public feedback. The new laws will replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986. The Plan sets out policy positions that will underpin the new laws. The DJPR communication explains that “The policies in the Plan have been informed by previous consultation, including on a Directions Paper released for public feedback in 2020. This consultation seeks feedback on proposals for how the policies would be achieved. We’re seeking views about the impacts of the policies, including potential unintended consequences, or potential gaps that would impact achieving the objectives of the policies.” Essentially the government is looking for feedback from animal industries such as pigeon racing on how the proposals in the Directions paper could best be achieved, how the new policies would affect the activity, has anything been overlooked that would prevent the new policies from achieving their aims and are there any policy changes that might have unforeseen outcomes. The DJPR does not have any pigeon experts on their panel and so it becomes the responsibility of the VRPB to represent the interests of Victorian pigeon fanciers in these matters. It is obviously not good having no input and then complaining about policy changes that then pass into law. Fortunately as Victoria now has an elected representative body in the VRPB we are well placed to address these issues. To this end the VRPB will be meeting over the coming weeks to review the policy changes. VRPB secretary Mark Tenaglia has asked VRPB solicitor Charles Hider to conduct an initial review. The DJPR has advised that in order to leave feedback , animal industry representatives should read the supplied plan, complete the supplied survey or make a submission on the Engage Victoria website. The consultation process is only open until midnight Sunday 16 October 2022 so we will need to act promptly. Any feedback we provide will inform the development of draft legislation for a new Act. Having a quick read of the plan which is titled “Summary of Plan for Victoria’s new animal care and protection laws” a number of issues are potential areas for discussion. For example in section 8, titled “Controlled Conduct”, of the plan states “Only vets would be permitted to conduct some procedures unless regulations said otherwise.” This reinforces the current policy that makes it illegal for fanciers to perform veterinary procedures ( such as suturing cuts ) on their birds. Section 9, titled “ Framework for specified classes of conduct” states “The new laws would set out a framework for specified classes of conduct. This would provide that some types of conduct are controlled so that risks to animals of harm, pain and distress are appropriately managed and that lawful and legitimate interactions with animals have clear authority to continue.” And covers -- “Transporting an animal for a commercial purpose” and also “organising an event in which animals are used in sport, competition or recreation.” Obviously this affects pigeon racing The VRPB will review the entire document and make its submission. Any fancier who wishes to provide input should contact their VRPB rep so that their thoughts and comments can be considered The VRPB Veterinary Health Management Fund As regular readers would be aware the VRPB is keen to proceed with various veterinary investigations and to this end has established a Veterinary Health Management Fund so that these can proceed. The fund is steadily building. Last month the VHA in Melbourne donated $1000. In early September well known Victorian fanciers Rod Churchill and Gary Gilmore made a donation of $960 on behalf of the members of the Greater Melbourne Federation in Melbourne. The VRPB acknowledges this extremely generous contribution by these two well regarded fanciers.
Planned investigations are : - a/ to investigate the high mortality rate and catastrophic losses associated with OLRs. OLRs operate in most states and are supported by many fanciers across state borders. Failing to solve this problem tarnishes the reputation of the loft operators, damages the sport generally and runs the risk of the sport being exposed to Animal Welfare concerns. The principle causes of these mortalities will be investigated through a logical and thorough veterinary diagnostic process. This would involve live bird testing, autopsy, microscopic examination of tissues and various specific tests such as PCRs and bacterial cultures to find out exactly why birds are becoming unwell and dying.
b/ to conduct a mini vaccination trial to develop an effective vaccination protocol to protect young pigeons before and soon after weaning from PMV. With the increased transfer of young pigeons between states due to One Loft Racing, squeaker sales and the sale of race teams, a review of the current PMV vaccination protocols has been suggested to find proven ways of protecting young pigeons before being placed in these high risk situations. Anecdotally it appears that vaccinating birds at 3 and 5 weeks of age , if not offering complete immunity, does stimulate sufficient immunity to significantly reduce the severity of the disease. In the proposed trial, blood would be drawn from ten , three week old squeakers to ensure they have no immunity. They would then be vaccinated and blood drawn every 2 weeks to track their developing immunity levels. If the youngsters became immune then altered vaccination protocols could then be recommended with confidence. As it appears that PMV is a significant cause of disease and death in young birds associated with OLRs, squeaker sales and the sale of race teams, offering fanciers a way of protecting their birds that had been shown to effective would benefit us all.
c/ to investigate emerging diseases that have the impact to affect bird health and racing nationally. Herpes virus ( causing Inclusion Body Hepatitis) is the concern of the moment. The starting point would be to find out just how prevalent the problem is. This can be done by running some pan Herpes PCRs at the University of Melbourne. The University has offered the VRPB a discounted price of $80/ test and about 60 would need to be done.
4/ PMV rapid antigen tests ( RATs) are now available . These tests are quick, easy and cheap. This test will enable fanciers to test their own birds for PMV, at the loft , for less than $20. The tests needs to be validated in pigeons. This involves using them to test birds that have been confirmed as having PMV for accuracy.
5/ To investigate the cause of “fat eye “ and its relationship to Rota virus , if any.
Organisations or individuals wishing to make a contribution can contact VRPB treasurer Eddie Szatkowski. His email is [email protected]. All donations will be most gratefully appreciated so that this work can proceed.
My Personal Opinion I believe that these investigations will benefit all Australian fanciers. Frustratingly for me ,the mostly unelected fanciers who make up the ANRPB ,continue to hold $64,000 of Australian fanciers money that fanciers donated in 2017 to develop the Rota virus vaccine. The ANRPB has arbitrarily placed a number of restrictions on the use of this money independently of any fancier consultation. The failure to release these funds means that veterinary issues, whose investigation would benefit fanciers now, are not progressing through lack of funds. The ANRPB is apparently holding the money in case there is an outbreak of a new disease, that is not present in the rest of the world, in Australia. It has been pointed out that this is extremely unlikely. In the meantime the VRPB is addressing veterinary issues that are of concern now. It is great that various fanciers and organisations are recognising the need and donating to the VRPB Veterinary Health Management Fund.
Excessive Panting A fancier contacted me saying that his birds were panting after moderate exercise around the loft. He stated that his birds could not open their beaks more widely or pant more heavily following exercise and that this was occurring after only a few minutes of loft flying. General returns from recent races, for both himself and other members, had been about 50% on the first (1st) day and an additional 30% on successive days. I suggested he contact a local avian veterinary clinic to have some of his birds tested. He did this and the following tests were done: - 1/ Microscopic examination of a crop flush – this revealed no abnormalities, in particular no wet canker 2/ Microscopic examination of a dropping smear –this revealed no abnormalities but, on later examination of the droppings on the bottom of the holding cage, some blood was identified in one of the droppings. 3/ Blood was drawn for a blood profile - there were some subtle changes in some of the organ function tests. The counts of the various types of white blood cells were normal . The outstanding change however was that the red blood cell count was very high. This is usually due to a condition called exertional polycythaemia (EPC). This has been discussed in earlier articles but essentially occurs when birds are forced to work beyond their fitness level. In an attempt to supply more oxygen to the tissues more red blood cells are released from into the circulation . This however makes the blood more viscous, which in turn makes it harder for the heart to beat and circulate blood around the body leading to an incredible “air hunger” and panting. It was then a matter of figuring out just why the birds had EPC. This was an experienced fancier who was training his birds as he had done successfully for many years. What was different this season ? The decision was made to euthanise, autopsy two (2) affected birds and microscopically examine tissues from one (1) of these two (2). This was duly done. These further tests identified roundworm and hairworm infections and also showed that the birds had embedded coccidia. The autopsied bird had tissue changes microscopically consistent with a vitamin A deficiency and also had organ damage in both the pancreas and liver. What does all this mean ? How could these problems occur? 1/ The birds were fed a standard mix of grains including maize. Maize is rich in vitamin A, so how could the bird be deficient in vitamin A. Nutritional deficiencies are common in all birds that eat grain, including pigeons. This is because individual pigeons preferentially select the grains that they like to eat . Pigeons don’t have nutritional wisdom. Pigeons don’t necessarily know what is good for them and like young children just eat what they like. One only has to look at the vomit of Rota affected pigeons and one can quickly see that different pigeons eat different amounts of different grains. Even though a fancier may provide a nutritious blend of grains not all pigeons eat that blend. Real race form is achieved through a balance of exercise and nutrition. That is why multivitamin supplementation is so important in any seed eating bird including pigeons and particularly racing pigeons. This problem was easy to address with the use of a multivitamin supplement, in particular one containing vitamin A, specifically formulated for pigeons. 2/ The birds had been regularly wormed and regular microscopic examination had not detected worms or eggs when the droppings were tested. How could these birds have worms? The birds had been wormed with “Eprinex”. Eprinex contains the active ingredient eprimectin which in theory should have effectively wormed the birds. This particular brand, however, is made as a “pour on” for cattle. It contains a solvent to enhance uptake of the drug through the skin. This is not water soluble. Because of this, when added to the pigeons drinking water, the product failed to mix with the water . This led to inadequate intake of eprimectin to kill the adult worms present. An inadequate dose does however suppress egg production giving fanciers, when using their microscopes, the false impression that the drug is working. The presence of adult worms in the bowel with no eggs consistently visible on a microscopic dropping exam indicates suppressed reproduction and in turn intermittent or no shedding of eggs. Decreased reproduction can be due to partial drug resistance, incorrect dosing or ill health of the host . In this case it appeared to be due to inadequate intake of the drug. The fancier’s club, in good faith, had purchased a large container of Eprinex and distributed this to its members . It was disappointing that the product had failed to worm the birds. It is worth noting that these products when, as an alternative, are applied topically in pigeons are also not regarded as effective wormers. 3/ What caused the damage to the liver ? The pathologist identified that a large number of liver cells had died. This is the classic lesion associated with Rota virus infection and raises the possibility of a Rota exposure. However, there are questions about the use of the Eprinex. Topical preparations contain oils and alcohols that act as solvents. Pour on preparations should not be given orally. The solvents that are designed to facilitate uptake of the active drug through the skin are potentially toxic. They are not designed to be taken orally. The liver is the organ that removes absorbed toxins from the body and in doing so can itself sometimes be damaged. Another factor to consider was that the dose used of Epinex in the drinker was 5ml/L . This delivers a dose of 1 to 1.25 mg per pigeon of eprimectin per pigeon . The recommendation for this group of drugs is 0.5 mg per pigeon. The birds were therefore being offered 2 to 2.5 times the recommended dose. In overdose these drugs block nerve transmission. In other, less robust species, this dose would be fatal. Fortunately, the birds were not getting this amount because the solvent that contained the active was poorly water soluble. It is likely, however, that the use of this product, because of the solvents it contained, taken orally, contributed to the liver damage. 4/ What caused the damage to the pancreas? PMV is the only pigeon pathogen (i.e. disease causing agent) in Australia that specifically targets the pancreas. Other things can damage the pancreas such as bacterial infections and in individual birds, autoimmune disease. Neither of these could be identified by the pathologist. PMV is only carried in the system for up to 60 days after recovery and so after this time specific tests for PMV, such as a PCR (DNA test) will be negative for PMV even if the pancreatic damage is due to PMV. As the time from recovery passes, the pathology in the pancreas gradually changes as the body continues to heal. This makes the original cause of that pathology harder and harder to specifically identify. Nevertheless, a PMV exposure before the bird is fully immune remains the most likely cause. Birds can be exposed to PMV after weaning (where they are only partially protected by some passive immunity from their vaccinated parents), after only their first vaccination or before four (4) weeks have passed after their second vaccination. It is only four (4) weeks after their second shot that all birds are fully protected. Damage due to PMV exposure in partially immune young birds is becoming an increasingly common diagnosis in underperforming race birds 5/ How significant is the coccidia? The pathologist suggested the coccidia could be due to low hygiene in this loft. Certainly, accumulated droppings and moist conditions can provide high exposure but this is rarely the situation in most racing lofts. Clinical coccidiosis also occurs when pigeons are “run down” and their immune system is compromised due to concurrent health issues. This is the likely cause in this case. Many fanciers when they see their birds panting excessively think that their birds have a respiratory infection. This is easy to understand because panting is a respiratory function. However, anything that compromises health leads to a reduced exercise tolerance and in turn, panting if the birds are forced to fly. It is only thorough testing that can identify the cause. In this situation as with many pigeon health situations a number of problems were involved – poor worm control, coccidia, vitamin A deficiency, probable PMV exposure and toxic liver damage . The birds were locked down for two (2) weeks, treated for their worms and coccidia, a multivitamin supplement was supplied and the PMV vaccination protocol reviewed. With correction of these issues the EPC should slowly resolve as the red blood cell count returns to normal levels. The birds are expected to steadily improve. The frustration is that full recovery can be protracted (at the time of writing the panting persists), and sometimes with conditions like these, does not occur with long term race performance compromised. This fancier had done all the right things. He had identified a problem in his birds and organised a thorough veterinary investigation to find out the cause . The test results enabled targeted treatment and provided information to prevent the problems reoccurring. Popcorn Poos A fancier contacted me asking for my thoughts . One of his young stock cocks had started passing a large number of uniform yellow droppings. He sent me a photo of the droppings. The droppings ( pictured ) are described by vets as “ popcorn poos” and are typically associated with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The pancreas produces insulin which is an endocrine ( ie secreted into the body ) hormone, and digestive enzymes ( which are exocrine substances because they are excreted down the pancreatic duct into the bowel and therefore out of the body ). Once in the bowel these digestive enzymes mix with the food and effectively digest it so that the nutrients the food contains can be absorbed into the body. If these enzymes are lacking, many components of the food cannot be digested. Because of this the droppings become large, pale and uniform. Similarly because the birds are not able to digest their food they remain hungry, despite eating ,but gradually lose weight. The condition can be caused by PMV. This bird however was fully vaccinated. If the condition is not associated with PMV (and therefore capable of healing) then spontaneous cases in younger birds carry a poor prognosis. They can be auto immune based and therefore slowly progressive. The fancier reported that the bird continued to eat extremely well but very slowly lost weight. Initially the bird looked bright, had tight feathering and a white wattle. After several weeks the bird had lost an excessive amount of weight and quite suddenly over a 2 day period became very quiet and fluffed. The bird was humanely put down. In pet dogs and cats with this condition the digestive enzymes can be supplied by a vet and added to the meal immediately prior to feeding. In this way animals can be maintained indefinitely. This is rarely practical in pigeons. An interesting case. A Strange Mob Strange things happen in some pigeon racing circles. A Melbourne fancier informed his fellow fanciers that he had done a 3 day course with an interstate vet on pigeon diagnostics. A fellow fancier who suspected that his birds had a health problem asked him to come around. A dropping smear was prepared and placed under the microscope. The fancier who had done the course pointed out that the concerned fancier’s birds had Chlamydia and Streptococci. The concerned fancier said, “oh yes and which is the Chlamydia” to which the fancier who had done the course pointed something out. The concerned fancier then asked which was the Streptococci . In response the fancier pointed out another dot on the screen. All nonsense of course – unstained Chlamydia cannot be seen down a light microscope and Streptococcus in a pigeons droppings cannot be recognised simply by looking at a dot down a light microscope. Even if it was Streptococcus , it’s presence has no clinical relevance. Goodness knows what the “course “ was. Hopefully as fanciers become more aware they become more critical of any advice they receive.
Pigeon Malaria Cases of pigeon malaria have been confirmed in feral pigeons in Brisbane over the last few weeks. An unwell feral pigeon had been adopted by a caring member of the public. It was presented to an avian vet in Brisbane for assessment. Blood tests revealed the problem. As in humans and other animals, malaria is a red blood cell parasite. The organism lives inside red blood cells, often destroying them. This results in anaemia, weight loss, shortness of breath and a general failure to thrive. The organism is spread by mosquitoes and can transfer from feral to racing pigeons. Several cases of malaria in pigeons have been confirmed in Queensland in pigeons over the years. Fortunately the condition has not been identified in the southern states, most likely due these areas being out of the transmitting mosquitoes range.
Wet Droppings in Queensland An outbreak of wet droppings in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, in various racing lofts, has been confirmed as PMV. Various birds confirmed to have PMV also had coccidia, tapeworm and Hexamita ( a canker like parasite that lives in the bowel ) . Several members in one club were affected after not vaccinating their birds. As PMV is a notifiable disease government vets became involved. Affected fanciers, that I spoke to, advised that they would stop racing not only because it was unfair on the birds themselves but also because they did not want to spread the disease further. The government vets supported this decision advising that quite apart from animal welfare issues that it was morally not right to continue to compete and that fanciers had a duty of care. Wet droppings are the most common initial sign of PMV. Because the virus damages the kidneys the pigeons can no longer concentrate their urine. This results in large pools of urine being passed that surround the other dropping components. The quickest, cheapest way of diagnosing the disease in through the PMV Rapid Antigen Test (RAT ) similar to the Covid RAT. In the face of an outbreak the important thing to do is immediately vaccinate all birds.
Exhausted Race Arrivals A Melbourne fancier contacted me saying that his birds were collapsing on arrival from the races. Some birds were so severely affected that initially on arrival they were not able to stand. It had been suggested by fellow fanciers that the birds had simply not drunk while in the race units and were dehydrated. Although this was a possibility the fancier thought that because most birds would drink and many of his birds were affected that something else might be going on. The kidneys are the organs that control fluid and electrolyte metabolism and so there was the possibility that if the birds were dehydrated that there might be a problem with the kidneys. The most common problem that directly affects the kidneys is PMV .It was decided to take an affected bird to an avian vet for a blood profile. The good news is that the blood tests showed that the kidneys were fine and the birds were also well hydrated. The problem turned out to be with the diet. The blood tests showed that the birds had high cholesterol levels and low levels of calcium and protein in the blood. These changes classically occur when too many fat based seeds such as safflower, sunflower, linseed or peanuts are fed. In a flock situation high cholesterol levels can also occur with liver disease but the liver tests within the blood profile were normal. There are specific tests that measure both liver function and also check for any active liver inflammation. These tests were all normal so we could confidently say the liver was OK. The diet was adjusted so that it contained 12 -14 % protein and 5 -11% fat. A protein boosting supplement –ID yeast – and a water based calcium, magnesium, vitamin D supplement – Calcivite Plus-- were recommended. This was because birds that are low in calcium are often also low in magnesium and also because vitamin D assists with calcium uptake by the body. A gradual return to normal vigour and improved race results are anticipated.
Ask the Vet. 1/ Hi Colin, if you have time could you give me your opinion on this on this small video. I did a dropping check just after they came in from flying. Too much going on . Could this be E.coli ? ( A short video of a dropping smear magnified 4oo times was attached) What I am seeing is a range of bacteria –rod shaped bacteria of various sizes, some cocci ( ie dot shaped bacteria) and diplococci ( 2 dot shaped bacteris joined together ). This is regarded as normal. As you would be aware the ability to diagnose a problem by simply looking at a microscopic smear is restricted but is a useful initial step. It is not possible to identify bacteria down a microscope simply by their appearance. For example mid- size motile rods may be E. coli or one of many other bacterial species including some which make up the normal intestinal microflora. A further complication is that even if a potentially harmful bacteria is identified , it does not necessarily mean that it is causing disease. Most animals ( including ourselves ) and birds have bacteria in their bowels that are capable of killing them at any one time but provided these bacteria are confined to the bowel this is not a problem. What we like to see is a mix of bacterial types as indicated by varying size, shape ( ie rod or cocci ) and motility. One bacterial type predominating arouses suspicion. Tests are then required to identify the bacteria. The usual initial test is a gram stain ( see page 36 in my book “The Pigeon” ). Gram negative bacteria ( ie those that do not take up a gram stain ) are more likely to be associated with disease. If this is the case then a swab is collected of the droppings and the bacteria present in the droppings cultured and then named ( see page 54 in the pigeon). If a potential pathogen ( ie a bacteria capable of causing disease ) is identified then : - 1/ If symptoms, displayed by the bird are consistent with an infection by this bacteria, are present then a treatment trial may be considered. 2/ Further tests , most commonly blood tests ( see page 43 of The Pigeon ) are done to see if the bacteria present is actually causing an infection. Remember that just because a particular bacteria is present in the bowel this does not mean that it is necessarily causing a problem As I am sure you are aware, most, if not all pigeon fanciers want quick answers and easy solutions. This is natural. Unfortunately this is rarely possible when diagnosing bacterial bowel problems. Misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatments are common in some circles. The most frequent ones that I encounter are fanciers being advised that their birds have a Streptococcal, E.coli or Staphylococcal bowel infection from a mailed - in dropping sample . This is nonsense and borders on reportable malpractice. Even more so due to the fact that if there is a delay ( ie overnight ) in examining a sample, bacterial ( and yeast ) populations change. I hope these brief notes help. In summary, I can’t see any obvious changes in this microscopic film that concern me. There appear to be a good mix of bacterial types present which is what we see in health.