There are five important elements to consider in supportive care of a sick (or injured) bird, listed in order of importance:
Heat
Humidity
Fluids
Nutrition
Quiet/Level of Activity
Birds use a considerable amount of their energy and metabolic resources in keeping their body temperature up (at around 104F degrees.) (40 to 42C). Therefore, the single most important thing you can do for a sick bird is to artificially support its temperature, thus freeing as much of its energy as possible for dealing with the illness. The correct temperature is at least 85Fdegrees, and 90F degrees ( 30 to 35C ) is preferable. Turn up the heat past 85F (30C) until the bird begins to pant, then slowly back it off just until the panting stops. When the bird begins to recover, remember to lower the temp gradually, no more than 5F ( 2 – 3C ) degrees per day, until back to room temp.
Humidity is extremely important in cases of respiratory involvement in the illness, as it eases the breathing and helps the bird keep the air passages clear and moist. A vaporizer is best, a humidifier will work, and in a pinch placing the bird in the bathroom and periodically running hot water in the shower is better than nothing. If there is NO respiratory involvement, or the bird is physically injured and not ill, humidity is not so important. Respiratory involvement is indicated by any of the following: wheezy, raspy, bubbly, or clicking noises in the breathing; discharge from nostrils; breathing heavily or with difficulty (if the tail moves noticeably as the bird breathes, it is breathing heavily); beak held open to breathe but not panting.
A sick bird is easily dehydrated, especially since it may not drink as much on its own, its temperature is elevated, and its digestion may be disrupted. In extreme cases a veterinarian may administer fluids under the skin, but oral fluids are also very helpful. If your bird isn’t drinking a lot on its own, give fluids from your finger, a spoon, or by syringe. Some suggestions for fluids to give: Infalyte brand infant electrolyte solution, apple or grape juice, D5W (medical glucose/saline solution), bottled water with a little sugar or honey. Don’t use Gatorade, it’s too high in salt!
As you are maximizingthe amount of energy the bird can use in fighting the illness by elevating the ambient temperature, you should also ensure that food energy continues to be available. The best things to give a sick bird are high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. Examples: hand-feeding formula, infant rice cereal, baby food, Instant Ounces brand emergency food for birds, cream of wheat, papaya juice or nectar, fruit juice (except orange). If your bird doesn’t eat on its own while ill, you need to hand feed it, or force feed it if necessary. Birds can starve to death in 48 – 72 hours when healthy, and can go even faster when ill. Inadequate nutrition will severely impact the bird’s ability to recover from the illness.
Keep an ill or injured bird quiet and inactive. Keep it in semidarkness with no toys and nothing to climb or play on, much as you would keep a sick child in bed and encourage it to sleep. Limit noisy activities or move the bird to a quiet part of the house. Additional notes: If the bird regurgitates food or fluids, you may be giving too much. Try smaller amounts more frequently. If your bird is on antibiotic therapy, remember that these drugs also kill the “friendly” bacteria that help it to digest its food. Give yogurt, Bene-Bac, lactobacillus supplement, or acidophilus to help digestion and to prevent backlash Candida (yeast) infections. If you see any sign of yeast (white spots in mouth or on tongue), call the vet and get an antifungal preparation to give with the antibiotic.
Home Made Lactated Ringers
Electrolyte solution for re-hydration
Mix the following in a jar:
8 oz. of warm water
½ Tablespoon of sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda/bi-carb.
Stir well, and refrigerate. This solution is good for 2-3 days when mixed. Initially the solution can be mixed 50/50 with water till the bird gets used to the taste.
Note:The fluids should be warmed to the birds body temperature. One way of doing this is to draw the fluid into a syringe, cap the syringe, and place it in a cup/container of warm water for a minute.
Head trauma
Head trauma usually occurs from flying into a wall, mirror, window, or ceiling fan.
Affected birds can demonstrate depression, loss of balance, weakness, seizures, or even loss of consciousness.
Even if your bird seems fine at first, potentially fatal problems can develop later so take head trauma very seriously. Transfer your pet to the hospital cage, remove perches,
and pad the cage bottom with a large towel.
Contact your avian veterinarian immediately and in the meanwhile:
DO NOT provide supplemental heat (which can cause more swelling in the brain and
therefore worsen neurological problems).
DO dim the lights or cover most of the cage.
DO keep your bird calm and quiet.
Concussion – Head Injury
(Partial or complete loss of consciousness)Seek emergency veterinary care immediately.Action to take while waiting for veterinary care: Where shock is apparent.
Bach Rescue Remedy. Place a few drops directly onto the animals tongue. Repeat at 5-15 minute intervals until improved, then two to three times daily as necessary.
Treat for Shock
Birds that are in shock appear weak, unresponsive, fluffed up and breathe in slowly and out quickly. Place the bird in a quiet, semi-dark, warm, humid environment. Warmth is essential – temperature should be between 25 and 30 C or 75 to 88 F degrees. Place a clean cloth or some newspaper in the bottom, which is laid out flat. A hot water bottle can be filled with hot water from the tap and wrapped in a slightly damp cloth, which is placed near the bird. The bird will take 4 to 6 hours to recover from shock – if it doesn’t – seek advice. While the bird is in shock, don’t force it to eat or drink.
When the Bird has recovered from Shock Visually examine the bird Stand a short distance away and examine the bird visually. Look for any deformity, unusual wing positions or lameness. Note the following: Eyes – should be both open and bright. Pupils should be equal in size. Unequal pupil size may indicate head trauma. If eyes are partly closed then the bird is unwell. One eye closed may mean an injury or infection. Check to see if the bird responds to the movement of your hand. Head – head nodding, head tilting and periods of eye closing can indicate severe illness or trauma. Breathing – a healthy bird’s breathing is hard to detect. Laboured breathing may mean possible respiratory infection. Feathers – missing feathers may indicate an underlying wound. Feathers fluffed out can mean the bird is unwell and trying to warm itself. Posture – birds that are weak will sit. A healthy bird will sit only to sleep. Leg paralysis can be caused by insecticide poisoning, trauma to the head or spine, or fractures in the back, legs or pelvis. Wings should be similar in the way they hang. A drooping wing can indicate a fracture. A broken wing can be immobilised by taping the wing in its natural folded position (not too tightly so as to restrict breathing). Micropore tape or vet rap tape doesn’t stick to the feathers. If the bird has obvious injuries such as a broken wing, missing foot or broken leg, then seek veterinary advice.
DEHYDRATION
It can be difficult to accurately assess the degree of dehydration in birds. For practical purposes it is safe to assume that most birds taken into care suffer from 10% dehydration. This dehydration needs to be addressed, as well as the bird’s daily maintenance requirements (approximately 50 mls/kg/day). Therefore, a 100 gm bird requires 5mls/ day for maintenance (ie 50ml x 0.1kg = 5mls). If it is 10% dehydrated it will need an additional 10mls ( ie 10% of 100gm = 10mls). The aim when rehydrating a bird is to provide all of its daily requirement ( ie 5mls) plus HALF of its deficit ( ½ of 10mls =5mls) within the first 24 hours. In this example the total is 10mls. Over the next 48 hrs, the remaining fluid deficit plus the daily maintenance requirement is given. In severely dehydrated and weak birds, or those with regurgitation or poor gut motility, these fluids are best given either intravenously or intraosseously, for quickest effect. Giving oral fluids in these cases can be ineffective due to poor absorption from the gut, or lead to aspiration and drowning in the case of very ill birds. Fluids can also be given under the skin (subcutaneously) when large volumes need to be given eg for maintenance. However, subcutaneous fluids are unsuitable for many seabirds as they have subcutaneous air spaces. These techniques usually require veterinary attention, but can be learnt with careful training. If oral fluids are the only option available for very ill birds, then only small amounts should be given at a time and the patients should be provided with heat and quiet. The provision of oral fluids can be useful for mildly dehydrated birds which are strong enough to hold their heads up. Syringes attached to curved stainless steel crop needles or soft rubber or plastic tubing can all be used to deliver volumes of fluid (and moistened food mixes) to the crop or proventriculus. This technique is known as “crop feeding” or “crop gavaging”. When using lengths of plastic tubing for this purpose, heating one end can allow the plastic to soften and be attached to the end of a syringe or funnel (for larger birds). The cut end which will go into the bird’s mouth can have the edges smoothed by heating with a flame until the plastic just melts, or be filed smooth. The technique for “crop gavaging” can be learnt by most people and can be perfected with a little practice. The bird is held upright with the neck gently stretched, facing the operator. The beak is held open with the fingers in non biting species, or the tip of the tube gently forced into the mouth of species such as parrots and cockatoos. A gag can be used for species with large sharp beaks eg larger seabirds. The feeding tube is then gently passed from the operator’s right hand side, over the tongue and into the crop. If the tip of the tube is rotated or rocked back and forth it can often be felt through the bird’s skin on the right hand side of the crop. The fluid is then gently expelled. If it comes out of the mouth, pull the crop tube out and wipe away excess fluid to stop the bird from choking. The reasons why problems are encountered with this method originate from poor technique and may include the following;
CAT BITES
Cat bites may range from tiny puncture wounds to lacerations. The muscle underneath a puncture wound may be lacerated due to the action of the teeth in immobile muscle (relative to the skin). Many wounds cannot be detected with the naked eye and the need for antibiotics may not be recognised in cases where there is no evidence of a puncture wound or scratch. Septicaemia is a common sequel to a cat bite, while other routes of infection have also been suggested. Birds may ingest organisms from cat saliva-coated feathers during preening leading to gastrointestinal disease and septicaemia. Cats carry Pasteurella multocidaon their gingival tissue and teeth and antibiotics are therefore always indicated in any bird attacked by a cat. In addition to Pasteurella spp, a mixed aerobic/anaerobic population has been recovered from the majority of cat bite wounds. Selecting the right antibiotic (or antibiotic combination) is therefore of vital importance. Penicillins have been cited as the antibiotic of choice due to their efficacy against P. multocidaand their broad spectrum of action. Fluoroquinolones, such as the much-favoured enrofloxacin (Baytril) should not be used on their own as they lack action against anaerobes and provide incomplete coverage against Streptococci spp.For infected bites clavulanate-amoxycillin or combination therapy with penicillin, or clindamycin, and a fluoroquinolone is recommended. Ideally culture and sensitivity testing should be performed, but this will often be impossible for time and cost reasons.
Bite wounds should be aggressively cleaned and flushed with saline or 0.05% chlorhexidine. Flushing may need to be repeated. Puncture wounds can be left open to drain but lacerations should be dressed to protect the underlying tissues. Some puncture wounds may need to be opened up to facilitate access to the underlying traumatised tissues.
Where the pectoral muscles have been lacerated, aggressive cleaning and debridement is indicated under general anaesthesia. Torn, necrotic muscle should be removed and the wound packed with a hydrogel. A hydrocolloid dressing (eg Duoderm Extra Thin) can be applied over the wounds to provide additional protection. The wounds should be reassessed after 24 to 48 hours and a decision made as to whether wound closure is appropriate.