Association of Avian Veterinarians

Baytril in FinchesAuthor(s): Matthew BondSource: Journal of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall, 1990), p. 156Published by: Association of Avian VeterinariansStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30134941 .

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In My Experience, (Cepulac) as the vehicle. Lactulose has a sweet flavor and, because most sick birds have liver problems, they benefit from the action of the vehicle as well. Lactulose stimulates bacterial population increase which removes ammonia from the blood stream, resulting in improved liver function. We commonly administer ketoconazole in this way, shaking the compound prior to each use. We scale the amount of drug so that each bird gets one to two drops twice a day. Letting the owner offer the lactulose as a treat trains the bird to accept any medication when needed. - Greg J. Harrison, DVM, Lake Worth, Florida

Drug Hypersensitivity Sulfa drugs (e.g., Vetisulid)

should be reserved for a specific in- dication, such as coccidiosis. Many of the sulfonamides can produce a hypersensitivity that may result in the so-called hemorrhagic syn- drome. The point of hypersensitivi- ty cannot be defined precisely in terms of grams of drug per grams body weight because it is depen- dent on the genetic constitution of the individual bird. However, once that point is reached, you get ex- treme susceptibility of the bird to the drug. In an experimental trial with hypersensitized chickens, 1/1000 of the normal dose caused the onset of the hemorrhagic syndrome. - Dr. Helga Gerlach, University of Munich, Germany

Protein Intake and Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency occurs fre- quently in birds on seed diets. In- itial therapy often is effective only if given parenterally. The deficiency may be related to a particular vitamin A-transporting protein which cannot be resolved because of the absence of an essential amino acid. By giving those birds more protein, the vitamin A resorption can take place again and the birds will recover. Eclectus parrots and

conures appear to need more vitamin A than other birds. - Dr. Helga Gerlach, University of Munich, Germany

"Wet Ball Bandages" - Treatment for Overgrown Talons in Raptors

Chronic overgrown talons in rap- tors can lead to serious foot pro- blems if left untreated (Degernes LA, et al: Raptor Foot Care. JAAV 4(2):93-95, 1990). Educational birds housed inside or long term con- valescing rehabilitated birds are ob- viously more prone to this condition.

Applying wet ball bandages is ex- actly the same as applying regular ball bandages (see journal article) except that all the gauze bandaging material is applied wet. To retain the moisture, the wet material is covered with dry 2" VetWrap follow- ed by a layer of 2" nonporous white tape. Depending upon the degree of the problem the bandages are left on for 24-48 hours. During this time the bird should be housed in a cage with a padded floor. The perch and water pan should be removed from the cage and any food offered to the bird should be cut into bite size

pieces. After removing the ban- dages, the cutting edge of a scissors

can be used for the trimming pro- cess. Minimal effort is needed to trim the talons; the overgrown and thickened area of the talon will easi-

ly slough off exposing the ap- propriately shaped talon under- neath. Since this leaves the talons

dagger-sharp, the procedure is highly recommended as part of the pre-release protocol for long term convalescent raptors. However, in educational birds, it is advisable to blunt the ends of the talons. - Paula J. Lind AHT, BS, Diane E. Olson AHT, BS, Patrick T. Redig DVM, PHD, The Raptor Center, St. Paul, Minnesota

Baytril in Finches Several shipments of finches were

medicated as a preventative with Baytril 5% (10-15 cc/gallon of drink- ing water for 2-4 weeks). Bacterial problems were controlled well dur- ing quarantine, although an on- slaught of deaths with septicemia occurred post-quarantine. Totally resistant gram- negative bacteria were cultured. The only effective control consisted of changing from cages to flights and adding fresh fruits and vegetables to the diet. Large psittacines treated with Bay- tril in a similar manner appeared to have few problems. - Matthew Bond, DVM, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Sedation and Anesthesia of Casuarius sp.

The following doses of sedatives and anesthetics have been used suc-

cessfully in cassowaries. For capturing the birds in a large

enclosure for transportation, 0.5-1 mg/kg b.w. acepromazine maleate as a liquid in fruits gave good results in 50% of the cases. As an alternative, 5 mg/kg b.w. acepromazine maleate as granules was used over the food. This was applied two times and was very successful. The disadvantage is that the exact intake is not known.

For non-surgical sexing, the bird can be placed on its side with its legs fixed with rope and the head

156 JAAV

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