Association of Avian Veterinarians

Herbal "Antibiotics"Author(s): Jeanne SmithSource: Journal of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Vol. 6, No. 3 (1992), p. 142Published by: Association of Avian VeterinariansStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30136695 .

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IN MY EXPERIENCE.

creased from 50-100%; 3) the birds began standing on one leg again (indi- cating freedom from stress) even in this foreign off-display environment with no water or sunshine.

ACUPUNCTURE FOR TREAT- MENT OF EGG-BINDING

Michal Partington, DVM Beavercreek, Oregon

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, egg-binding is a malfunction of the Spleen, wherein the Spleen loses it's ability to hold organs in place, and the cloaca becomes weak and is unable to expel the egg. The acupuncture points we use are the unilateral Governing Vessel 20 (on top of the head), and the bilateral Stomach 36 and Spleen 6. The technique is exactly the same for an Amazon or a finch, with the exception of the size of the needles. If tissues have pathologically dried onto the egg, the problem becomes mechanical and relief is beyond the scope of acupunc- ture alone.

ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY FOR SINUS DISCHARGE

Michal Partington, DVM Beavercreek, Oregon

We had been treating a Jenday Con- ure for chronic nasal discharge. Fol- lowing numerous cultures, I had used

Arrow indicates 1/2" acupunture needle inserted in Yin Tang.

142 JAAV

allopathic drugs (antibiotics and anti- histamines), but the response was tem- porary. The condition appeared to be aggravated by the bird sticking its en- tire face into its water bowl to drink.

I decided to use what is known as Yin Tang, one of the extra points in acupuncture that can't be directly cor- related to the meridians. In mammals, this point is located on the midline of the head directly between the eye- brows, and the needle is threaded sub- cutaneously. In a bird, the point is located a centimeter caudal to the cere on the midline; the needle is inserted in a craniad direction. The bird cleared up within two days following the first treatment, and when the drainage re- curred two weeks later, a second treat- ment doubled the response time. I now treat the bird every two months for maintenance.

HERBAL "ANTIBIOTICS"

Jeanne Smith, DVM Davis, Califomrnia

I have occasionally used herbs with antibacterial properties to treat birds with chronic infections unresponsive or poorly responsive to standard anti- biotics or for flock treatments and pre- ventatives. The latter use is becoming more and more attractive now that there are fewer effective mass-admin- istered antibiotics available.

In racing pigeons, I have found su- per-resistant bacteria due to routine misuse of antibiotics. Since standard antibiotics have been rendered useless, herbal preparations are a viable option. Also, some pigeon flyers insist on treat- ing their birds on a weekly basis. I recommend herbal antibacterial pre- ventatives to reduce risks of toxicity or creation of resistant strains of bacteria. This is not really new in the racing pigeon industry, as some people have been using crushed garlic for many years.

In my experience, herbal treatment

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is not as rapidly effective as antibiotics. Whereas an antibiotic might cause im- provement in 2-3 days, herbal reme- dies may require 5-7 days. Therefore, they should not be used alone initially in critically ill patients. Treatment should continue for 14-21 days. Herbal treatments are relatively safe, generally well tolerated (sometimes bitter herbs may need to be disguised with sweet- eners), and have fewer side effects or contraindications that I have seen or have heard reported. Dosages are very imprecise due to lack of knowledge of appropriate dose in birds and variabil- ity of concentrations between prepara- tions. The following "dosages" have worked well for me:

For flocks, mix equal parts echina- cea, golden seal and myrrh. Boil in water for 10 minutes to make a tea. Put the herbs in a muslin bag or strain them out after boiling. Store the tea in the refrigerator. Mix 1-2 cups of tea per gallon drinking water. For individual birds, extracts are available at health food stores. Give 1-2 drops of extract (same herbs as above) every 12 hours.

Because of the inconsistencies and lack of knowledge of herbal medicine in birds, my preference at this time is to treat infections with antibiotics. As we learn more I will be happy to reach for herbs more than just as a last resort.

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