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How to Treat the Most Common Diseases Your Pet Bird Might Catch

Birds make terrific, unique pets. But like any other animal, they get sick! It’s important to keep an eye on your pet bird so you can notice strange behavior or physical symptoms. You can shop with Vet Products Direct for bird medication and treat many conditions easily from home if you catch them quickly. Here are some conditions that are common among pet birds, and their treatments.

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Parrot Fever

Parrot Fever (officially known as Psittacosis) is a lung and respiratory infection caused by the Chlamydia bacteria. Symptoms that a bird with parrot fever may exhibit include lethargic energy levels, eye infections, inflammation, labored breathing and watery stool.
While Parrot Fever is highly contagious among birds, it is rarely spread to humans and highly treatable if you shop with Vet Products Direct for bird medication, specifically a simple antibiotic.

Macaw Wasting Syndrome

A powerful disease in pet birds is Macaw or Parrot Wasting Syndrome (officially known as Proventricular Dilatation Disease, or PDD.) What makes this condition particularly troublesome is that, while contagious, the method by which it is spread between birds has yet to be determined. To make matters work, the common symptoms of Macaw Wasting Syndrome often don’t appear until the bird is already quite ill.

These symptoms include a swollen crop, which is the pouch of muscles by the bird’s throat, as well as vomiting, inconsistent changes in droppings, and drastic weight loss. Birds suffering from Macaw Wasting Syndrome usually must be put on a special diet, and treated with NSAIDs for their anti-inflammatory function.

Candida

Candida is essentially a yeast infection that can affect any type of bird. The yeast in the bird’s digestive system becomes overgrown which can cause vomiting and lack of appetite. It also causes problems with the crop, specifically, making it slow to empty. Candida also manifests in the form of white lesions in the mouth area, both inside and around it. Pet owners looking to treat Candida should look for antifungal medicines when they shop with Vet Products Direct for bird medications.

Beak and Feather Disease

As the name would suggest, Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (or, PBFD) can wreak havoc on a bird’s feathers and beak in several ways. The bird may begin to lose feathers all together or lose dander (powder down.) While Beak and Feather Disease can affect birds of any age, it is most common in birds who are two years old or younger. Because of this, another symptom may be irregular feather development.

In the beak, a bird may develop lesions or other abnormal growths. PBFD is technically what humans would consider a viral skin disease, so the first step in treatment is often a skin and feather biopsy performed by a veterinarian. Unfortunately, once infected, a bird will carry this virus for life as there is no cure or effective treatment. However, a regimen of nutritional supplements can suppress the disease and its symptoms, allowing your pet bird to live a normal, long life in many cases.

Polyomavirus

Finally, we’ll look at another serious viral disorder in pet birds: Polyomavirus. In the feathers, its symptoms are like Beak and Feather disease, but it is faster moving and more severe. For birds with Polyomavirus, tailfeathers and flight feathers may not develop, or they may develop abnormally. Other outward symptoms include a swollen abdomen or even paralysis. But in some cases, no outward symptoms are exhibited. Unfortunately, birds with Polyomavirus are contagious and can spread the infection easily.

The easiest way to keep your pet bird healthy is preventative care through regular physical, blood, and fecal examinations by a veterinarian. On top of that, keeping a bird’s living area clean and trimming their wings 2-4 times a year will help them live a healthy, full life as a great pet and friend!

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