Exotic and WiIldlife Medicine: Avian Patient Triage

I would ask the reason for the visit. I would go over owner information, contact information, the bird’s name, species, age, sex and whether or not it has tattoos, microchips or bands. I would record color and record if the animal is a pet/companion or if it is a breeder. Determining the animal’s date of acquisition and where it was obtained and whether or not it was hand-raised or wild caught is information. Whether or not the bird was kept away from other birds or it if was boarded at a pet shop or place that had other birds within the last year may be good questions to go over. Determining the bird’s diet is important. Knowing what foods or varieties of foods the birds eat is important. Knowing how water offered and if charcoal, mineral block, grit or cuttlebone is being provided should be noted. If there are any recent diet changes, a note of this should be made.

This is of interest to me since I work with six birds at work, three amazons, two lovebirds and an African Grey. Recently, they have all gone on diets, food is recorded along with daily vegetables and how much. The birds at work eat rowdybush feed, for instance and they are weighed regularly as well as how much they eat is recorded. This is the sort of information that may be of value to veterinarians and some clients may need to keep these recordings and they may benefit from a thorough understanding of a bird’s diet.

The bird’s caging may be of value to know. This includes but is not limited to knowing if the birds is always caged, caged part of the day, caged at night, in an aviary or if they are able to go wherever they like. If the bird is caged, the side of the cage and where it is and if it is near drafts, doors or windows may be important. The bird’s accessories and perches should be noted and if the bird is bathed. How often the cage is cleaned is important to known. The cage lining may be noted.  If the bird has a separate sleeping place, plays with toys or lives with other birds it should be noted. The owner should be asked if they have other birds.

Other pets should be determined. If the animal is exposed to scents, cleaning chemicals, deodorants or tobacco smoke, this should be noted. Whether or not Teflon products are used in the house should be noted. Whether or not the bird has had any diseases, laboratory tests, vitamins, medicines, supplements, Polyoma virus vaccine or surgery should be noted. Finally, any signs of illness such as sitting fluffed up, difficulty breathing, bobbing the tail, wings drooping, changes in the animals, lameness, or other changes should be noticed. Knowing the birds diet and history of disease may help determine what the animal may have now. Knowing the diet helps know if there are dietary requirements not being met. Knowing the initial check in information such as behavior changes may clarify the situation since they often indicate a physical issue.