EMERGENCY FIRST AID

BE PREPARED IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

This article is presented to you, the Avian Enthusiast, in order to help prepare you in case of an emergency with your feathered friends. The suggestions contained herein are not intended to forego a trip to a competent Avian Veterinarian. But for the most part are only temporary measures to ensure your bird makes it to a veterinarian. It seems that many emergencies happen in the middle of the night or on weekends when it sometimes is difficult to make contact with your avian vet.

Basic principles to remember:

How to Handle a Broken Blood Feather: Restrain bird and using a needle nose pliers or tweezers for smaller birds, grasp the bleeding feather firmly as close to skin as possible. Remove the broken, bleeding feather with a firm, quick pull, Be certain that the entire feather sheath has been removed. Next, apply coagulant to hole holding firmly until bleeding stops.

If you are unable to remove the entire feather sheath and stop the bleeding, you will need to apply a large amount of Kwlk Stop to end of broken feather sheath. Apply a constant steady pressure to the bleeding area and transport the bird to your avian veterinarian.

Ingestion of Toxic House Plants: First, flush out bird's mouth. Give fluids orally as much as the bird will take. It is imperative to get the bird to the vet in less than one hour. Remove all toxic plants from your household to prevent future accidents.

Poisoning from fumes (Teflon, paints, solvents, insecticides, etc..): Immediately upon discovery of fumes, remove all pets from the building. Ventilate by using fans, opening windows, etc.. Even if your bird is showing no signs of poisoning, as a precautionary measure, it would be beneficial to have them checked out at the veterinarian.

In case of vomiting: First, determine if your bird is actually vomiting or is regurgitating. Vomiting is an emergency situation. If your bird is vomiting, give small amounts of fluids orally to keep them rehydrated. Keep them warm and do not administer antibiotics. Transport the bird to the avian veterinarian as soon as possible.

In case of diarrhea: Always keep your bird warm and administer oral fluids such as Pedialyte or Ringers Lactate to help keep them rehydrated. Do not give antibiotics. It may be helpful to use a small amount of Pepto Bismol to decrease pain if it is present. Transport to avian vet for cultures and the proper antibiotics.

In event of injury from dog or cat bites: Thoroughly examine bird to determine full extent of injuries. Flush open wounds with a betadine solution. (If wounds on back bubble, stop immediately.) Transport bird to vet immediately even if wounds appear of a minor nature. Even the smallest wound can prove lethal due to possible internal injuries and infections.

Egg binding: Keep bird warm and administer oral calcium every 15-30 minutes until an egg is produced. Sources of oral calcium are- Calcium Chloride, Calcium Gluconate, Powdered milk mixed with Pedialyte, and Condensed sweet milk.

Apply small amount of vegetable oil just inside vent. You may have to express egg. BE CAREFUL!

To prevent egg binding, always supply a source of calcium such as cuttlebone or Osteo-Form (Other sources of dietary calcium are sterilized egg shells, DiCalcium Phosphate powder, insects.) If birds are housed indoors, use vitalights or another type of full spectrum lighting.

Burns: Apply liberal quantities of cool water. Use a topical cortisone ointment or another non-greasy ointment such as Oxyfresh Pet Gel. Transport to avian vet.

Fractures: Immobilize fracture and apply antibiotic ointment to any protruding bone ends. Apply moist sterile saline dressings to open wounds. Transport to vet. Keep bird calm. It is best to transport in a darkened shipping container.

Reprinted by Pretty Birds from Feeding Tech's NEWSLINE 1996

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