General Caged Bird First Aid
Dr. Hinkle
When a pet bird is compromised medically there are a number of things owners can do to improve and stabilize their avian friend prior to visiting an avian veterinarian.
Trauma
The basic principles of human first aid are applicable to the pet bird. If the bird is still and not breathing you have nothing to lose by doing some form of CPR. Generally pressing on the chest walls in a rhythmic set of beats will help air move through the air sacs and lungs. This may get a stunned apnic bird breathing again. If the bird is not moving, open the beaks and make sure an obvious airway obstruction isn’t present.
Many times a bird has bleeding, and this needs to be stopped immediately if it is a flowing and not just blood stained feathers. Bleeding wounds are often difficult to control because of visualization problems caused by the feathers and the panicking bird and owners. Wrap the bird in and appropriate towel or terry cloth and keep the legs and wings from interfering with your view. Apply pressure to the source with a tissue or small cloth pad, and periodicly check the wound to see if bleeding is subsiding. Many broken blood feathers and close cut toe nails occur, and there’s no reason to panic. You can pluck the bleeding blood feather and it should stop bleeding immediately. You can use any kitchen powder (flour, corn starch, etc), or a steptic stick to a toenail, and with patience this should take care of a bleeding nail. The bird must be restrained to do these things properly. Obviously if you can’t stop a flow you have a medical emergency. If the bleeding is stopped you can clean the feathers up with hydrogen peroxide, just don’t get the bird soaking wet. Even if sutures are required, many of these skin bleeders can wait until regular office hours once you have stopped the bleeding. Next treat the bird as you would a stressed or sick bird (see below).
Fractures usually occur in the limbs, and aren’t as demanding an emergency as breathing and bleeding problems. Stabilizing the patient is most important. Pain and fear can cause the bird to do more damage to itself. If a wing or leg isn’t functioning properly, there’s a chance of fracture. Remember if there is a broken bone, it’s not going to heal for weeks with the best of care, so unless there’s frank bleeding that you can’t control, or an uncontrolled patient that is further injuring themselves (usually wildlife), try to calm the patient and wait until business hours to seek help. Splints and bandages are difficult to install, so wait for professional help before attempting these. Stress and sick bird support should commence once the bird is still. (see below)
When a bird is so traumatized that they can’t perch or right themselves, professional help is probably warranted. This especially true if you’ve done all you can to stabilize them and they are not responding to stress and medical support.
Owners must be sure that the bird hasn’t been poisoned by something ingested or inhaled that is a known bird toxin. All unusual fumes and gases should be assumed toxic. Painting, spraying, and burning fumes should all be considered a hazard. This includes cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and marihuana. Get the bird out of this environment! Ozone off the refrigerator motor, and a Teflon™ pan burnt meal can be deadly to birds as well. Even a faulty furnace can affect your bird way before the humans who are moving in and out of the house.
Ingested items that are toxic to birds include everything that is not quality food. Common toxins come from metallic items, spoiled foods, alcoholic beverages, houseplants, colored markers, and medications. The rate of illness progression and the toxin type will dictate whether or not you have an emergency.
Stress and Medical Support (Heat, Energy, and Quiet)
Most medical conditions that present themselves to the bird owner are not acute conditions that just recently developed. Trauma, and egg binding are examples of acute problems. The majority of the stressed and weakened ill birds have developed problems related to management (their set up) and nutrition. These animals may suddenly look puffed, vocalize less, decrease their activity and appetite, have diarrhea, and may even be vomiting. These are more chronic problems. Owners generally aren’t aware that birds don’t advertise their sickness as vividly as mammals. Subtleties in health changes often escape the owner’s awareness until the animal is more severely ill. To avoid emergency help owners can institute actions that can help improve the bird until business hours become available with an avian doctor.
Sick birds can be helped by doing some simple things:
Keep the bird warm. This is the most important thing owners can do. Normal avian body temperatures are usually 106°-107° Fahrenheit. To keep warm a bird has to expend a lot of energy. Most cage birds will be less stressed when ill in an 85°-90° F environment. With smaller species the easiest way to achieve this is to make the cage a terrarium. Wrap the cage tightly in Saran® wrap and place the cage on a heating pad set to high. Only small slits in the wrap are needed for fresh air, and these should be at the service doors of the cage. Remember your trying to trap the warm air!
Encourage food and fluid intake. Don’t force feed, but instead go with good foods and juices, if you have to, treats are ok. Often high-energy fruit juices can be given by dropper if the bird is responding. Complete pancake batters are also good sources of energy and fluids. Electrolyte preparations for people are fine too, like Gatorade® or Pedialyte®
Medications are difficult to administer to birds unless they are in an appropriate liquid. The antibiotics sold for the watering cup are not effective, so save your money. Other liquid antibiotic preparations for humans are tricky to dose correctly, so initial antibiotic protection is not usually practical for owners to attempt. Muscular injections or oral liquids may be the required antibiotic avenues prescribed by an avian veterinarian. Preparations like kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol® have some merit, but only limited administration should work if they are going to help. Pain relief is difficult to dispense and administer, so best left for the doctor to deal with.
Quiet and darkness will help reduce stress. Decrease the handling and environmental stimulation when possible. Birds are not used to eating after bedtime anyway, so get them to bed and cover the cage from light when you can, make them sleep!