Bird breeders lung ?

[Boysmom]

perhaps would anyone have any knowledge or experience with bird breeders lung ? I know all the typical info available on the internet, but would like to hear some personal stories or info on the subject.

 

[Timothy]

A friend of mine has bird lung. Its not specific to breeders. Bird lung is from inhaling the powdery sbstance most commonly found on african greys, cockatiels, cockatoos, etc. Birds like Macaws, Sun Conures, lovebirds etc don't produce it. the only amazon that produces it is the Mealy amazon (The big one) over time it becomes an irritant and can cause a bad cough and other symptoms.

I don't know a whole lot about it.

 

[Scott]

Haven't heard of this, but definitely don't have Bird Lung as I live with 8 cockatoos! Don't get colds too frequently, but they seem to progress at the same rate as BB. (Before Birds)

 

[weco]

Several years ago, I rehomed two of a friend's flock.....she, her family & flock had to resettle to the Houston area after Katrina.....after a couple of years in Houston, her doctors told her that if she didn't give up her birds, that it would be a good idea to get all her affairs in order.....she had conures & caiques.....

 

[Birdman666]

Honestly, this is as much a ventilation and housekeeping issue as anything.

I volunteered at a rescue that had 350 birds, and a large precentage of them were large toos. Needless to say, there was a lot of (daily) cleaning involved.

What happens is that long term exposure to excessive amounts of dander (and dried feces - that would be EVERY bird, not just the dander birds - don't kid yourself) leads to an unhealthy level of air quality. The dander particles get into the lungs, and over a period of many years, become a lung irritant, leading to breathing problems later in life.

The solution is fairly simple: keep the birds in a well ventilated room, bathe dander birds frequently - at least once per week - preferably daily mistings, weekly soakings, vacuum, dust, and clean cages sufficiently often enough that the dander is not allowed to accumulate in significant amounts.

i.e. do the housework that comes with owning a dander bird - or any bird for that matter - but most especially the dander birds.

Most folks clean up because simply because it's disgusting if you don't. If you have a fairly large number of dander birds in the house, it's a health hazard.

 

[Boysmom]

Thanks Birdman666 and Weco. Do either of you know symptoms that are associated with this ?

Several months ago I was diagnosed with whooping cough. At my 3 month check up, the Dr asked if I kept or bred birds. My Dr seems to think that Flora Jane ( my Pan Zon ) is exasperating my recovery. I am getting worse not better. Flora lives in my bedroom as Ruby won't speak if she can see or hear Flora Jane. I keep her cage and area very clean and even use a HEPA filter in bedroom. I wish I had another room for Flora for a while for me to recover, but I don't.

 

[Birdman666]

I'm not versed enough in it.

I'm not sure it's fair to blame your bird for this. Doctor's are like mechanics, they go down the list of "possible" causes, until they eliminate the "right one" and you start getting better.

If the bird is in a well ventiallated room, and you're using hippa filtration, then I suspect that he might be barking up the wrong tree... but I am not a doctor.

Is there someplace where you could board your birds for a few weeks while you recover? Might be an option to consider.

At least that would eliminate the birds as a possible cause.

 

[Boysmom]

I agree Birdman666 ! Thats why I'm doing some research on my own, as I really don't think Flora is the issue. She really isn't a dust or dander messy bird. At this point I believe the Dr is guessing. Flora could spend a week or two with Grandma, but I really don't think she is the issue.

Plus I don't wheeze at all, just coughing and fatigue.

 

[Birdman666]

Years ago, my doctors diagnosed me with one horrible thing after another, because they couldn't figure it out. (Turns out it was a rare form of arthritis, that is very simple to treat.) Until they found the right medication, the prognosis was grim, and for two months they poked, and probed, and couldn't figure it out...

Then I found the right specialist, and one exam and a new prescription - all better, and back to being my same old, reckless, active self again.

One of the "other" doctors told me I might never walk again... (at age 27 - I'm in my 50's now thank you, and have walked just fine all these years, except for that little skydiving [toe/foot/ankle fracture] mishap a few years back...)

The bird didn't give you whooping cough. Sounds like you've just got a bad case of it. So your recovery is taking longer.

But I'm not a doctor. (Mine isn't an educated guess. It's just a guess.)