Giardia

[weco]

Since the first of the year there have been a number of posts about birds picking & scratching at their neck, under wings & around tail feathers, for no apparent reason.....in those instances I've suggested speaking with their vet about getting the bird checked for giardia.....an insidious parasite infestation that can cause a bird to feather pluck & if not treated early, the plucking can become a habit, lead to mutilation and even possibly the bird's death.....

Well, today I've been going through a bunch of files that needed to be dealt with & ran across a giardia story that came from another group...and I have permission to disseminate the story, so figured those with birds that seem to develop unexplained itching/scratching, feather barbing/chewing & even mutilation, might find the story/information useful.....

I'm going to venture a guess that the majority of the birds whose parronts are members or passing through guests, will never see an avian veterinarian, whether because of financial reasons or simply because there is not one nearby...but...with the internet, even a large animal veterinarian might be able to, via telephone consultation with an avian vet experienced in diagnosing giardia, to treat an infested bird.....

Like high blood pressure is called the silent killer of we humans, I think giardia could hold it's own as an unknown killer of companion birds.....

Enough of my soap box preaching, the attached story is of a peach-faced lovebird.....

Because of forum size constraints, the story is in 3 parts.....

 

[ShellyBorg]

Great read and good info!

 

[RiahWillow]

Weco,

I worked for an avian vet for many years, and we were always talking to bird parents about the dangers of Giardia. It is easy to prevent by keeping clean water for the bird at all times and not allowing the bird to lick standing water on any surface. It is hard to keep them from licking things but it is important for people to realize that when out and about with their bird they need to keep the surface their bird touches clean just as they would if they had a newborn baby and didn't want to end up dealing with the croup, cold or flu.
I am happy to see that someone is covering this information, thank you so much for sharing. I wonder if anyone has put together a list of trusted avian vets that could be consulted by people who do not have an avian vet nearby? Sometimes I have noticed that small animal vets and large animal vets will know the basics about beak trimming, nail trims and feather trimming, yet when it comes to diet and other necessities they know about as much as the average Joe does on the internet with the best intentions but misinformation. It would be great to have trusted avian vets that people could have their own vet consult with to keep our feathered babies safe.

Riah

 

[weco]

Thanks guys...it just gets frustrating when people login looking for help with a problem, get credible advice, but continue their search when they're not given an instant solution or when the advice suggests they devote more of their free time to learning/reading about the problem & how to try and correct them.....

Sorry for the rant.....but both step daughters & their mother, have my neck hairs on end...youngest one graduated from HS with honors yesterday, but Friday night she tried to remove a hang nail with a pocket knife & laid the end of her thumb open...not really a bad cut (two little stitches), but her concern was that the bandage would clash with her white dress & she was concerned that she'd be at the beach & wouldn't be able to go in the water.....the doctor just couldn't keep a straight face long enough...he acquiesced & told her she could go in after 48 hours...I had him telling her 4-5 days.....then oldest SD, who came home from school Friday, wanted to borrow my car today & confessed to driving home on a virtually brand new set of tires, with one half inflated (ruined the tire) & then her mother told her she could go down & put a new tire on her CC, after I'd told the girl she'd have to pay for it.............at least the birds listened to me...while chewing more holes in my T-shirt.....

I know someone started a vet listing, I think international, but there's not really a way to store important information files on the forum, though they do have stickies that I guess serve as a type of folder.....

Riah, you're not from Franklin, by chance.....I got my p'let from the animal shelter there.....

 

[MikeyTN]

I work in Franklin weco, Riah is in Thompson Station which is just a bit south of Franklin. Did you adopt at Happy tails??? I've heard bad stuffs about them....I used to know quite a few people volunteer there and they have all quit because of their new management. All they think about is money now days instead of the animals.....

 

[weco]

I work in Franklin weco, Riah is in Thompson Station which is just a bit south of Franklin. Did you adopt at Happy tails??? I've heard bad stuffs about them....I used to know quite a few people volunteer there and they have all quit because of their new management. All they think about is money now days instead of the animals.....

Don't remember what it was called, but it was the county animal shelter...four years ago, it looked only about a year old.....it was a $20 fee, 2 forms to fill out & "enjoy your new bird" & off we went...cage, half a dozen nice toys, bag of Zupreem 'tiel food, cage, cage blanket, sleep tent & Squirt.....somebody had left it all covered up in front of the door one night.....

 

[Boysmom]

Thanks weco for this useful post. I am a germaphobe ever since my son contracted Giardia 13 years ago. My Ex husband took my 2 year old son to a power plant lake, along with my 2 older sons to swim and play. Max dropped his pacifier into the water, and ex hubby just stuck it back into his mouth. Max came down with terrible diarrhea and stomache pains, and rapidly lost weight. It took 8 months for the Dr's figured out he had Giardia. He had lost so much weight he looked like and weighed same as a 6 month old, I was very lucky he survived that ordeal. Germs and sanitation are always my top priority, the tiniest of things can make us deathly ill.

People should always be careful of their pets health, they are our children and our responsibility to keep them safe and well. I like that weco stated we should treat them like newborn babies, as they havent been immunized against all the nasty bugs out there.

 

[BoomBoom]

Wow, what an ordeal for that lady and Squeeky. How sad. I still don't know how the bird got Giardia! I've never actually heard of it until now. Thanks for the post, Weco. It was very informative but left me with a bunch of questions.

It is kind of conflicting with things I read about people being too germophobic that it actually harms our birds. But in this case, it is advised to be very, very much so.

Either way, I'll try to take extra precaution. I am scared reading posts like this because I am somewhat of a chronic worry wart.

 

[BoomBoom]

Ah here it is:

"Giardia has two stages, the cyst which is the infective stage and the diagnostic stage and the trophozoites, which, while also a diagnostic stage, does not survive away from the host. The cyst are resistant forms which are responsible for the transmission of giardiasis. They are hardy and can survive for several months in cold water or outside of the host. Infection occurs by the ingestion of cysts in contaminated water, food, or by the fecal-oral route. Living in the small intestine (usually the duodenum) excystation releases trophozoites. Each cyst produces two trophozoites, which multiply by longitudinal binary fission, remaining in the lumen of the proximal small bowel where they can be free or attached to the mucosa by a ventral sucking disk. This retards digestion and assimilation of nutrients for the host. Encystation occurs as the parasites transit toward the colon."

Got it from this post, some might find it a good, informative read: HolisticBird and HolisticBirds

 

[Kalidasa]

Pretty scary stuff! I never heard of it until now, just read a little about it online, and I just came across an interesting tidbit...that oregano (fresh is best) has a preventative effect if injested daily, that the parasite finds a compound within oregano unbearable. Have to research this further....

 

[BoomBoom]

Interesting about oregano, I read about it too along with garlic. These are probably good preventative measures if we can get our birds to eat them.

What would be the best way to offer oregano or garlic? They just seem so blechh.

 

[BoomBoom]

Garlic... hmmm I read most birds like it. But then I'd have to say goodbye to my awesome-smelling conure once he starts eating it.

 

[Kalidasa]

I saw the oregano thing on avianweb.com, in the section about giardia. Lol! Don't they smell wonderful? I thought it was just me and because I adore her so much, but she smells absolutely delicious! It must be a conure thing. (Or parrots in general)
I'm just going to clothespin to her bars like I do all her greens. (I usually give her Indian basil).

 

[BoomBoom]

Yes they do smell awesome. Just this morning, I was trying to figure out why I love Boomer's smell so much. Sometimes I would position my nose by his beak when he grooms because his breath smells so wonderful! LOL. Reminds me of a newborn puppy's breath, or nuts and strawberries. Something nice.

But yeah, garlic will kill that. Oregano, I don't even think my conure would eat that raw. I think they have to be raw to be beneficial. Argh this thread has got me so worried and paranoid.

 

[BoomBoom]

PS. Let me know how she takes to the fresh Oregano. Also where do you buy them fresh?

 

[Kalidasa]

Omg I know! Because, come on, they test everything with their beaks and tongues. I've got to put this topic out of my mind, before I start reviewing everything I've seen them lick.
Ok, deep breath, it's gonna be okay!
Yup ill keep you posted. You can get it at any grocer, fruit-market, etc. and it's real easy to grow from seed, I used to have it in my garden, I'm gonna start more, because I actually use it on my food a lot.

 

[BoomBoom]

*deep breath*

Man, I am seriously worrying!!! I love and hate Weco's threads sometimes, because they turn my world upside down, just when I think I've got everything under control

Well I'm off to Vons to see if they have fresh oregano.

 

[weco]

Don't feel bad Boomer & Kalidasa, we all can go 20-30 or more years enjoying our feathered friends and never hear about some of the things that can affect them, until we or someone we know are faced with the problem.....

For those who want to or do do their own further research, I would stay with government and/or medical sourced information.....while there is a lot of good anecdotal stories, there is also a lot of junk info & wading through the junk can easily dissuade a person from good research.....

Often we get complacent when everything seems to go right, then something happens out of the blue, for no apparent reason, like plucking and/or barbing & many of us think something must have changed in the bird's environment & it's a behavioral issue, but maybe the owner didn't notice the several curled little feathers that came in with the good ones, so when the owner posts to a group or forum like this, nobody suggests the possibility of PDD or if they do, the owner figures that can't be the case, my bird(s) haven't been around other birds, but wait, nobody thinks of or mentions the painter that was with that crew that painted the house a couple of months ago...the one who talked at length about the couple of birds he had.....

We can't really protect our family from every bad thing that is out there, but we can work on our own personal knowledge bases.....it's not so much of finding the time to do it as it is making the time to do it.....you can miss an American Idol or two & so what if you don't see this week's survivor.....with me, it's the two NCIS programs, but heck, wait a few weeks & I can go to the CBS website & watch them.....

 

[weco]

*deep breath*

Man, I am seriously worrying!!! I love and hate Weco's threads sometimes, because they turn my world upside down, just when I think I've got everything under control

Well I'm off to Vons to see if they have fresh oregano.

Well Boomer, I guess I could set up an e-mail service & send to everybody except you, or go back to just being a non-participating forum member...that way you wouldn't have to worry about early grey hair or apoplexy..... )

 

[BoomBoom]

Weco, I appreciate all your valuable advice and the information you share to the community. As much as your threads scare the crap out of me sometimes I look forward to clicking on them because I know how much it's going to help me care for boomer properly.