Avoid antiseptic creams as they cake the feathers and cause them to lose heat. Also, they will try to remove the cream from the feathers and ingesting the cream could be very harmful to the bird. You should also keep cotton swabs, cotton balls, gauze pads or a combination of these products to apply the antiseptic. Bandage material should also be kept and the type and size varies from bird to bird. Keep a pair of scissors in the first-aid kit to cut the bandage. Quite often if conditions are helpful, the bird will recoup because of its internal disease fighting mechanism. If no improvement is noticed in a day or two, show the bird to an avian vet. Some symptoms are indicative of specific diseases. We will see Symptoms and Diagnosis All About Health what the more common symptoms are and what they indicate. As a bird owner, you should know to read the signs of Cockatoo illness. After all, early recognition of an illness increases the bird's chances of recovery. When a bird's vocalization suddenly changes or stops, or if it begins to breathe through its mouth or shows signs of weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss or paralysis, it is quite likely that the bird is suffering from aspergillosis. This disease can progress rapidly and can be fatal. However, it must be remembered that many of these indications are quite common and do not necessarily mean that the bird is suffering from aspergillosis. Aspergillosis is a fungal infection. Young birds, and birds with a weak immune system are more vulnerable. The main reasons for the spread of the disease are poor cage sanitation, over crowding and poor ventilation and nutrition. The disease can be treated in several ways. Medicines commonly Aspergillosis All About Health used to treat the ailment, together with supportive care, are Amphotericin B, Itraconazole, Clotrimazole, Lamisil, etc. The actual treatment used will depend on the location and severity of the infection. However, if any of these indications are noticed it is best to refer the bird to an avian vet. Avian influenza, or 'bird flu' as it is more commonly called, is caused by the bird flu virus. It is a commonly occurring virus in wild birds and does not seem to have any significant adverse effect on them. However, the same virus has severe consequences for some domestic birds and often proves fatal. Cases of Cockatoos suffering from bird flu are rare, and the real effect of the virus on these birds is also not fully known. Indications of the disease are coughing and sneezing. The birds feathers become ruffled and its head appears swollen. Other indications are diarrhea and depression. The disease is infectious and is most often spread through saliva, Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) All About Health and other secretions. It is possible for the disease to be passed onto humans through infected poultry. The danger of the disease spreading to humans is real. Therefore, there is a focused effort to make vaccines and make them generally available. The danger from parasites to pet birds is less than the danger to birds in the wild. The reason is the controlled cage environment. In any case, parasites are not such a grave threat. In Cockatoos, parasites cause feather loss and the bird will not be optimally healthy. |