KNOX BIRD VETERINARY CLINIC
NEWSLETTER 2007
Welcome to the Knox Bird Veterinary Clinic Newsletter for 2007.
Our newsletter aims to update our clients about new information, treatments and diagnostic tests that have become available throughout the last 12 months. It covers subjects that are topical in the veterinary pigeon world at the moment in Australia. The Knox Bird Veterinary Clinic in Melbourne provides avian veterinary health care, under the guidance of Dr Colin Walker. Dr Walker is a college-accredited avian veterinarian.
Respiratory infection/air sac disease – New diagnostic test available
Like us, pigeons have a windpipe and lungs but in addition they also have very thin balloon-like sacs called air sacs that open out from and connect with the lungs. Infection can occur anywhere throughout this respiratory system. When the infection is in one or more of the air sacs, many pigeon fanciers refer to this as air sac disease. This can be a confusing term because it makes people think that this is a separate disease, when in fact it is not. It simply means that the birds have a respiratory infection with the air sacs being affected. The infectious agents and the treatments used are similar for air sac infection (disease) as they are for other parts of the respiratory system.
Chlamydia is a common cause of respiratory infection in pigeons and these days, in addition to the other tests already used, can accurately be diagnosed through either one of two types of blood tests or testing of a mouth swab. For fanciers who are a long way from the clinic, these tests can be modified for home use. This helps the consultant veterinarian to give advice based on real results rather than just an intelligent guess. This means advice can be more specific and accurate. Mouth swabs are collected by wiping a swab deeply into the ‘slot’ in the roof of a bird’s mouth. In the clinic, vets usually draw blood directly from a vein. However, in the loft the technique for Chlamydia testing can be adapted to give good results. An area of skin just above a claw is cleaned and then pricked with a sterile needle. The drop of blood that pools onto the skin is then wiped onto a test paper, which is then returned to a sealed vial before mailing to the clinic. Both Chlamydial antibodies (this test takes 4 – 5 hours to do at the clinic and costs $49.50) and Chlamydial DNA (this test takes 10 days and cost $66) can be checked for. Test kits can be mailed to you. Dr Walker will advise which test is best for your birds. Respiratory infection can not be diagnosed through microscopic examination of droppings. The advice of anyone who says that respiratory infection or air sac disease can be diagnosed through a dropping examination should be ignored.
Circo virus – a new diagnostic test
Circo virus remains a persistent problem in pigeons throughout Australia. In the past, the disease could only be diagnosed by examination of tissues collected during an autopsy. A new blood test enables accurate diagnosis from a live bird. Blood is collected routinely as outlined above.
Respiratory medication – which medication should I use?
Several blends of antibiotics are commonly used to treat respiratory infection/ air sac disease in pigeons. Most are based on either doxycycline, tylosin or spiramycin. Respiratory infection in pigeons is often a combination infection involving Chlamydia, Mycoplasma and various bacteria (described as the Ornithosis complex). Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice to treat Chlamydia, while tylosin is very effective against Mycoplasma and spiramycin kills a range of bacteria. ‘Doxyvet’ is 12% doxycycline. ‘Doxy-T’ contains doxycycline and tylosin. ‘Resfite’ contains doxycycline and spiramycin, while ‘Orni Special’ contains doxycycline, tylosin and spiramycin. Each product has its place in the control and treatment of respiratory infection. Changing from one to another also helps to head off problems with antibiotic resistance. If problems with respiratory infections are diagnosed, Dr Walker can prescribe and advise you on the appropriate product for your birds.
The new pigeon pellets
In 2006, the Australian Pigeon Company began production of their pigeon pellets. These are a fantastic and economical way of providing a complete and balanced diet for the birds. It was a matter of accessing the best information sources regarding avian nutrition from around the world to produce a pellet that simply contains everything the birds require and in the right proportions. No other supplements are required (apart from grit) when the birds are on these pellets. Dr Colin Walker’s own breeding birds have been fed virtually nothing else now for over 12 months and the youngsters produced this year are absolutely beautiful. Quite simply, fanciers not using these pellets should be. They are such an easy way of providing a complete diet. Because of the increased ability to resist disease when on a good diet, fanciers feeding pellets can expect less health problems with their birds. To date this has been particularly noticed with E. coli, wet canker and ‘eye colds’.
And what about keeping stock birds in condition? Some fanciers feed a reduced ration or for example only barley to get weight off their birds prior to pairing. It simply makes no sense to feed a deficient diet just before pairing when the birds need to be at their best. The pellets are formulated to contain 6% fat. Stock birds cannot become fat on this, no matter how much they eat. The answer to keeping stock birds trim all year round is simply to feed pellets.
Fanciers will notice that a small amount of powder forms in each bag. This is due to the action of the pellets moving against each other in the bag and is unavoidable. It takes about 3 – 4 days for the birds to get used to the pellets and also for the first 2 – 3 weeks the birds will drink a bit more., which makes the droppings a bit sloppy. These signs pass quickly and are a small inconvenience for the long-term benefits of a complete diet.
Two pellet types are available. Maintenance pellets can be fed to any pigeons all the time. Racing pellets are designed to be fed as 10 – 20% of the total diet based on grain for fanciers wishing to feed a grain-based diet to their race birds. A suggested blend is 40% peas, 10% racing pellets, 15% corn, 15% safflower, 10% milo and 10% wheat. Do note that when racing pellets are added to a grain blend, they will initially be eaten last. The racing pellets can be viewed as the birds each taking their own vitamin/mineral dose at the end of their feed before going on to their perches.
Because of the increased cost and decreased availability of grain due to the drought, the pellets in many areas are now actually cheaper than grain and have none of the problems associated with prolonged storage and bacterial or fungal contamination. The pellets do not interfere with the use of any medication and are made fresh regularly. Pellet purchases also gain credits for free youngsters from the APC loft. If your produce store does not stock them, simply ask them to place an order. Alternatively, fanciers or clubs can order directly from us.
Supply of prescription medications
Recently much has been written in the pigeon press about the supply of prescription medication. Veterinary legislation places requirements (and severe penalties) on veterinarians regarding the supply of prescription medications. In the vast majority of cases, this is not a problem as vets accept as part of the responsibility of their job the well-being of the animals under their care and obviously part of this involves the appropriate supply and use of medications.
At times, the availability or rather the refusal of a vet to supply a prescription medication can seem frustrating, particularly to experienced pigeon fanciers who may have raced pigeons for many years or indeed decades and are very familiar with recognising and treating the common diseases. However, even for experienced fanciers (and vets) new information, treatments and diagnostic methods become available all the time. Dr Walker and the staff at the Knox Bird Veterinary Clinic realise that many pigeon fanciers live a long way from a qualified avian vet, making such things as loft visits and examination of race teams difficult. However, to comply with current legislation, veterinarians must examine birds to establish a need for medication, which is, of course, just common sense. The Knox staff is keen to work with fanciers to help them maintain their birds’ health and, of course, comply with any legislative requirements. In order to diagnose a problem so that accurate advice and correct medication can be supplied, fanciers must speak with Dr Walker. Dr Walker will often suggest that samples or material be sent to the clinic for testing or review. Dead birds for autopsy, droppings, eggs, blood and throat swabs can be sent to the clinic in Australia Post overnight bags. Live birds can also be sent to the clinic (Westberg Couriers can bring birds from anywhere in Victoria into the clinic for about $15 while Barnetts Couriers offer a similar service in NSW for about $50; birds from other states can be sent to Melbourne Airport). Photos of lofts and birds either sent in as a hard copy or emailed are also of use. Where it is simply not possible to assist distant fanciers, they will be directed to their closest avian veterinarian. If the need for medication has been determined, then it will be prescribed. For fanciers who do not wish to submit samples or send birds, we will be happy to give phone advice but regret that we will not be able to supply any medication. Of course, this all works for the best as it ensures that medication is used correctly with the long-term winners being healthier birds.
Many pigeon fanciers throughout Australia use the Knox Clinic as their avian health-care provider. Long-term clients will be familiar with the clinic’s methods and it is hoped that the above helps clarify matters for these fanciers and also explains the situation to new clients.
Probac – two types now available
The Australian Pigeon Company’s popular product Probac now comes both with and without garlic. Probac is a concentrated multistrain probiotic registered for use exclusively in birds.
F10 – a new disinfectant
What sets F10 apart from other ‘strong’ disinfectants on the market is its broad spectrum effectiveness and its unmatched safety. TGA- and APVMA-approved, it is effective against viruses (including circo virus), bacteria and fungi. The product is non-corrosive, non-toxic, biodegradable, non-tainting, non-irritating, totally safe to handle and not hazardous. It is highly effective at low concentrations. No rinsing is required after use. Simply apply and leave to dry. The disinfectant will not affect birds adversely, even if fogged into lofts.
Canker – what medication is best for my bird?
Canker is the most common disease that affects pigeons in Australia and probably the world. Currently in Australia there are four canker treatments available. ‘Emtril’ containing dimetridazole, was the first and for a while the only treatment available. It has a narrow safety margin, making the birds uncoordinated in overdose. It cannot be used during breeding because of the difficulty of accurately dosing birds in the water with different aged youngsters in the nest and also because it interferes with sperm production in cocks for about 6 weeks after use, rendering them temporarily infertile and leading to clear eggs. An alternative is ronidazole. Ronidazole is found in ‘Turbosole’ at a 10% strength and in ‘Ronivet-S’ at a 6% strength. It is very safe, works quickly and is excreted quickly from the body. This makes it ideal to use during racing because it can be given for 2 – 3 days early in the week to clear a canker infection but is gone from the pigeon’s system by basketing on Thursday or Friday. The next anti-canker medication is ‘Spartrix’. ‘Spartrix’ contains carnidazole. ‘Spartrix’ is available as a tablet (one for each bird) and is excreted slowly from the system over 3 – 4 days. This long-acting effect makes it very useful as a single treatment for race birds with wet canker and for babies in the nest with canker. The final anti-canker medication available is metronidazole. This is available in tablets called ‘Flagyl’ and also in syrups. Treatment needs to be repeated daily.
Drug resistance to all of these medications is seen and even if the medication has been used exactly as directed a follow-up crop flush should be done to ensure that treatment has been successful. In particular, when treating regularly for wet canker during racing, it is a good idea to regularly swap to different medication to head off any drug resistance. The staff at the Knox Bird Clinic can advise on treatment protocols and which medication is best for your birds.
KNOX BIRD VETERINARY CLINIC11 HENRY RD
WANTIRNA SOUTH, VICTORIA
AUSTRALIA 3152 / PH: 03 98005311 or for the cost of a local call 1300 132 038
FAX: 03 98005944
Email:
www.auspigeonco.com.au
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