Cockatiels and other parrots love to explore
rooms and every object in a room. It almost seems as if they are attracted
to objects that can mortally wound them the way moths are attracted to a
flicking candle in the dark. Far too many avian household accidents are the
result of human forgetfulness or negligence, but even under the best supervision
and care, pet
birds can still get hurt. Flying accidents and accidents related to flying
probably rank highest in the type of accident sustained by pet birds: flying
into walls, mirrors, windows and ceiling fans, landing on hot stoves, hot pots
with boiling food, water or grease, falling into dishpans, toilet bowls, bath
tubs and aquariums. Other accidents are related to being wounded by a family
dog, cat or ferret, leg bands or over grown toenails getting caught on fabric,
carpets, threads
or on toys, inhaling toxic fumes from chemicals and non-stick cookware, ingesting
foreign objects and heavy metals etc.,for a complete listing Click
Here. Although not a substitute for the
emergency care of an avian vet by any stretch of the imagination, administering
basic, avian first aid to an injured bird does serve a few purposes and those
purposes are: to stabilize a bird until you get to the vet, to prevent immediate
death from bleeding, to help prevent a bird from going into shock, to reduce the chances of infection, to reduce pain
and to prevent the bird from further injury.
All bird owners should have an
avian first aid kit
for their birds and they should know how to use the supplies that it contains. You can either purchase a kit
like the one in the picture to the left or you can put one together
yourself using a hard plastic food container and by purchasing supplies at a pharmacy.
Put your name, your bird's name, the name and phone number of your avian
vet as well as the phone number of the nearest 24 hour emergency veterinary clinic inside your
first aid kit.
Birds have an uncanny way of needing vets late at night, on weekends and on holidays when
veterinarians are closed. Looking through the phone book a few seconds
after your bird crashed into a wall is not the best time to be looking for a
vet. Keep your bird's first aid kit in
a place where it can be easily reached. Don't hide it on the bottom of a
closet or in the back of a kitchen cabinet. Check the expiration dates on supplies periodically because some will need to be
replaced.
First Aid Kit
Alcohol pads for sterilizing.
Styptic stick for bleeding beak/nails.
Kwik-Stop for broken blood feathers, bleeding
beaks/nails and minor skin cuts.
Cornstarch to stop other bleeding.
Antiseptic cleansing wipes.
Topical antibiotic cream.
Hydrogen peroxide.
Visine eye drops to wash wounds (not eyes)
Pliers to remove broken blood feathers,
Wire cutters for cage/toy injuries.
Scissors and nail clippers.
Sterile gauze pads and gauze bandages.
Surgical tape for binding broken wings/legs
Cotton swabs for use on small wounds.
Eyedropper and feeding syringes.
Hand feeding formula for sick birds.
Pedialyte for sick birds.
A supply of pellets and birdseeds, replace every 6 months.
New, unopened bottled water.
Magnifying glass to inspect injuries.
A few folded, white paper towels.
Hand Sanitizer gel or pads
A heating pad for source of heat.
A list of your bird's daily routine.
Phone number of your avian vet.
Phone number of 24 hour vet clinic.
Money for taxi or bus fare to vet.
Your name, address and phone number.
Book on cockatiel care and treatment.
Medical Emergencies
All
of the conditions below require immediate medical attention from an avian vet. Call
your avian vet if your bird is suffering from one of the following conditions.
Egg Binding-Symptoms, bird sitting on the bottom of the cage
floor, rocking back and forth, sitting on tail feathers with her legs spread
apart, tail wagging or bobbing, abdominal distention, straining as if trying
to lay an egg, labored breathing, lack of droppings, ruffled feathers, limbs
may appear bluish white, paralysis of foot, leg. Results, without treatment, death. Call vet and: Click
Here
Animal Bites-Results life threatening, internal injuries,
fractures, systemic infections even from small puncture wounds.
Bee Stings- Results, possible fatality because of the amount of venom.
Bleeding-Results- life threatening. For a 90 gram cockatiel,
losing 18 drops or 1 teaspoon of blood means losing 10 % of the bird's total
blood volume. After losing 20% or more of total blood volume, the bird may not recover.
Bleeding from nares-, (nose) mouth or vent or in droppings, Results-
very serious, possible, internal bleeding, cancer, poisoning.
Broken Blood Feathers-Results, possible bleeding to death.
Click Here
Fractures-Symptoms, drooping wing, inability to move wing,
bruising and swelling of leg, leg in an awkward position. Results, pain,
disability, possible internal injury, infections, bird may go into shock.
Lead and Zinc Poisoning-Results, death, permanent neurological disorder.
Symptoms, loss of balance, inability to fly, falling off perch, twitching,
abnormal head movements, muscle weakness, paralysis, blindness, loose, black
or bright red droppings, pink urates, vomiting. increased thirst and increased
urine.
Concussion-Results, bird may go into shock or suffer brain injury.
Overheating-Symptoms, panting, holding wings away from body,
weakness, Results, shock, coma, high body temperatures can kill a bird.
Frostbite-Results, loss of toes, feet, or bird may go into shock and die.
Foreign Object Inhaled or Eating Foreign Objects-Results, respiratory or digestive damage.
Beak Injuries-Results, inability to eat and preen, infections from wound.
Eye Injuries Results, infection, permanent loss of vision.
Breathing Problems-Results, life threatening and an indication of
illness.
Flesh Protruding from Vent-Prolapsed cloaca, uterus, lower
intestine, tumor, Results- all life threatening conditions .
Shock-Results, death because bird's blood does not circulate.
Vomiting-PDD or other serious illness, ingesting foreign
object, poisoning, digestive tract obstruction. Results, food deprivation,
dehydration, possible death depending on cause,
Seizures: Violent shaking, thrashing or twitching of
wings, legs or entire body from muscle contractions. Possible causes, heavy
metal poisoning, low blood calcium, head trauma, infection, nutritional
deficiency, neurological disorder, epilepsy.
Falling into Oil-Results, life threatening, breathing
problems, eye problems, poisoning, loss of body heat, when feathers become
coated with oil, bird is not able to regulate body temperature.
Shock
and Why it's an Emergency: Just like their human companions, an injured bird, can go into shock.
Shock is a critical condition because the cardio-vascular system fails to supply
adequate amounts of oxygen and nutrients to cells and vital organs. If a bird isn't treated quickly, this lack of oxygen can permanently damage organs in a bird's
body or the bird can die.
Emergency First Aid Care
Until You Get to A Vet The purpose of first aid is to stabilize a bird so
he doesn't die before you get to the vet. All of the above conditions are emergency situations and they all require
treatment from an avian vet AFTER first aid at home. Use your judgment and don't waste valuable
time if your bird has been injured.
Try to keep calm. Birds can sense when we are upset and this will cause even
more stress for an injured bird. Keep your bird calm by talking to him
softly and by having other family members and pets leave the room.
Keep other family members and pets away from the bird.
Examine your bird and look for source of bleeding.
Skin wounds, use cotton balls,
gauze or Q-Tips to gently wash the area with 3% hydrogen peroxide or make a
solution that resembles weak tea using Bentadine and sterile water.
Stop skin bleeding apply direct pressure with gauze pad or paper
towel. If pressure isn't enough, use a coagulant. Dip a moist Q-Tip into cornstarch,
flour or Kwik Stop then apply the dry powder to wound. Kwik-Stop,
available at pet shops and vets, is a styptic product that contains
Benzocaine, an anesthetic to stop
pain and stinging.
Stop beak or nail bleeding by applying direct pressure with gauze pad or
paper towel. If this does not work, pack with cornstarch, flour or Kwik
Stop, taking care to not get any in the bird's eyes, nares or mouth.
Broken blood feathers should be pulled if
bleeding is profuse. Click Here. Apply flour or
cornstarch as a coagulant to the follicle then apply direct pressure. Skin follicles may
need up to 10 minutes of direct pressure after the feather is pulled before
bleeding stops.
Heatstroke-Put bird in cooler, air-conditioned room. Mist with water
until feathers are drenched to the skin. Turn on fan. Offer bird cool water to
drink or drop directly into beak.
Treat burns from steam, hot water, hot pots, stoves, boiling food by misting
with cool water or run under very cool water from sink. If it's
a burned foot and leg, dip in a bowl of very cool water. Apply a
non-greasy topical antibiotic cream. Do NOT use butter, grease or an oil based
antibiotic cream because that will retain heat. For grease burns,
apply cornstarch to absorb oil, then treat with cool water. For acid birds
from drain cleaners or toilet bowl cleaners, flood the area with cool water to
dilute the chemical then apply a light paste made out of baking soda and
water. For alkali burns from ammonia and other products, gently rinse injury
in cool water to dilute chemical than gently apply vinegar to neutralize
the chemical. There is no emergency treatment for mouth burns caused by
chewing on electrical cords.
Broken bones: Don't handle your bird unless it's absolutely necessary. Put
bird in small travel cage to confine movement. If you don't have a travel cage,
remove perches from the regular cage and line the bottom with a soft, non-looped
towel. Unless you know how to make a splint or bandage a bird, trying to wrap
the bird with gauze could cause even more damage.
For swollen, discolored or inflamed legs, check to see if a piece of hair
or thread is wrapped around a toe or legs. If there is, circulation is
being cut off and the bird can permanently lose the use of foot and or leg. Call
a vet. immediately because removing the string or hair is a very delicate
procedure.
Prolapsed Organ.(flesh protruding from vent) Keep the tissue moist with KY jelly and call vet. Prolapsed organs
can only be treated by an avian vet and sometimes stitches are needed.
Oiled Feathers from Cooking Oil or Grease- Call vet. Use first aid ONLY if vet is unavailable.
Remove oil from nares, mouth and around eyes with moist cotton tip swab. Put
bird in sink filled with warm water and very small amount of dishwashing liquid.
Wash feathers gently with fingers, following direction of feather growth. Dip
bird in and out of water for 1 or 2 minutes. Rinse feathers with clean warm
water. Repeat as needed. Blot feathers with towel and dry with blow dryer set on
low. Keep bird warm by raising home temperature to 85-90°F until
completely dry.
Keep your injured cockatiel very warm. Place a heating pad set on low, under the cage and
cover the heating pad with a bath towel. Cover the top 3/4 of your bird's
cage with a towel and keep temperature between 85-90°F.
Call your avian vet immediately and ask staff who answer the phone to
please TELL THE VET that this is a bird emergency and you need to bring your
bird in for treatment. Sometimes tired and over worked office staff do not
realize that treating sick, injured and bleeding birds need immediate care that
same day.
Non-medical
Emergency Situations can also be life threatening and a matter of life or death for our avian
companions .
What happens to a pet bird during catastrophic and natural disasters, such as fires,
floods, hurricanes and tornados? Do our birds become victims of a tragic event or can we help them to escape
safely along with other family members? Sometimes the answer is a sad one
because there may only be a few precious seconds of advanced warning
before the house must be evacuated. You probably have smoke detectors in your
home and fire escape plans for your family but have you included your bird in
those plans and in those practice home fire drills? One of the ways to evacuate a bird quickly is
by using a small
travel that is light enough to carry. Small travel cages for cockatiels are
about the size of a shoe box and they can be purchased at any good pet
shop. Keep the travel cage near the first aid kit. Also keep a towel and
pillowcase nearby to cover the cage when leaving your home. A cloth pillow case will
protect
your bird from smoke inhalation.
Note:: Suppose
you yourself have a medical crisis?
Does anyone else know how to take care of your
bird? Keep a book on cockatiel care next to your bird's cage. Keep a
journal about your bird that explains her daily routine, diet, favorite foods,
favorite words, songs toys and favorite activities. Also include the name and
phone number of your avian vet as well as some photographs of your bird in your
journal. Keep this information near the cage
where it is clearly visible and make sure that you have your bird's name or
picture on the cover. The person who will be taking care of your bird while you
recover will be very grateful for all of this information and you will feel a
lot better too.
Source of First Aid Procedures
The Complete Pet Bird Owner's Handbook,
by Dr. Gary Gallerstein. D.V.M.