Texas A&M Compares Chromosomes of Congo African Grey to Other ParrotsMarch 15, 2016Congo African grey parrots are considered one of the top 10 best pet birds to own according to BirdChannel.com, but little is known about their genetic makeup. But that’s all changing thanks to the researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) who have been studying the parrot’s chromosomes. In a paper published in Cytogenetic and Genomic Research, scientists looked at the Congo African grey parrot’s chromosomes and compared them to other parrot species from South America and Australia. “This is the first study of its kind in true African parrots,” said Dr. Terje Raudsepp, associate professor and lead author of the study. “So far, analogous work in parrots has been done in three South American macaws, Australian budgerigars and cockatiels, and peach-faced lovebirds from Asia and Africa.” The study found that Congo African grey parrots were strikingly similar to Neotropical macaws found in South America. Unexpectedly, Congo African grey parrots were genetically more similar to Neotropical macaws, such as the scarlet macaw and the green-winged macaw, than parrots from Australia, such as cockatiels and budgerigars (budgies). …
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LafeberVet Schedules Webinar on Feather Destructive BehaviorJune 11, 2015Feather destructive behavior can be one of the most common and frustrating behavioral problems seen in captive psittacine birds. To learn more about this, attend LafeberVet's free, interactive, RACE-approved webinar “Feather Destructive Behavior in Psittacine Birds” on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. ET. The presentation is worth 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that accept American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) RACE approval. Lynne Seibert, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, will review feather picking, feather chewing and self-inflicted trauma to soft tissue in parrots and their case management. Registration opens in early September. For more information, go to LafeberVet.com.
The Latest on Proventricular Dilatation DiseaseFebruary 6, 2015Researchers are making progress in the fight to track and treat one of the most common illnesses affecting exotic birds. Proventricular Dilatation Disease, or PDD, is the result of an avian bornavirus infection and is characterized by intestinal paralysis, which results in food becoming stuck in the bird’s proventriculus. The intestine swells, causing discomfort, and when the gut cannot absorb nutrients from the stalled food, the bird dies. Interestingly, not all birds with PDD show these symptoms, and some can live years after exposure to the virus—as many as six or seven—before developing the illness. PDD was once called Macaw Wasting Disease, as it was originally thought just to impact macaws, but we now know it can be found in parrots, finches, lovebirds, quaker parakeets, and cockatiels, as well as wild water fowl such as geese and mute swans. Scientists have made some headway in their quest to better understand the disease in the past three years. Dr. Ian Tizard, DVM, Ph.D, and director of the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center at Texas A&M University, has made PDD a career-long focus. Recent progress has provided something of a good news/bad news situation, according to Tizard. Recent projects have revolved around …
Avian Vet Specialist Part IFebruary 23, 2014Take a virtual tour of vet offices, and find out how vets run their offices, ORs and more. brightcove.createExperiences(); Watch Part 2 here.
Avian Vet Specialist Part IIFebruary 22, 2014 Take a virtual tour of vet offices, and find out how vets run their offices, ORs and more. brightcove.createExperiences();
Teaching Clients About The Birds And The SeedsAugust 26, 2013 "Probably most pet owners still think ‘seeds’ when it comes to food for their parrots," admitted Larry Nemetz, DVM, an avian-only veterinarian in Santa Ana, Calif. "Nationwide, the pet owners who opt for a formulated diet for their birds are still in the minority." But he said the number of pet owners who are switching to a formulated diet is growing each year. Avian veterinarians generally recommend that 70 percent to 90 percent of a parrot’s diet be comprised of an extruded or pelletized formulated diet, and the remaining 30 percent to 10 percent be made up of healthy table foods, fruits and vegetables, and seeds or nuts. As veterinarians continue to get the word out about formulated diets, Dr. Nemetz believes, this type of food will become more popular. He estimates that 70 percent of his clients are feeding their birds a formulated diet. Many veterinarians across the country have made similar observations. "Pet owners are becoming more aware of the formulated diets," said Julie Burge, DVM, of Grandview, Mo. In her area, many breeders are now weaning their baby birds onto pellets and instruct new bird buyers to feed them a …
A Bird’s-eye View Of An Avian Specialist: Larry Nemetz, DVMOctober 22, 2012 Larry Nemetz, DVM, has turned his dream clinic into reality after about 20 years in practice. Today he sees only birds, after working in general practice and later with exotics and birds. He opened The BIRD Clinic in 1987, at first keeping night and weekend office hours there and working at other clinics during the day to stay afloat financially while he built his avian practice. Over the years, Dr. Nemetz made note of the things he didn’t like about office layouts and work flow. He spent five years planning and designing his new practice, inspired by the explosion of medical technology and wanting to turn those tools to the betterment of his patients. His 2,100-square-foot clinic in Orange, Calif., represents an investment of nearly $2.4 million, counting the land, the building and the practice but counting no equipment except his digital radiography system. It opened in 2007. Nemetz’s surgical suite alone houses $250,000 worth of equipment, including videorecording setups, endoscopy and electrosurgery units – “In birds, no one uses scalpels anymore.” Still, a simple household appliance is one of his most important tools. “The Dust Buster is the key to all …
Treatments Recommended For Avian Respiratory ProblemsApril 17, 2009"We're seeing much fewer respiratory problems in pet birds today than we did 10 or 15 years ago, and that's primarily due to improved husbandry," said Brian Speer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, who has a practice in Oakley, Calif. Some of the deadliest respiratory diseases in times past, such as pox, are rarely seen today, Dr. Speer said. But, bacterial and fungal pneumonias, aspergillosis and severe respiratory distress are still common. This, Speer speculated, is in big part caused by an increase in "germ phobia" in our society. "A lot of pet owners are scrubbing their bird's cage daily with very powerful disinfectants," he said. "This can weaken a bird's defense mechanisms and make it susceptible to innocuation with an opportunistic infection." The incidence and types of respiratory disease seen vary depending on geography and whether the birds are kept in aviaries or as pets. "Bird owners in the Midwest or South, where there's higher humidity, are going to have a greater incidence of respiratory disease than bird owners living on the West Coast, where it's drier," said Larry Nemetz, DVM, a birds-only veterinarian in Santa Ana, Calif. Large indoor flocks are at a greater risk for bacterial …
Avian Anatomy Aids Endoscopic ProceduresApril 17, 2009 Birds' unique anatomy and physiology make them perfect candidates for endoscopy. They have air sacs in addition to lungs but they don't have diaphragms. Mammals must have carbon dioxide pumped into their peritoneal cavities in order to more easily identify organs through endoscopy. This is not required, nor advised, in avian species, because of the natural inflation of the air sacs. Equipment and Care Many types of equipment are used to visualize birds' internal organs. Otoscopes with small cones designed for canine and feline ear canals have been employed; however, these provide a low level of light, poor magnification and are not recommended. A tubular endoscope that utilizes an otoscope/ophthalmoscope base may be upgraded with a halogen light source. Endoscopes designed for human medicine have played a role in avian medicine. However, the best systems have been designed specifically for the needs of avian and exotic animal veterinarians. For most general practices, a 2.7 mm rigid endoscope between 170 and 190 mm long is probably the most useful. This telescope can be used for birds weighing between 55 and 4,000 grams. A 1.9 mm diameter telescope is the smallest device used in small birds (less than …
Fluorescent Feathers Critical To Budgie MatingApril 17, 2009 Kathryn Arnold of the University of Glasgow led a research team that found the fluorescent yellow feathers on budgies' heads play a vital role in attracting mates. The team found male and female budgerigars preferred brighter plumage when choosing a mate, after using odorless sunscreen to dim fluorescent feathers' on some of the birds that were studied. When the birds were exposed to the same sex, the level of fluorescence did not distract from social interaction. The researchers concluded that fluorescence contributes to attracting sexual partners. Arnold's findings may apply to other birds, as she has examined more than 60 species and discovered most of the feathers that were found to be fluorescent are used in courtship displays. Arnold's findings were published in the January 4 issue of Science.
