Emerald Dove Husbandry Manual - Nswfmpa.org

Canker (trichomoniasis)
Jennifer Brown ● Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica ● Husbandry manual
Very common disease among wild birds especially pigeons. It is
contagious an d o ccurs i n areas wh ere p eople f eed pigeons
and doves as t he high concentration of birds aids transmission.
(Bourne, 2000)
Cause: Canker is caused by a flagellated protozoan organism
called Trichomonas gallinae, which lives in t he s inuses, mo uth,
oesophagus and other organs. Birds can often carry the disease
and will only show signs when under stress.
Signs: Bird becomes v ery si ck an d t hin. C haracteristically a
diseased bird will have white plaque inside its beak (fig 8.4.1) or
a hard lump on its neck or in its crop. Some birds can carry the
disease wi thout sh owing si gns an d t he d isease wi ll o nly come
forth when the bird is under stress.
Treatment: a b ird m ay n ot al ways s urvive treatment. T he b irds
oesophagus may need to be cleared of plaque, which is done
under general anesthetic, so that it can be crop fed. The bird will
also need to be treated with an anti-protozal medication which a v et would be able to
supply and often a vet will also prescribe antibiotics to prevent secondary infections.
Prevention: Once a bird is identified as having the disease it should be separated from
breeding stock as i t is readily passed on to off spring. The disease can be prevented by
routinely t reating y our p opulation wi th a n an ti-protozal m edication. T here ar e m any
commercial su pplements a vailable th at c an ro utinely b e a dded t o their water su pply,
one such example is Ronivet ® or Poly-Aid Plus ® .
Worms –Internal Parasites
Internal p arasites occur u sually i n t he birds intestines
although th ey c an a lso ap pear i n th eir l ungs an d o ther
body organs such as the liver.
Cause: As all birds usually have worms they do not have a
significant negative effect on the birds h ealth until their
numbers build up. The increase in internal parasites is often
a sign that the bird is already ill or overly stressed and this
has allowed the internal parasites to increase in number.
Signs: Visible si gns o n t he b ird i nclude weight l oss an d
diarrhea w hich c an su ggest a n umber o f problems s o i t’s
not a sp ecific d iagnosis. I t m ay b e p ossible t o visibly se e
worms in a b ird’s mouth or in their droppings. Completing a
fecal flotation test is the surest way to identify the presence
of worms in the bird.
Treatment/Prevention: T reatment an d p revention c an b e ac hieved b y u sing t he sam e
broad spectrum worming syrup which is added to the birds’ water. Such worming
solutions can be supplied from a v et or even pet shops. Such brands included Panacur ®
or Ivomectin ® or Avitrol ® . Keepers should be aware of cheap brands as they often only kill
one or two types of internal worms and are not a complete solution.
Chlamydiosis (psittacosis)
Fig 8 .4.1: B ird with c anker s ores
(canker, 2009)
Fig 8.4.2 Internal p arasites-worms
(Wikipedia, 2010)
Chlamydiosis is a v ery c ommon d isease a mong wi ld b irds. I t i s a d isease o f concern
because it is also a zoonotic disease and can infect human who have close contact with
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