Client Education for Avian Nutrition

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Client Education for Avian Nutrition
Sara Witherell and Saundra Anderson
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Case Study- Oscar the African Gray
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Signalment 22 year old, M, African
Gray Presenting Complaint Scratching under
wings, owner sees blood
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What history questions would you like to ask
Oscars owner?
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• History
• Been with current owner for over a year
• Stays in cage, no toys, is not handled and is
  home alone most often
• Eats seed and people food (70/30)
• Poor cleaning/husbandry of cage
• Not very vocal
• Picks every once in while for 5min. at a time,
  usually when there arent many people around

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Oscars Abnormal P.E. Findings General
appearance- excessively thin Musculoskeletal-
R wing excoriated, reddened along humerus and
radius/ulna Digestive- beak is slightly
too long
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Common Abnormal Findings on Physical Exam in
Birds with Malnutrition

• Immune suppression
• Obesity
• Low body weight
• Behavioral changes
• Exfoliative dermatitis
• Poor wound healing
• Abnormal beak growth

• Epithelial dryness and exfoliation
• Molting abnormalities
• Feather picking
• Metabolic bone disease/Osteopenia
• Pruritis

Oscars Findings
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What foods are out there?
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What should I feed?
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Why Pellets?
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Why not an all seed diet?
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How do I get my bird to eat the pellets?
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• Helpful Hints for the Big Switch
• Let another bird teach your bird
• Pellets near the highest perch
• Morning/Night- feed old food
• Mixing foods
• Warm and grind pellets
• Remove all perches
• Hand feeding
• Dont give up too soon!

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What are your recommendations for Oscar?
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Oscars Case Recommendations
Provide a more balanced diet- switch to pellets
and supplement with seed mixture and appropriate
people food Clean cage weekly, food and
water bowls daily Make Oscar a play area and
provide toys, consider letting Oscar out daily
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Commercial Formulated Avian Diets
Exact Complete Daily Diets, Kaytee Products,
Inc. [phone] http//www.kaytee.com/
Harrisons Bird Diets, HBD Inc.
[phone] http//www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/
Mazuri Caged Bird Diets, Purina Mills, Inc.
[phone] http//www.mazuri.com/ Pretty
Bird Daily Select Diets, Pretty Bird
International, Inc. [phone] http//www.prett
ybird.com Roudybush Maintenance Pellets,
Roudybush, Inc. [phone] http//www.roudybus
h.com/
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References
Brush, L. DVM OHandley, P. DVM. Feeding Your
Feathered Friend, SCS 693, Special Projects,
1998. Harrison, Harrison, Ritchie. Avian
Medicine Principles and Application, Wingers
Publishing, Inc., New York, 1999.
http//edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_VM06
http//www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com
http//www.pubnix.net/mhagen/docu/nutpanel.htm
Vrabel, Kristin, DVM. Common Pet Bird Maladies
Associated with Malnutrition. Michigan Veterinary
Conference, 2002.