After blood is removed from an animal, the biochemical parameters begin to change immediately. To ensure that results of laboratory tests accurately reflect the true physiologic or pathologic state of an individual, care must be taken to minimize such artifactual changes. It is commonly thought that delayed centrifugation of avian blood may affect analyte values; however, there have been few studies documenting changes. Likewise, the occurrence of changes in blood analyte values during preparation of a standard serum sample has not been investigated formally. This study was conducted to document the differences between analyte values in plasma and serum processed using common standardized protocols. Paired plasma and serum samples were collected from chickens. Plasma samples were kept on ice and centrifuged immediately, and serum samples were allowed to clot at room temperature for 90 minutes and then were centrifuged. The paired plasma and serum samples were simultaneously analyzed for standard biochemical analytes. Significant differences between plasma and serum values were noted for 10 out of the 17 analytes determined. Briefly, serum values for albumin, albumin-globulin ratio, and potassium were much lower than corresponding values for plasma, and the serum chloride concentration was slightly lower than the plasma chloride value. The serum globulin mean concentration was almost 3 times the value for plasma, and serum values for creatine phosphokinase, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus were higher than their plasma counterparts.

Infertility and poor breeding performance are frequently encountered in avicultural facilities. The problems of infertility or inadequate performance may have either medical or nonmedical origins. It is not always possible to diagnose causes of infertility with the noninvasive diagnostic methods that are used routinely. Testicular biopsy can be used as a possible diagnostic tool to confirm infertility in male birds. A variety of psittacine birds (n = 39) were anesthetized and a testicular biopsy was performed endoscopically using a right or left lateral approach caudal to the femur. The technique and postoperative complications are reviewed.

Thyroid hyperplasia (goiter) has been considered a common problem in birds and is most commonly observed in budgerigars and pigeons. Records of the Zoo/Exotic Pathology Service (West Sacramento, CA, USA) were reviewed for the period from October 1984 to April 2001. From nearly 12 500 avian accessions, 30 reported a morphologic diagnosis of thyroid hyperplasia. Twenty-nine of 30 birds from varying species had multiple diagnoses at necropsy, while the remaining bird was diagnosed with thyroid hyperplasia alone. The appearance of all thyroid glands submitted was similar—the glands were enlarged bilaterally (approximately 2.7 × 1.4 cm in size) and red-brown or purple in color. Histologic changes to the thyroid parenchyma were diffuse in all cases (30/30). Thyroid glands contained numerous follicles lined by large cuboidal or low columnar epithelial cells. The morphologic diagnosis was thyroid follicular hyperplasia (hyperplastic goiter). Macaws were represented disproportionately (20/30), particularly blue and gold macaws (Ara ararauna), which represented 15/20 macaws. The cause of thyroid hyperplasia was not determined with certainty in the birds examined.

Exotic-animal pet owners are a growing demographic group among individuals seeking veterinary care, yet very little information is known about their specific demographics, personal characteristics, and expenditure tendencies. A voluntary, in-clinic survey was performed to gather preliminary data in these areas on owners at an exclusively exotic-animal hospital in Utah. Of the 115 owners completing the survey, 39.8% brought in psittacine birds, 22.1% ferrets, and 38.1% other exotics. The demographic profile for the survey population was 33.6 years old, predominately female, well educated, and financially middle class. Most exotic pets were brought to veterinary hospitals because of a perceived illness by the owner. Most owners were interested in receiving future services, with bird owners most interested in diagnostic tests; small-mammal owners in receiving physical examinations, dental procedures, and vaccinations; and reptile owners in having pets sexed and receiving husbandry/diet information. In general, the owners were low self-monitors, indicating greater likelihood of attitude-behavior consistency. Although interpersonal orientation values were more variable, the higher the interpersonal orientation score, the closer the owner felt to the pet, especially among small-mammal owners. Owners with a greater perceived bond with their pet were interested in receiving a greater number of services in the future than those not as close. Owner perception of what they would spend and what they did spend were very similar, about $81 US per visit.

Information regarding pharmacokinetic disposition of drugs in ostriches (Struthio camelus) is very scarce. Three common veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (sodium salicylate, SA; flunixin, FLU; and meloxicam, MEL) were administered intravenously to young ostriches. Plasma concentrations of the drugs were determined by validated high-performance liquid chromatography methods and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. After intravenous administration of SA (25 mg/kg), FLU (1.1 mg/kg), and MEL (0.5 mg/kg), these drugs were eliminated from plasma with mean half-lives of 1.32, 0.17, and 0.5 hours, respectively. Apparent volumes of distribution (0.36 L/kg, 0.13 L/kg, and 0.58 L/kg, respectively) indicated that tissue distribution was limited for the 3 drugs. Total body clearance was 0.19 L/h·kg for SA and 0.50 and 0.72 L/kg·h for FLU and MEL, respectively. These nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, especially FLU and MEL, are rapidly cleared from the ostrich body.

From 1998 to 2001, a total of 3760 falcons were presented to the Falcon Medical Research Hospital of the Fahad bin Sultan Falcon Center. From this total, 11 (0.3%) adult (>1-year-old) falcons, including 8 saker falcons (Falco cherrug), 2 peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), and 1 lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus), were admitted for treatment of candidiasis. Affected falcons showed general clinical signs including reduced to total absence of appetite, shredding and flicking of food, regurgitation, and progressive weight loss. The diagnosis of clinical candidiasis was made from clinical signs, endoscopic examination of the upper digestive tract, histologic observation of typical Candida albicans blastospores on samples obtained from the crop, and positive fungal cultures. Therapy consisted of applying a miconazole gel directly to the thoracic esophagus and crop twice daily for 5 consecutive days. Miconazole proved to be an effective, fast, and inexpensive antifungal agent suitable for the treatment of candidiasis in captive falcons.

A 5-year-old intact male silky bantam chicken was presented for chronic epidermal cysts within the comb. Results of diagnostic tests and histopathologic examination of biopsy specimens demonstrated epidermal cysts associated with Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria species. Physical removal of the cysts and treatment with systemic itraconazole and topical miconazole resolved the lesions.

This report describes lower respiratory tract disease in 3 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), 1 orange-winged Amazon parrot (Amazona amazonica), 1 yellow-headed Amazon parrot (Amazona oratrix), and 1 Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis). All birds had lower respiratory tract disease caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, Streptococcus pyogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus and confirmed by clinical, hematologic, radiographic, and microbiological evaluations. All the respiratory infections were poorly responsive to, or recurred after, conventional medical therapies. A novel technique is described that is a minimally invasive endosurgical procedure for debriding and ablating air sac granulomas with a rigid 2.7-mm telescope and class IV gallium-aluminum-arsenide diode laser. Under isoflurane anesthesia, granulomas were debulked and removed prior to laser ablation of the infected areas. Four of the 6 birds made uneventful recoveries after the procedure. Two African grey parrots died during or shortly after surgery because of disseminated aspergillosis. Necropsy examinations of the 2 deceased birds failed to demonstrate any iatrogenic endoscope or laser damage. In conclusion, endoscopic debridement and laser ablation offers a viable alternative to conventional surgery in the management of lung and air sac granulomas in psittacine birds.

Oil spills affect aquatic birds on individual, population, and ecosystem levels. Communities have responded to environmental accidents and have cared for oiled birds for as long as the damaging effects of oil exposure have been realized. Not until the Exxon Valdez disaster occurred, however, was there the political climate necessary to facilitate and fund organized oiled wildlife responses in the United States. Federal and California law now supports the infrastructure necessary to respond rapidly and efficiently to oil spills affecting wildlife. This improved infrastructure has resulted in access to appropriately designed and equipped facilities, trained staff and volunteers, and research improving medical management and bird survival.