James Harris, DVM
Bird skeletal deformities can't be reversed
 My 9-year-old princess of wales parakeet has a deformed spine. Her tail pokes to the left and one wing is higher than the other. She has always been able to fly and has lived a seemingly normal and happy life. However, in the past couple of months I have noticed she cannot fly as well, or at all sometimes it seems, and that she has a very hard time breathing or catching her breath after short flights. Also, she has started having difficulty perching, or hanging on to my finger. She never had these problems before and she seems to be getting more crooked. I have read the average life span for this species is 12 to 15 years. How much does this type of deformity affect an animal's lifespan? Is there anything I can do to slow the process or stop it from getting any worse?
-- Jamie Jackson, California Department of Fish and Game, Fresno
 Skeletal deformities like your bird's can be either congenital - occurring in the egg - or developmental. The latter occurs during a chick's rapid-growth phase and is due to a poor diet that doesn't contain enough calcium and phosphorus and makes the bird fat. The bones do not calcify and the obese bird's body weight causes the bones to collapse. As the bird continues to mature, the bones mineralize and set in their deformed shape. The result: collapsed spinal columns, crooked keel bones and bowed limbs. The compressed body cavity inhibits normal breathing and the bird fatigues easily. A thorough medical evaluation including x-rays will help a veterinarian determine the extent of your bird's problem. You can't do anything to reverse her deformity, but diet and other management practices may help her. As for lifespan and whether she will continue to worsen, it's hard to predict in cases like these. Skeletal deformities can and do cause breathing problems and shorten lifespans, but it sounds as if for nine years your bird has coped just fine. Keep your fingers crossed this is only a temporary problem.
James Harris, DVM is owner and medical director of the Mayfair Veterinary Clinic in Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia. He founded Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and has served as medical director and chairman of the board for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Berkeley. Dr. Harris' numerous professional honors include California and National Bustad Companion Animal DVM Awards.
ParrotChronicles.com. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Return to current Ask a Vet column
|
