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Distended crop might be trapped food
My 10-year-old African grey parrot has what looks like a golf ball hanging from her neck. Is this just food in her crop? I was told that the ball started out small about one year ago. Does this need to be removed or can it be cleaned out?
-- James Rawson
A "GOLF-BALL" size distention of the crop could be caused by any one of a number of things. It could be a tumor, malignant or benign, or tissue swollen from some type of infection, parasite or foreign object such as a splinter. It could be what is called a diverticulum - a pouching of the wall of a tubular organ caused by a weakening of the muscle and tissue. Any of these problems can cause the lump to grow over time; in the latter case, possibly with trapped food. It's possible a pocket could be cleaned out, but it would only refill again. Your bird needs to be examined and possibly x-rayed to find out exactly what is going on. Surgery could be necessary. To repair a diverticulum, for instance, a veterinarian would need to remove the weakened section of the wall and suture healthy tissue over the defect.
ParrotChronicles.com
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