HELP NEEDED!! Cockatoo Beak and Feather Disease?

Question

HELP NEEDED!! Cockatoo Beak and Feather Disease?

Answer 1

You have my DEEPEST sympathy. I'm so sorry to hear this. There is no cure for PBFD, and from what I've heard, Cockatoos seem to be one of the more commonly infected birds. If you have any other birds, separate them. PBFD IS HIGHLY INFECTIOUS TO OTHER BIRDS. You can't go near any others, nor can you go in a pet store that has birds.

I'm so sorry.

Answer 2

No i'm so sorry to say, its not curable. you can slow down the process though buy giving your bird this stuff (i think its a powder) that you can get from a vet.



I am so sorry for you, my cousins have the most gorgeous cockatoo that they rescued from the wild when it fell outta the nest and it has it, its so heart breaking! :'(



I really feel for you, I really do.

Answer 3

The virus attacks the feather follicles and the beak and claws-growing cells of the bird, causing progressive feather malformation and necrosis. In later stages of the disease, the feathers develop constrictions in feather shafts, cease development early until eventually all feather growth stops.



The beak and claws are affected in opposite direction - overgrowth, malformation and necrotic tissue development. Cracking and peeling of outer layers makes it possible for fungi and yeast infections to take place and complicate matters even more. The necrosis of inner layers of the beak may cause it to break, at which point the bird will be unable to feed.



The disease also has a general immunosuppressive effect on the bird, clearing path for secondary systemic viral and bacterial infections which are usually the cause of death, not the PBFD virus itself.



Treatment:

There is currently no specific treatment for the virus. The experimental vaccine has been proven to provide protection against the virus, but is likely to accelerate the disease in parrots already infected with the virus.



Care Of Infected Birds:

Firstly if a bird is infected and is being kept with several other birds, the bird should be quarantined and the pens disinfected. This to prevent spread through the other birds. Therapeutical interventions can only be limited to treating secondary infections (bacterial/fungal). The individual bird can sometimes recover, but it must be noted that this is rare. If only the feathers are affected and the bird suffers not of other signs, an acceptable life can exist. But if the bird's beak or nails get affected, most veterinarians will suggest to euthanise the animal. Unfortunately no therapies have been found yet. The management of the disease lies thus mostly in prevention. Every new bird that enters a pen with other birds should be quarantined first and be tested for PBFD virus. Birds which are known carriers should not be introduced into new pens, especially not if those contain young birds.



also cockatoos usually contract PBFB from their parents, from when they were in the nest.

i'm so sorry that there's no cure, but if you read above if it only effects the feathers they can go on to have a fairly normal life, i hope that is the case for your cocky. i have a 5 year old cockatoo and they are just beautiful animals.

Answer 4

Im not sure whether these are related; but my Budgie had a similar problem. He had Fungally icky looking things growing on his beak and feet> called scaly feet. I treated it with diluted dettol (ratio 1:5)

I used a cotton bud ear thingo and carfully put it on the infected area. I also Isolated him from my other birds.



I really hope he's okay!!!

Answer 5

The Merck Veterinary Manual, 9 edition

Pg 1467

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease



Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is caused by a psittacine circovirus. The name is not representative of the typical clinical presentation, which does not include beak abnormalities and is less likely to have severe, classic feather abnormalities that were seen in cockatoos when the disease was first documented. PCR screening has greatly decreased the prevalence of the virus in 'Cacatua' ssp. Disease is still noted, however, in African Gray parrots, 'Eclectus', lovebirds ('Agapornis'), lorikeets, and other species. This debilitating infection may affect any psittacine, although Old World species are most suseptible, and has been reported in wild and domestic birds. The natural infection appears to occur primarily in juvenile birds, with a instances of clinical infection seen in birds >3 yr old.



Typical findings include feather loss, abnormal pin feathers (constricted, clubbed, or stunted), abnormal mature feathers (blood in the shafts), and a lack of powder down in applicable species. Pigment loss may occur in colored feathers. Immunosuppression is present. Acute infections in chicks also occur, with several days of depression followed by profound changes in the developing feathers and sudden death.



Diagnosis is based on gross appearance, PCR, and biopsies of affected feather follicles showing basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions. PCR may be able to detect infection in birds that still appear healthy.



The contagious nature of PBFD and its probable terminal outcome in clinically affected birds warrent isolation and eventual euthanasia in most cases. Strict hygiene with attention to dust control, screening protocols including PCR, and lengthy quarantines are highly recommended in cockatoo breeding colonies. The removal of all eggs for cleaning and incubation may also be helpful.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/170222.htm





http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_007.htm

http://numbat.murdoch.edu.au/caf/pbfd.htm



http://www.nwrc.com.au/forms/michael_pyne.pdf



http://www.geocities.com/~calliefeather/sweetpea.html



http://www.exoticandbirdclinic.com/Psittacine%20Beak%20and%20Feather%20Disease.pdf



http://exoticpetvet.net/avian/pbfd.html



http://www.birdchannel.com/Diagnostics/Details.aspx?Body=Beak&Symptom_Id=149&Condition_Id=149

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-diseases/bird-diseases-pbfd.aspx



http://www.secondchancebirds.com/pbfd.html



http://www.avianweb.com/PBFD.html



http://www.epah.net/birds/pbfd.htm



http://petcaretips.net/beak-feather-disease.html



http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2592



http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/pubs/p-c-disease.pdf



http://www.petmd.com/bird/conditions/skin/c_bd_Psittacine_beak_and_feather_disease



http://www.petplace.com/birds/psittacine-beak-and-feather-disease/page1.aspx



http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=281#ct-4



http://www.parrotletranch.com/pbfd&polyomavirus.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacine_beak_and_feather_disease



http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases/PBFD.htm





http://www.google.com/search?q=Beak+and+Feather+Disease&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Beak+and+Feather+Disease&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz2