My lovebird has diarrhea - Causes and treatment

Lovebird has become one of the most frequently birds they find in our homes.Their color, their beauty, and that nickname of "inseparable" that we like so much, makes them as appreciated as the canaries were once.

But the arrival of any bird, exotic or not , puts us in front of new situations that sometimes we are not accustomed to face.Animals and Pets Online will try to help distinguish pathological situations from those that are not, and to handle us in the event that our lovebird has diarrhea , In the following article we explain the possible causes that cause it .

It is not always diarrhea, even if it seems

We may notice that there are more liquid stools than usual in our lovebird on the floor of the cage and identify it as diarrhea, even if it is not.

Evacuations Sewers in birds are made up of a greenish part (they can vary in color if they take feed, they are real feces), a white part (urates, mineral salts), and a liquid part (urine).Everything goes outside through the sewer, the place where the urinary, digestive and reproductive system converge.

There are many common situations that they can liquefy the dejections, giving them an appearance similar to what the diarrheal faeces would have, but that are due to a cause sometimes as simple as the increase in dietary water intake.So, before affirming that our lovebird has diarrhea, we must reflect on possible changes in your life:

• The stress : can be pro called for a change of location within the home or, for example, the separation of a partner (death or arrival at home of a new individual).The most acute stress may be detected at the visit to the veterinarian.They will ask us not to remove the periodicals of the cage, or the base that we have placed to compare the feces prior to the consultation with those emitted in it, because there surely they will always be practically liquid, abnormal, without there being any digestive pathology.
• More liquid intake in the diet : for example, more fruit or more leaf-based food (especially lettuce).

If our lovebird has general symptoms of disease (apathy, anorexia...) in addition to apparently diarrheal feces, or we locate traces of feces around the sewer, staining the feathers, probably have authentic diarrhea, and it will be time to look for the causes, taking into account that although it is mild , diarrhea can dehydrate rapi certainly to such a small animal, and surely our lovebird needs to be admitted for supportive treatment (keep fluid and heat supply) until the process is controlled.

Diarrhea of ​​parasitic origin

There are many parasites that can affect our lovebird, but basically, three that can cause diarrhea:

• Giardias : They are flagellated unicellular parasites ( they move by means of a scourge), typical in collectivities, and that can cause diarrhea without major alteration of the general state of our agarpornis.Our veterinarian will diagnose it by direct observation under the microscope of fresh feces, and will guide us albendazole or fenbendazole (although some opt for an antibiotic with action against giardias, metronidazole) for several days.It is necessary to monitor the rest of lovebirds if they live with more, as it is quite contagious, and they will require a cleaning thoroughly cage and dry all surfaces carefully, as giardias thrive in humid areas.
• Coccidia : other unicellular parasites, and very contagious, although more typical of others birds like the canaries or goldfinches.an almost always hemorrhagic diarrhea, accompanied by general signs of disease (anorexia, dejection, bristling and bad-looking plumage, weight loss...) Coccidiosis is spread by contact with feces of sick animals, so again separate to the birds if there is more than one, and a thorough disinfection, They are essential.The diagnosis is also made by direct observation with the microscope, and our veterinarian can prescribe different drugs: sulfadimethoxin , sulfaquinoxaline , metronidazole ...Although if nothing works, it may be necessary to use diclaruzil or toltrazuril .The treatment will last several days, being able to be administered in drinking water, although the safest is directly in the peak.Supportive therapy is obviously necessary in these cases again.
• Nematodes (worms): the so-called "metazoans" in companion birds are not very common (if in the free life), but depending on their origin, they can affect our lovebirds.If the infestation is very marked, they can cause diarrhea, almost always accompanied by unspecific signs such as weight loss, little glossy plumage, blood in feces...Respond well to treatment with albendazole or fenbendazole, for several days, you Having the advantage of acting for several days and getting them removed little by little, which will not obstruct the intestinal transit.They are diagnosed by the location in the feces of their eggs by microscopic observation, and our veterinarian can ask us for stools for several days./li>

Diarrhea of ​​viral origin

Sometimes our lovebirds suffer from a process beyond diarrhea, but the first thing we observe or get the attention of this disease is precisely the appearance of diarrhea.There are multiple viral infections that can affect our Lovebirds, many of them with an acute course and which results in death in a short time without being able to do too much.

Regardless of the virus that causes diarrhea, we should know that when these are responsible for the same, the life of our lovebird is compromised for injuries that go beyond the enteric.

Those involved are usually reovirus, adenovirus , polyomavirus....all of them usually cause hemorrhagic diarrhea due to acute enteritis, encompassed within a process that can cause fulminant deaths, and cause depression and anorexia.The diagnosis is made by specific laboratory tests (stool PCR, for example), and in occasions many lives are lost until reaching it.

The treatment of all viruses is symptomatic , which means that we limit ourselves to providing fluid and nutrient supply, maintaining heat, and antibiotic therapy to prevent secondary proliferation of bacteria (antibiotics do not kill viruses, but stop bacteria that want to join).

The cleaning, disinfection and isolation of the birds that we observe sick, are again fundamental to control these outbreaks.Like almost all the causes of diarrhea, it is much more frequent to observe them in collectivities, for obvious reasons.

Diarrhea of ​​bacterial origin

Bacteria may also be responsible for diarrhea in our lovebird.Among them, the most frequently involved will be:

• Clhamydia psittaci
• Escherichia coli
• Clostridium
• Slamonella

The clamidosis is perhaps the most remarkable, because of its zoonosis condition (it can affect the immunocompromised man) and because in addition to a picture of anorexia depression, and diarrhea in the bird, it can cause less general signs, more lozalicados in the respiratory system: conjunctivitis, sinusitis, pneumonia...

The diagnosis can be made by taking samples of the cloaca with a hyssop, and looking for the causative agent ( Clhamydia psittaci ) using techniques such as ELISA or PCR, but it takes too long, so sometimes you choose to look for antibodies against this bacteria.There are quick kitts available, but the fact that there are antibodies, just show what and have ever contacted this bacterium and may have repelled it, so you have to be open to other possibilities.

The treatment is based on antibiotics, the choice being doxycycline .A proper food, supportive therapy, and care of sanitary hygienic measures is again main.

Diarrhea of ​​fungal origin

Yeasts are the fungi most involved in diarrhea in birds, of which two are especially important:

• Avian gastric yeast : a yeast of great size, which as practically all, are naturally in the digestive tract of our lovebird and other birds.In situations of stress, immunosuppression, general illness, prolonged treatment with antibiotics...etc., can grow disproportionately causing diarrhea.It is identified by staining the samples obtained, and its treatment is based on antifungal (itraconazole, fluconazole or nystatin ).But we must correct the underlying cause that is causing the uncontrolled proliferation of these yeasts.
• Candidas : again naturally present in the digestive tract and oral mucosa.Its treatment and control are very similar to that of avian gastric yeast.

Other causes of diarrhea in lovebird

Less frequently, diarrhea may be caused by other reasons, in addition to those discussed, which we will briefly cite:

• Cloacolitos : are accumulations of urates that form a small stone in the sewer.They can lead to poorly formed feces, an episode of diarrhea, and then the opposite.
• Dystocias : egg retention in the sewer, without the possibility of going out (too large, for example).Causes the same effect as a cloacolito.
• Foreign body in intestine : if our lovebird has swallowed a toy, or some foreign body, we can notice a slight diarrhea, before the total absence of feces due to obstruction of the intestinal lumen.

This article is purely informative, at ExpertAnimal.com we have no power to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis.We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case you present any type of condition or discomfort.

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