How to deal with contagious (viral) diseases in daily practice

How to deal with contagious
(viral
viral)) diseases in daily practice
Drs. Jan Hooimeijer DVM CPBC
Avian Veterinarian(ret.), Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant (IAABC)
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels, Meppel
Consultancy Practice for Birds, Meppel
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Born to be free
but born in
captivity
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Birds are
descendants of
dinosaurs.
Archaeopteryx
A healthy population:
• No signs of degeneration / domestication
• A gene pool with a wide variety of
hereditary characteristics.
• This variability enables an adaptive
evolution to survive on the long term
• Natural selection – survival of the fittests
During an outbreak a (small) minority will show
Contagious diseases as part of nature
Survival of the Fittest
To ensure healthy populations by
selection!?
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Late 1980’s 70% of the seal population
died because of a distemper virus
outbreak > 30% survived .
After the outbreak the population started to grow
and right now is larger then ever before.
Contagious (virale) diseases in racing
pigeons, no problem !?
Circo virus
Herpesvirus
%!
Adenovirus
How many look like this?
Chlamydia psittaci
Contagious diseases in
racing pigeons,
bio-security?
quarantine?
Treatments !?
Biosecurity within the
poultry industry ; no
quarantee at all to
prevent contagious
diseases!!
Contagious diseases in racing pigeons,
no problem !?
• >90% of the young pigeons will die –
disappear from the flock within 3 years.
• Strong natural selection based on viability.
How many of the wild birds survive the first
year? 10%-25%?
Usutu virus infection in wild birds in
Europe. First outbreak in 2001 in Austria.
Within a few years the immune status
within the wild populations reduced the
mortality.
After 10 years can be concluded that the
problem in wild populations within Europe
is vanished.
* Weissenbock, H. Ein ruckblick uber zehn jahre Usutu virus aktivitat in Mittel Europa
Proc. DVG Tagung 2012, Munchen pp 163-166
Contagious diseases in
nature.
A problem?
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious diseases within aviculture
are major “captivity-problems” !?
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious diseases!?
Juli 1th 2007 import
prohibited in Europe!!
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious diseases!?
Bird markets –
Petshops
Internet
Birdmarkets, trade
Campaign; make bird markets illegal.
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Birdshows!
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious diseases!?
PMV 3 in the 1990’s
• Breeding mutations
• Inbreeding
No treatment , no vaccin. ???
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious Diseases (and Welfare) !?
Hand rearing baby parrots.
• More clutches, ofspring with less
body weight
• Healthproblems females and
• youngsters
• Different age groups
• Overpopulation
• No natural selection!
• Behavior problems
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious Diseases and Welfare!?
Past
JULI 1th 2014
Hand-rearing parrots prohibited
in the Netherlands!
Future
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Contagious diseases!?
• Responsible aviculture
• Development of Avian Medicine since
since1980:
* diagnostics – testing for diseases
Development of better management:
Nutrition, housing, Care, Behavior, Welfare
PREVENTION
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Aviculture need to:
• Determine goals and aims for the
short term and for the long term 
businessplan as aviculturist and as
organisation.
• Cooperate with avian medicine –
avian veterinarians
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management
Key within poultry
medicine
• Business plan,• including
financial
plan
• Cooperation with experts
• Continuing education, investing in
knowledge.
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Purchase
• Role of avian veterinarians is crucial.
• Cooperation among avian
• Veterinarians is crucial
• Sources. Who is the seller?
• Purchase contract
• Quarantine
• Testing
• Observation
• Exchange of information
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Clinical investigation
• Swabs from Cloaca – Choane slit are observed
as native and after staining
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
• Ecto parasites
• Endoparasites
• Bloodsmear native and after
staining
• Serology
• Testing for virale infections,
Chlamydia
Management; Nutrition
• Complete – prefered certified
Organic
• Depending on the species
• Depending on the circumstances
• Additions – extra’s
• Enrichment
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Malnutrition makes birds
vulnerable.
Still major cause for disease and death
Malnutrition
Dr. Greg Harrison
• Certified Organic USDA
• I.M.E. the most
important development
within avian medicine
during the past 40 years
concerning prevention
and treatment.
Management; Housing
• Materials
• Substrate on the floor
• The layout, inside , outside
• Climate control
• Sunlight – fresh air – exercise
• Ventilation
• Safety – contamination of wild birds
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Zinc – New cage disease
Management; Housing
• Combining species
• Overpopulation
• Privacy
• Group aviaries
• How to create breeding pairs
• Nest boxes
• Climate control indoors
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Don’t expect
it to be healthy to be kept indoors.
Privacy!!
X
X
Management; Care
• Feeding twice a day
• Cleaning watersupply twice a day
• Bathing, shower , rain.
• Interactions with the birds
• Enrichments
• Sunlight
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Hygiene
• Cleaning
• Desinfection
• Quarantine
• Prevention of contamination
• Sunlight
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Regular controls
• Observation ( behavior)
• Weight records
• Moulting records
• Clinical examination
• Additional examinations if needed
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Behavior
• Observation
• Interactions among birds
• Interactions with caretakers
• Enrichments
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Tame - Interactions
Enrichments
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Parrots are actors, hiding
symptoms of disease
• Parrots are prey animals
• Survival of the fittest
• Flock members as threat / risk
• Caretakers/humans as flock member /
predator.
• Predators are looking
for prey that is vulnerable.
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Dealing with
problems
• Contact avian veterinarian!
• Quarantine
• Clinical investigation
• Additional investigations: swabs –
cytology – cultures - blood- X-rayendoscopy – histopathology
• Autopsy!!
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Management; Dealing with
problems
* Adapting temperature – humidity
* Reduce stress - privacy
* Treatments based on findings
• Supportive care ; warmth – fluids -force
feeding – supplements to support the
immune system.
• Cleaning -> Desinfection
• Not killing birds that are infected without
clinical symptoms ( survival of the fittest)
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Ebola is a current
example of how to deal with a virale disease.
Prevention by enrichments
Prevention by enrichments social interactions –
sunlight
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels - Drs. Jan Hooimeijer - www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl
Conclusions
•Contagious (viral) diseases within
aviculture are “captivity-problems”.
•It is all about Management, Prevention
and Welfare, the core business within
avian medicine.
Thank you for your attention.
Adviespraktijk voor Vogels
Drs. Jan Hooimeijer DVM CPBC
www.adviespraktijkvoorvogels.nl