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Dermatology 2 > Avian dermatology > Flashcards

Avian dermatology Flashcards

1
Q

What information can be gained from the condition of the skin and feathers of birds?

A
  • General health
  • Nutritional status
  • Management
  • Environmental conditions
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2
Q

What is dermatological disease usually associated with in birds?

A

More commonly nutritional or husbandry than infectious

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3
Q

List the potential causes of abnormal feather colour in birds

A
  • Not moulting
  • Fret lines (stress, nutrition)
  • Retention of pin feathers
  • Endocrine disease
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4
Q

What is the cause of pin feather retention?

A

Inadequate nutrition so feathers not being pushed through and only grow to half way

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5
Q

List the differential diagnoses for cutaneous lumps and swellings in birds

A
  • Periorbital abscesses
  • Lipoma
  • Xanthoma
  • Feather cysts
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Cutaneous papillomas
  • Melanomas
  • Fibromas
  • Uropygial gland disease
  • Subcutaneous emphysaema
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6
Q

Describe the appearance of a periorbital abscess

A
  • Swelling next to the eye

- May see pus coming out of side of the eye

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7
Q

Describe the contents of periorbital abscesses

A
  • Not true abscesses, can be sterile
  • Accumulation of cellular material within the sinuses
  • Debris from metaplastic layers of mucosal epithelium
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8
Q

What causes periorbital abscesses?

A
  • Respiratory infection
  • Vitamin A deficiency (cannot differentiate, general malnutrition)
  • No orbital bones in birds (except penguins and owls) so pressure from fluid in sinuses pops out at the eye
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9
Q

Outline the diagnosis of periorbital abscesses

A

Site specific, very typical

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10
Q

Describe the treatment of periorbital abscesses

A
  • Correct the nutrition and surgical debridement

- Cut over lesion, remove abscess

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11
Q

Which species are prone to periorbital abscesses?

A

African grey, Chicken (mycoplasma induced)

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12
Q

Describe the appearance of lipomas in birds

A
  • Smooth raised mass growing in subcutis

- Yellow in appearance

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13
Q

What causes lipomas in birds?

A

Obesity, breed predisposition

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14
Q

Describe the common distribution of lipomas in birds

A
  • Mainly sternum
  • Abdomen (amazons, budgies, cockatiels)
  • Pericloacal region (Galahs)
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15
Q

Outline the treatment for lipomas in birds

A
  • Consider removal or advise to leave

- Correct nutrition (+/- responsive but always necessary)

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16
Q

What are xanthomas?

A
  • aka Yellow mass
  • Not neoplasms
  • Are cholesterol deposits
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17
Q

When might xanthomas become an issue?

A

Are benign, but can be problem if become large or bird self traumatises, causing bleeding

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18
Q

Describe the appearance of xanthomas

A
  • Yellow
  • Thickened
  • Featherless areas of skin, often vascular and friable
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19
Q

Describe the common distribution of xanthomas

A

Anywhere, but mainly dorsum and wings

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20
Q

Outline the treatment of xanthomas

A
  • Excision
  • Problematic if on wing
  • If very large can amputate tip of wing
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21
Q

Which birds are predisposed to developing xanthomas?

A

Budgies and small psittacine birds

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22
Q

Describe the appearance of feather cysts

A
  • Lumpy, irregular masses of keratinous debris
  • Necrotic feathers
  • Sometimes closed resembling abscesses
  • More often open exuding caseous material and bits of feather
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23
Q

Describe the cause of feather cysts

A
  • Genetic and herditary
  • Breed and feather type predisposition in canaries
  • Double Buff feathers
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24
Q

Describe the common distribution of feather cysts

A
  • Dorsum and wings
  • Can be singular or extensive
  • Progressive increase in number with each moult/age
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25
Q

Describe the treatment of feather cysts

A
  • Excision often unrewarding as other cysts form
  • Euthanasia if extensive and bleeding due to self trauma
  • May be able to pop manually
  • Often just live with it
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26
Q

What conditions of the uropygial gland diseases can lead to the appearance of lumps?

A
  • Adenoma
  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Abscess/impaction
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27
Q

How does subcutaneous emphysaema develop in birds?

A
  • Leakage due to ruptured airsac/bone

- Normally resolves

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28
Q

List common diseases of the legs and toes of birds

A
  • Rings too tight
  • Articular gout
  • Pododermatitis
  • Nails too long
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29
Q

What may cause a leg ring to become too tight?

A
  • Wrong size
  • Ring trauma (self, other bird, cage/toy)
  • Increase in size of leg (trauma, hyperkeratosis aka tasselfoot, foreign body wedged in gap causing swelling)
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30
Q

Describe the removal of leg rings from birds

A
  • Need to make 2 cuts with cutters or jewellers wire

- Care not to fracture leg as ring twists

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31
Q

Describe the treatment of a leg that has been damaged by a leg ring

A
  • Can withstand large amounts of tissue damage
  • Cannot apply stitches
  • Only debride if infected or necrotic
  • may need to be bandaged, antibiotics and pain relief
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32
Q

Describe the appearance of articular gout in birds

A
  • Crystals readily visible around tarsal joint as discrete, hard, raised, white/yellow lesions 1-3mm diameter
  • Care not to confuse with abscess
  • Very haemorrhagic if incised
33
Q

How is articular gout diagnosed in birds?

A

Confirm diagnosis by staining for uric acid

34
Q

Outline the treatment of articular gout in birds

A
  • Ensure husbandry and perching appropriate
  • Possible pain relief
  • Allopurinol
  • Euthanasia, treatment often not effective at this stage
35
Q

Describe the appearance of pododermatitis in birds

A
  • Most common in raptors, psittacine birds and waterfowl

- Inflammation and abscessation of sole of foot and plantar aspect of digits

36
Q

What are the potential causes of pododermatitis in birds?

A
  • Nutrition
  • Obesity
  • Inappropriate perches
  • Lack of exercise
  • Poor blood circulation to foot
  • Cardiovascular changes at end of hunting season
37
Q

Outline the treatment available for pododermatitis in birds

A
  • Consider euthanasia if type 4+ on humane grounds
  • Surgical removal of necrotic tissue (type 3)
  • Suture to attempt closure by first intention (may require hydrocolloid dressing, culture of necrotic debris for accurate antimicrobial therapy)
  • Use of foam snow shoe and conforming bandage
  • Correction of predisposing causes
38
Q

Outline the prevention of pododermatitis in birds

A
  • Address husbandry issues

- Routine application of foot creams

39
Q

In birds, what does the need to clip nails suggest?

A
  • Poor husbandry

- Or underlying causes: mites, nutrition, arthritis, gout, malformed feet, inappropriate perching

40
Q

List causes of feather loss without plucking

A
  • Normal moult/escape moult
  • Abnormal moult (malnutrition)
  • Apteria (non-feather areas)
  • Hormonal disorders
  • Genetic
  • Mate mutilation
  • Popva and polyoma virus (French moult in budgies)
  • Cutaneous pox virus
  • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
  • Knemidocoptic mites
  • Bacterial and fungal folliculitis
41
Q

What are the 3 groups of causes of feather loss with feather picking?

A
  • Pathological
  • Psychological
  • Physiological
42
Q

What is the causative agent of Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease?

A

Circovirus

43
Q

Describe the clinical signs of Psittacine Beak and Feather disease

A
  • Dystrophic feather growth, feathers appear pinched off, progressively worsens with successive moults
  • Abnormal feather colouration(red streaks)
  • +/- necrotic beak lesions
  • Lack of powder don feathers leading to shiny beak
  • Can affect liver
44
Q

How is Psittacine Beak and Feather disease diagnosed?

A
  • Always suspect until rule out
  • Clinical signs
  • Lack of powder don feathers leading to shiny beak
  • PCR test (+ve = +ve, -ve = test again)
45
Q

Which species have a high incidence of Psittacine Beak and Feather disease?

A

White cockatoos and African Greys

46
Q

How does Psittacine Beak and Feather disease cause its clinical signs?

A

Affects growing hair follicles

47
Q

Where do knemidocoptic mites typically infect?

A
  • Non-feathered areas of face (cere and beak)

- Legs of budgies

48
Q

Describe the appearance of infection with knemidocoptic mites

A
  • Honeycomb appearance of tissue or hypertrophy of scales of legs
  • Causes excessive growth of beak
  • Nutritional and immune status of individuals
49
Q

What is an important differential diagnosis for knemidocoptic mite infestation?

A

Benign hypertrophy of the cere with age

50
Q

How is infestation with knemidocoptic mites diagnosed?

A

Scraping and microscopy

51
Q

Outline the treatment for knemidocoptic mites

A
  • 2-3 drops ivomectin direct to site, 3x weekly applications
  • Soften heavy scaling with liquid paraffin a few days before application
  • Trim beak
  • Treat infection
52
Q

Describe the appearance of bacterial and fungal folliculitis of birds

A
  • Necrotic, malformed, easily damaged blood feathers

- Esp. of tail

53
Q

What is important an underlying cause of bacterial and fungal folliculitis of birds?

A

Malnutrition

54
Q

How is bacterial and fungal folliculitis of birds diagnosed?

A

Feather pulp cytology and culture

55
Q

Outline the treatment of bacterial and fungal folliculitis of birds

A
  • Nutritional modification
  • Appropriate oral antimicrobials
  • Wash/spray affected area with antimicrobias
56
Q

What are blood feathers?

A

During feather growth, period of time where they have blood supply, then is lost. Called blood feathers while have blood supply

57
Q

How might damage to blood feathers occur?

A
  • Poor wing clipping
  • Malformation (nutritional, infection)
  • Self trauma (chewing due to pain, causes more damage, chews more etc.)
58
Q

What advice could you give to an owner for the treatment of a damaged blood feather?

A
  • Pull out bleeding feather depending on site
  • Pinch with fingers or forceps to assist clotting, need to restrain bird well
  • Dust with cornflower
59
Q

What treatment can be provided in surgery for a damaged blood feather?

A
  • Pull out feather +/- GA
  • Administration of pain relief: oral meloxicam (or injection), local pain relief
  • Correct/discuss underlying cause
60
Q

Why is pruritus uncommonly the cause of feather picking?

A

Birds have little subcutis, few cells present (incl. histiocytes) so little histamine release and pruritus uncommon

61
Q

Why are steroids not commonly used in the treatment of feather picking in birds?

A
  • Contraindicated due to immune system complications

- Pruritus also rarely cause of feather picking

62
Q

Explain how fret lines in feathers develop

A
  • Corticosteroids regulate sugar, and produced when stressed
  • Hyperglycaeamia in stress due to gluconeogenesis which requires proteins
  • Consistent stress means no protein left for production of feathers leading to fret lines
63
Q

How is feather picking in birds identified?

A
  • Healthy head feathers and feather loss and/or mutilated feathers in body areas accessible to bird’s beak
  • Detailed history required
  • Common sites include propatagium, inner thighs and sternum
64
Q

What is required for the diagnosis of the underlying cause of feather picking?

A
  • Thorough history
  • Physical examination
  • +/- Faecal examination
  • Haematology
  • Radiography
  • Laparoscopy
  • Culture and biopsy of affected sites
65
Q

In what order should the groups of causes of feather picking be investigated?

A
  • First pathological
  • Then psychological
  • Then physiological
66
Q

List the potential pathological causes of feather picking and how these are diagnosed

A
  • PBFD, chlamydophila, fungal, bacterial: PCR, cytology, culture
  • Zn and Pb poisoning: Blood tests
  • Liver disease, hypocalcaemia: biochem, haematology
  • Internal disorders and organopathies: radiographs
  • Internal parasites and gut based disease: faecal exam (grams, wet mount and flotation)
  • Quill mites, lice: microscopy
67
Q

List the potential psychological/physiological causes of feather picking

A
  • Attention getting device
  • Boredom
  • Crowding
  • Environmental changes
  • Exaggerated preening
  • Teerritorial
  • Jealousy
68
Q

How are physiological/psychological causes of feather picking diagnosed?

A

Ruling out pathological causes and history

69
Q

Outline the treatment for feather picking

A
  • Depends on cause
  • Nutritional/husbandry correction
  • Behavioural counselling
  • Medical treatment where appropriate
70
Q

Compare the prevalence of pathological, physiological and psychological causes of feather picking in different bird species

A
  • Amazons more commonly path
  • Cockatiel often physological
  • African grey most commonly psychological, rarely physiological (intelligent)
71
Q

What are the common sites for self mutilation in birds

A
  • Wing webs
  • Mid back
  • Feet, toes, inner thighs
  • Pectoral areas around anterior sternum
72
Q

Outline the treatment for self mutilation in birds

A
  • Isolate reason and correct
  • Prevent further damage using collars for short periods (cotton wool and tape)
  • Debride and repair lesions
  • Antibiotic cover (+/- culture)
  • Consider psychoactive drugs e.g. haloperidol, diazepam
73
Q

What are the common signs of external parasitism in birds?

A
  • Irritation
  • Agitation
  • Poor feathering
  • UNCOMMON cause of feather loss
74
Q

What needs to be an important consideration when treating a bird for external parasites?

A

Underlying conditions that predispose to infestation

75
Q

Which birds are more commonly affected by lice?

A
  • Canaries
  • Pigeons
  • Swans
  • Poultry
76
Q

Describe ticks in birds

A
  • Serious cause of individual death
  • Aviary birds and birds of prey common
  • Cause haematomas
77
Q

Discuss the importance of Dermanyssus gallinae in birds

A
  • Serious problem in bird rooms
  • Disrupt incubating hens and kill chicks due to anaemia
  • Difficult to control as live in environment
78
Q

Name the species of mite that commonly affect birds

A

Knemidocoptes mutans and pilae

Dermatology 2 (23 decks)

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