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Other bird issues - Part 5 - Your Basic Bird First Aid Kit |
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There are several other ways your beloved parrot or parakeet can get hurt. Here's a quick rundown of some of the more "popular" things you should be prepared for.
Other Bleeding
If your bird has caused bleeding from scraping a leg or the top of its head and is bleeding slightly, simply grab the first aid kit, capture the bird and follow the instruction for nail bleeding. Once you have stopped the bleeding completely, clean the wound with a gauze pad dampened with alcohol or peroxide. If bleeding is severe, perform the first step of applying styptic powder and compress with a gauze pad while traveling to the vet. Severe bleeding from a deep cut is a serious injury and you will need antibiotic shots, and professional measures to ensure your bird’s health.
Oil Contamination
If your bird gets its feathers contaminated with oil somehow, like jumping on your hand while you are applying hand moisturizer lotion, or getting into kitchen oil or any other oily source that shows oil contamination, you must remove the contamination. You’ve seen on television the birds rescued from oil tanker spills. We will perform the same process or similar depending on the severity of the oil contamination. However, if you think the oil is from some toxic source, don’t try first aid; go immediately to the vet for help!
If you know the oil is non-toxic, and the contamination is only a small area, you can apply cornstarch to the area, rub it in well and rub off with a gauze pad in the direction of feather growth. If this is sufficient to return the feathers to normal, you are done. Repeat several times if necessary. But if the oil residue remains and the feathers still look oily, perform a “spot bath” on the area by damping a gauze pad, applying a little human facial soap, and clean the area. With a clean pad, rinse the area. Repeat several times if necessary until the oil contamination is gone. Be sure to keep the bird warm while drying.
If the oil contamination is over a large portion of the bird, you should prepare a tepid bath in the sink and use a gentle soap to bathe the bird. Rinse and repeat several times. It may take four or five times to remove the oil sufficiently. But an oil coated bird can not maintain body temperature and will sicken and die.
Another method on large contamination areas is to place corn starch in a bag large enough to hold the bird with its head sticking out. Place the bird in the bag with its head exposed, and shake gently to apply the corn starch well. Then begin the bath treatments. At no time should you let the bird become chilled. A blow dryer for hair set on low and held a good distance from the bird will aid drying if the bird will allow it.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are not to be treated at home. But we need to perform first aid while preparing to go to the vet; otherwise we will have a bird go into shock further compromising its health. First, constrain the bird and wrap the broken area in gauze and tape the gauze. Wrap the bird in a clean soft towel to avoid its becoming agitated and hurting itself further. This will also provide warmth to help prevent shock. As quickly as possible, get to your veterinarian’s office for splinting and proper treatment to avoid misshapen limbs and possible lameness.
Should the fracture be compound, meaning the bone has broken the skin and blood is flowing, apply styptic powder in large quantity before wrapping the wound in gauze and proceed at maximum speed to the professional for treatment.
Animal Bites
Animal bites or scratches, particularly cat scratches or bites, are another area where you will end up having to go to the vet’s office, but you can do some first aid while preparing to go. If blood if flowing, follow instruction for using styptic powder to stop as much blood flow as possible. If it is only a scratch or small puncture wound, clean the area thoroughly with hydrogen peroxide to help kill the toxins which may be present. Since animal bites contain germs, and cat bites contain toxins, you must go to the vet for antibiotic shots and further care.
Dust or Dirt in the Eye
If your bird appears to have a seed husk or a speck of dust in its eye, you can contain the bird and wash the eye with saline solution or Visine. Saline solution would be the better choice. Repeat the eye wash a second time if necessary. Let the bird calm down and see if the symptoms go away. If the bird still appears to have something in the eye, try washing the eye again. If this doesn’t work, you will have to seek professional advice because the problem could be an eye infection rather than debris in the eye.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 23 December 2006 )
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