Friday, April 20, 2012

Why Is My Parrot Losing Feathers?

Do you know the frustration of trying your best to take care of your pet parrot but there just seems to be something wrong? You may be wondering why your parrot is losing its feathers. You may be concerned about the overall health of the bird when it begins experiencing feather loss. In fact, there are many conditions that could present themselves in the form of feather loss. It is important that you do not overlook it if your parrot is losing its feathers.

Understanding Your Parrot’s Feather Loss:

parrot feather lossOf course, one common cause of feather loss will be feather plucking. Parrots can develop this habit for numerous reasons, from boredom to stress. If your parrot is feather plucking, you will want to take steps to stop this behavior. However, if your parrot is losing its feathers and you have not seen any sign of plucking, then you will have to determine another cause for the feather loss.
  • A serious illness that could be the culprit could be beak and feather disease. In a case of this illness, you will see several symptoms. The bird will grow feathers, but they will grow in damaged or broken and will eventually fall out. Additionally, the parrot will have beak problems that can include cracking and peeling. If you feel that your parrot may have beak and feather disease, then it is vital that you take it to an avian veterinarian as soon as possible for a diagnosis.
  • There are other, less dangerous problems that could be causing your parrot to be losing its feathers. Any number ofskin problems and allergies can cause itching and discomfort. Often, these skin problems will lead to feather loss as well. A deficient diet can cause these skin problems as well. If your parrot is having trouble with skin problems and feather loss, then you will definitely want to evaluate its diet. Make sure it is getting enough foods other than seeds in order to get all of the nutrients it needs.
  • In addition, there are some viruses and fungal infections that can lead to feather loss. This is because these infections can directly settle in the follicles that produce these feathers. In these cases, your parrot will lose its feathers in one area and you may notice that the skin is inflamed, swollen or damaged. These types of infections will need to be treated with medications that you will need to get from an avian veterinarian.
  • Finally, liver disease can present itself in feather loss. This is because the skin is directly affected by the liver. If a bird’s liver is not working properly, then it can cause skin problems and feather loss.
Is your parrot suffering from feather loss? There are many causes for this condition. Some of these causes are minor and can easily be managed through diet or changes in environment. In some cases, however, feather loss is a symptom of a much more dangerous disease. If you have any doubts about why your parrot is losing its feathers, the best thing you can do is visit an avian veterinarian for the health of your bird.
 http://birdcage.net/2011/07/13/why-is-my-parrot-losing-feathers/

Help, My Dog is Limping!!

by DR GREG on FEBRUARY 23, 2011
Anytime your dog starts limping is scary. There are several simple things you can check for to ease your mind and perhaps prevent expensive veterinary emergency visits.
First assess the pain. If your dog is putting partial or full weight on the leg, chances are that it is not broken or critical. The most common injury I see on a daily basis are strains and sprains. Aspirin and a few days rest work wonders for these. However if there is a large wound, intense pain, or a lot of blood , err on the safe side and visit your vet or ER.
Be careful when you examine any dog in pain! Even a trusted pet will bite when you squeeze or pull on a sore spot. Never trust or examine any dog in pain without help or a muzzle!
Check each nail for breaks and redness and swelling where it joins the  toe. These are common places where the nail gets caught or pulled. However painful these can be  treated with aspirin, Neosporin, and bandaged till the next day.
Check between the toes  and pads for other wounds, splinters , mud, clods, rocks, and rashes.Sometimes soapy water and cortisone ointment work wonders! Swollen toes could be a sign of infection, sprains, wounds, or breaks.It is very helpful to wash and wet down the foot and leg to make things show up easier! Put Neosporin and cortisone ointment on irritated areas. Check my free home remedy download for other treatments. Often broken toes are left uncasted and unbandaged to heal naturally. Dogs like to eat casts and don’t keep bandages on…or clean!!
Feel all four legs for pain, wounds, and swellings. Flex each joint separately and  feel for heat. If the dog is putting some weight on the limb, they could have just strained it. If they are holding it up, and it looks out of whack…get it checked. If mildly painful, use my home remedy download dosages for aspirin.
Pain in the back, hips, and neck ,may also cause limping. Dogs older than 5 years can commonly have a bit of arthritis in any of these places.If the location of the pain is not obvious, it may be from arthritis in the vertebrae of the neck, back, or hips. Again aspirin will help, till you can get xrays for a diagnosis.
Pain in the stifle or knee can be due to a luxating patella in a small breed or a torn ACL in a large breed. A poodle or Yorkie that has a hitch in the get along, but doesn’t seem painful often has a luxating patella. Luxating patella cause dogs to hike their legs for several steps, then put it down, without pain. On the other hand, a lab or Rottweiler carrying their rear leg may often have ruptured on of the major ligaments in the knee, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Your vet often needs to feel these joints and take xrays to reach a diagnosis. Aspirin is helpful for any problem joints. Don’t use ibuprofen and Tylenol for pain in dogs.
Check out the following video.
Oh… also check out the Dog Dish Diet sale. Get the book, a homecooking eBook, and a link to the youtube crock pot video for only $19.00!

Source: http://www.dogdishdiet.com/2011/02/help-my-dog-is-limping/