Be Gull-able: Seabird Medicine Revealed

Bast - AWHI 2026

how can you modify small animal hospital caging for birds

• towel over the front

• soft netting stretched on PVC frame to prevent keel lesions

what does putting a towel over the kennel do for birds

1. control mess

2. prevent injury

3. keep calm (lots of people around)

husbandry

• excrement is very liquidy

• salt glands

  • may atrophy within 10d

  • need for salt varies with species

  • dehydration and salt toxicosis if released

• can give salt water baths or syringe feed SW in hospital

• can lose waterproofing

• oral hydration

• NEED supplementation!

most wild seabird cases need some type of _____

fluid therapy

>7% dehydration C.S

• sunken eyes

• increased venous refill time (anything other than instantaneous)

• wrinkled skin

• tenting facial skin

• microcardia

• increased total protein

how much fluid can you give PO

<5%

how else can you give fluids

SQ or IO (we do not like IO)

renal output can be decreased given

• degree of dehydration

• species

• type of nephron

how to monitor electrolytes and acid/base

iSTAT (blood gas)

critical care for bird

• synthetic colloids

  • give slow

• crystaloids

  • acute shock can safely administer 1-2x blood volume / hr

  • re-eval air sacs and lungs q15m

limit on O2 > 40%

<3d

when can birds get O2 tox

>40% O2 > 3d

O2 tox C.S.

like hypoxia, worse with prolonged O2 exposure

how to treat O2 tox

wean to 21% O2

unique catheter site in pelicans

pouch vein

IV catheters

• better than IO

• often lack featherless tract (apteryla)

• can be harder to place and maintain

• GIVE midazolam & butorphanol prior

• be careful with flush (over heparanize is bad)

• bandages around neck can prevent eating large items (so only wrap partially)

option to keep IV catheter patent

suture

ulcerative pododermatitis

• common

• multifactorial

  • avascular necorsis

  • inappropriate perches

  • wet, dirty surfaces

  • obesity (feed appropr. diet in hospital)

  • vitamin def.

  • lack of exercise, flight

  • excessive weight on one leg (the other is damaged)

how to avoid vitamin def.

supplement (sea tabs)

treatment of ulcerative pododermatitis

• pool noodle foot shoes

• antimicrobials and NSAIDs

• adjust wt distr.

• sand cage with pool

• liquid bandage for grade I

• address predisposing factors

regional limb perfusion

• tourniquet proximal to limb

• IV access

• abx decided based on C&S

• give abx, flush with saline

• remove tourniquet after 10min

• provide fluid support for nephrotoxic drugs (aminoglycosides and NSAIDs)

• repeat PRN

with regional limb perfusion, you also give

oral abx and nsaids

aquatic bird digit amputation is guarded if

>25% surface area of feet lost

how to preserve web of foot during digit amp

dorsal incision

generally ok to remove digits

1 and 2

alcids lack which digit

1

loons often have skin necrosis where

dorsal P1-P2

waterproof layer post ampt is necessary to prevent

contamination

common problems of water birds

• hook and line casualties

• lead toxicosis

• take rads if external hooks found

options for internal hooks

• benign neglect (may pass)

• cotton balling (stuff fish with them)

• surgical removal

• endoscopic removal

• manual removal (palpation glove and pelican)

• tube-over-line method

tube-over-line method

• thick walled tubing to capture end of hook

• tie on additional line if not long enough to pass

• twist and push gently to dislodge hook

• use another method if not working after 1-2 tries

• works well in gulls, NOT CORMORANTS

how to remove external hook

• advance

• clip off barb

• back out the rest

hook removal consideration

• may abscess after removal (must rehab them)

• 7d broad spectrum abx

• palpate regularly

• consider abx impregnated beads, esp. if bone involvement

how long are abx beads stable for

90d

how long do abx beads aleut for

4-8wk (great for bone) → full amt abx delivered

abx beads are osteo-____

conductive

abx beads offeres (lower/higher) abx resistance

lower

avian rate of fluids

75-150 mL/kg/d IV

supplement for bird

• B complex

• iron if anemic

when to force feed birds

day 1-2 (piscivore care, then mazuri fish analog)

puch abscesses

• miliary dermatitis

• treat primary problem

• topical tx (chlorhex)

• systemic tx (abx)

• get back in water immed.

• make sure haul out area is available

how to treat external parasites

• sevin dust (5% carbaryl powder) → carcinogenic

• ovitrol (pyrethrin spray) → can oversoak and cause cold bird

aspergillus is frequent among what birds

• waterfowl

• gulls

• loons

• pelagic seabirds

• USUALLY in rehab

risk factors of aspergillus

• stress

• immune status

• species

• high exposure

• high humidity

• poor ventilation

• pre-existing disease

clinical signs of aspergillus in birds

• unthrifty

• wing-droop

• dyspnea

• emaciation

• sudden death

• abnormal vocal

• altered buoy

• neuro

how to dx aspergillus

• tentative

• confirm on PCT, histo, culture

• plasma galactomannan

• low albumin or A/G ratio

• ausc

• rads

• laparascopy

• cbc

• WEAR A MASK

how to tx aspergillus

prevent!

• itrafungol

• if dz on intake, generally euthanize

• voriconazole if tx

• nebulize

• intralesional amphotericin and endoscopic debulking

• requires MONTHS of tx

pouch lacerations require

surgical repair (stables for temporary closure, <3hr)

if large pouch defect

consider repair over multiple days

newcastle disease virus

• paramyxovirus / avulavirus

• all birds

• outbreaks in

  • cormorants

  • waterfowl

  • gannets

  • pelicans

  • gulls

• in SE after 2010

C.S. of NDV

• cormorants show similar signs to brevetoxicosis

  • wing and leg tremors

  • paralysis

  • torticollis

  • resp./ocular d/c

• velogenic strain → acute death

• no tx

• recomm. euth.

• reportable AND zoonotic

most commonly affected species by brevetoxicosis (in order from most to least)

• double crested cormorant

• gulls and terns

• other birds

• pelicans

• sea turtles (lol)

do you typically quarantine neuro bird

only if brevetoxicosis does not make sense, or if infectious disease (NDV) is likely

species may affect clinical presentation of

brevetoxicosis

• cormorant → ataxia

• gulls → inability to stand

• pelicans → obtunded, gastroenteritis

dx brevetoxicosis

ELISA

prognosis for brevetoxicosis

TP 2.3 g/dL → 50% survival

<1 g/dL → <20%

tx brevetoxicosis

• supportive care, IV fliuds

• IV lipid emulsion is new, and had upwards of 85% success