Note: No minimum order is required to download any eBooks - No other charges will apply (except Illinois residents sales tax)

E-book - 21 Pages - 30 Gray-scale Pencil Illustrations by Sally Blanchard

Excerpt - Spike’s Mild Sinus Infection

Parrots have a reputation for not showing us when they are sick, but I think an observant caregiver will be able to tell when their parrots starts to be “off” even if it is subtle at first. From that point, they need to watch the parrot very carefully. Parrots can act a little bit “off” and then be OK but when a parrot starts to show the real symptoms of illness, he or she needs a visit to an avian veterinarian. One of the first signs of a parrot that may not feel right is a change in normal behavior. Usually when I take Spike out of his cage, he is delighted to see me and wants to cuddle. One evening when I took him out to come into the office with me, he bit me. This was very unusual behavior unless I interrupted him devouring a pistachio nut. I checked the situation to see if their might be a reason he was upset with me but couldn’t find another reason so a started watching him very carefully. The next day, I noticed a bit of puffiness around his eyes, so I took him to the vet. He had a mild sinus infection and spent part of the next few days in a specially prepared (the holes were blocked) carrier being nebulized with medication. He has been one healthy little bird for over twenty years so he never got really sick with the sinusitis. I think that his good health has a great deal to do with the fact that he has been on a diet with lots of fresh high vitamin A veggies since he came to live with me when he was about 10 months.

Parrot sinuses are really pretty extensive in their heads so the problem can present itself with several different symptoms. Years ago, after my vet described them to me, I got a picture in my mind of an octopus sitting on a parrot’s head with its many tentacles running through the bird’s head.. While there may be drainage from the nares, I think a careful observer will notice that the lower eyelid curls up a bit more than normal because of swelling in the sinus. As the swelling increases, the bottom eyelid closes even more. Don’t be alarmed when you look at your parrot’s eyes as he naps because although we close our upper eyelid to sleep, parrots close their upper eyelid to sleep. So if the parrot is napping it is normal for the lower eyelid to close. It the parrot has slowed down, has some swelling around the eye, and there are any other signs of illness, the bird should see his avian veterinarian. Untreated sinus infections can become chronic and create more serious health problems. When my late great grey, Bongo Marie came to live with me in the mid 1970’s, her sinus infection was so chronic that her nares .................................

Please purchase this E-book to read more.

After the purchase you will receive an email receipt with a link to download your file. The email contains the product name, a link to download it, the link expiration date - 7 days after purchase date - and the the serial number of the download.

Further, while the e-product download is still active - you have 7 days - you will be able to access the download link at any time via your "My Account" page.

You will need (Free) Adobe Reader software to read this eBook. It's probably already on your computer. If you need it, please click the Adobe logo below for your free download.

Published by the Companion Parrot Online Magazine
Loveland, Colorado USA
http://www.companionparrotonline.com
Copyright© 2012 Sally Blanchard
Illustrations and Photographs Copyright© 2012 Sally Blanchard
Design and Layout by Sally Blanchard
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED