Health and Healing

I believe our friends from Australia might know something about this problem because it is endemic in wild populations of some finches.

I have no experience with air sac mite and only have one canary (so we're not talking extensive experience on the subject here!).

Currently, the herbal worming mixture I give my animals is a mixture of
Black Walnut, Andrographis. and Qing Hao. Andrographis is also effective
against blood parasites (so I feel it has a fairly systemic action) as well
as being protective of the liver (reputedly more so than St Mary's thistle).
Qing Hao is also effective against a number of other nasties such as E.
coli, staph, klebsiela etc.

I use this mixture because it covers both intestinal and blood parasites as
well as some other nasties. As yet I haven't used it on my birds though but
intend to give it to my poultry in the near future just to be sure they
aren't carrying parasite burdens.
Carole Bryant

Mites 

Certain types of mites live in wood, and come out only at night. They crawl up onto the bird's legs, and even go into the feather shafts. Here's a couple excerpts from old articles I found: 

American Cage Bird Magazine, January 1991, page 21, by David Alderton "Red mite is probably the most widespread parasite in birdkeeping circles. This is because it can attack a wide variety of birds, and is not confined to a particular group. Once red mites have gained access to an aviary or birdroom, they may escape detection at first, but grow rapidly in numbers. It is possible to see them with the naked eye, but more convincing signs will be telltale tiny dark spots, around joints in a breeding cage for example.  Covering the cage at night with a white cloth may reveal the mites on the following morning as tiny red spots. Use a magnifying glass if you are in doubt. It is almost certain that these mites can be spread from aviary to aviary by birds themselves. You can eliminate this risk by treating all new acquisitions and possibly birds returning from shows as well, with a suitable, safe aerosol spray. 

Special pyrethum-based powders are also available for dusting nestbboxes or cages, as well as birds. Longer term treatments, which can be either brushed or sprayed within the bird room to banish mites for a full breeding season, are especially useful." 

Another article, Bird Talk, August, 1991, page 113, by Karen Wasserstrom, tells the story of one woman's problem with feather plucking birds whose vets, after doing a myriad of tests and using a number of medications, never did figure out that their problem was that they had red mites. She, after an allergic reaction and asthma attack, (while noticing her bird pulling out feathers with an emergence), and which occurred repeatedly night after night, and a bug specialist figured it out and treated appropriately. 

Some quotes from her article: "I began getting tiny, itchy bites on my eyelids and chin, and then they appeared on the backs of my legs and on the undersides of my arms." "Because of their softer skin, women received bites far more frequently than men. Red mites come out at night and hop on birds, using them for mobility. The mites also obtain nutrients from drinking the birds' blood. In addition, these mites need blood to reproduce. After obtaining the blood, a mite falls off its host into a safe, dark place, such as upholstery, carpet, grass or wood to lay its eggs. Each mite lays approximately 2600 eggs that hatch in about 48 hours. 

These mites are hardy little devils. They can survive up to five months without blood!" I realize the article is quite old but she also states: "We decided on a spray containing a high concentration of a natural pyrethrin, Bishops Thirty-five plus All Purpose Concentrate Crawling Inspect Spray" was our choice. This spray is specifically used on poultry for mites, lice and other bugs, and contains no petroleums or oils that can prove toxic to birds. Diluted with water, it works safely around birds." "After contacting a specialist at the local university veterinary dept., I discovered the chemical most toxic to red mites is carbaryl. Gardeners use carbaryl packaged under the name Sevin powder on tomato plants to rid them of mites. The vet suggested using this in our living space and possibly dusting the birds, being sure to bathe and remove all the powder from the birds after a few minutes. I put my birds on a white sheet and dusted them with the sevin powder from a plastic bottle with a pointed top (the type used to apply hair solutions). within seconds, numerous red mites dropped off the birds! I made sure to squirt the powder under the feathers, where the mites hide."... "After repeated spraying, dusting, bathing, and bombing sessions, I consider myself a specialist on red mites. Even today I will get an occasional bite or two on the eyelids after hugging Fred, and I immediately reach for the spray or powder. Now I spray or powder the birds, wait 5 to10 minutes, and then bathe them to remove all t he spray or powder and any dead mites. I'm sure I will continue to encounter newly hatched generations now and then, but I will not give up."  

I believe these days most bird breeders use Biological, or Camacide, or the powder 5% Sevin Powder, or the nontoxic spray from VetaFarm. My vet also recommends using Ivermectin for birds who may be kept in area where mites are found, though I know a few breeders who do it twice every year as part of their maintenance program. Many have tried Ivermectin for ridding the bird of mites if it is the cause of mutilation or feather plucking, with very successful results. ( AS an aside, It is also reported that some adults pluck the down feathers from babies in the nestbox due to the presence of mites. They hide in the dark crevices in the nestbox, come out at night, bite, and become red when they are full of blood. Treating the nestboxes with 5% Sevin powder for a couple days, then cleaning, drying before replacing for the next clutch, takes care of this problem.) Some people I know have found that their leg mutilators (and/or pluckers had internal parasites (ie. worms). Once that was taken care of, the problem was resolved." Hope this helps. 

Constance

I'm in Florida and have learned twice a year mites will come out of nowhere! I've also learned by locally communicating with all the other breeders we all have the same problem of mite attack within days of each other. Some of these people have birds indoors and some have outdoor birds. I've also noted that it only last for a few days, and the mites disappear. 

I call them *hit and run* parasites. Your main worry after any type of mite attack is anemia from blood loss. Mites feed off of the bird...which is blood. A secondary problem from these attacks can also be internal (worms) parasites. When I have had birds that have had mite attacks the first thing I do is lightly dust them down with Seven (5%). The second thing, which I feel is a priority and necessity is to get Vitamin B Complex into the bird. The third thing, which may not be necessary, but I want to cover the bases is within a weeks time give the bird an oral wormer. Most likely by now your mites have already moved on. It's good to address the immune system. From my own experiences of mite attacks, anemia is the "unseen" after effects, and possibly a secondary parasite problem. 

Susanne

Giardia 

Oregon Grape is a blood purifier and liver cleanser. It releases stored
iron from the liver into the blood stream. It has also been used in
kidney and digestive tract disorders. The berberine alkaloid contained
in Oregon Grape is antibiotic, but not listed anywere I can find as
anti-protozoan. Aside from a recipe in "Herbs for Pets" by the
Tilford's, I can't find mention of using Oregon Grape for parasites.

The Tilford's recipe is: 2 parts Oregon Grape, 2 parts licorice, 2 parts
cleavers, 1 part garlic.  Give 1/4 teaspoon for each 20 pounds of body
weight twice a day for 10 days.

The herb in their recipe that should be most effective against giardia
is garlic, in my opinion. Cleavers and Oregon Grape are both cleansers
and should help to relive toxicity making itself known by the itchy skin
condition, which may be causing feather plucking.

Don Wells did some research using GSE against giardia. His article is below.
In support of his studies I read this from "Encyclopedia of Natural Pet
Care" by CJ Puotinen:

Holistic physicians and veterinarians experimenting with grapefruit seed
extracct, which is safe for internal use, have found it effective in
treating staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, amoeba histolytica
(a protozoan parasite) and other parasites, etc.

According to Allan Sachs, a nutritionist and chiropractor, "amny
prestigious universities and independent laboratories have tested
grapefruit seed extract against more than 50 fungi, 20 bacteria and a
host of viruses and protozoa. In almost all of these cultures grapefruit
seed extract exhibited significant antimicrobial activity at low
concentrations." The liquid extract has a bitter, unpleasant taste, but
manufacturere offer a debittered powder in capsules. Both are conveninet
for hikers and campers who travel with their dogs. nearly every lake in
North America carries Giardia lambilia, a microscopic parasite that
causes intestinal disease.

Holistic veterinarians are just beginning to use grapefruit seed extract
as a natural antibiotic, immune system booster, candida treatment and
parasite preventative. Some theorize that its antimicrobial activity
enhances the action of herbs such as goldenseal and echinaca, which can
be used to prevent or cure respiratory diseases, viral infections and
other contagious illnesses. For example, blends of grapefruit seed and
echinacea clear Chlamydia infections in cockatiels and other birds,
mastitis and uterine infections in dogs and farm animals, infections in
infant puppies and kittens and a host of other conditions.

The extract has been used in combination with astragalus, barberry,
white oak bark, witch hazel, clendula, slippery elm, pau d'arco,
artmesia, milk thistle, dandelion, plantain, and other herbs to augment
their healing activity.

Our own Heike used it sucessfully in conjunction with echinacea. I
personally am not crazy about GSE because of my personal experience with
it as being ineffective.....which is contrary to its purported ability
to wipe out all normal flora and fauna of the digestive tract, as some
broad spectrum antibiotics do.

If you want to use it, be sure to treat afterwards with probiotics and
digestive enzymes.

Most holistic vets, according to information given at a holistic vet
conference I attended awhile back, consider that allopathic treatments
for parasites are more effective than holistic treatments and relatively
safe. Thus, they usually recommend using conventional drugs for
parasites

gloria

 Here I used it for a week in some imported finches from Africa and that was all they needed. In herp (reptiles for the uninitiated) seem to respond equally as well. I have mainly used it in old World Chameleons. I have not used the product yet in Cockatiels because I don't keep them. It would be an interesting thing to see the results for them down in Florida! 

One of the major problems with teils I feel is that they reinfect themselves constantly in aviaries because Giardia has a spore state outside the body and can easily survive for quite some time when not in its adult form.It would be extremely important to disinfect and eliminate any cysts that could reinfect after or preferably during treatment.

What started me to investigate the Giardia and other Flaggelate problems and how to eliminate them with GSE was a report by a Government M.D. who reported better results with no side effects from the GSE versus other treatments such as Metronitazole( Flagyl). I think one of the biggest problems in getting a bird treated in water is dependant on how much it drinks. Cockateils dont take in that much water and that certainly could be a problem for effective treatment.

Are you POSITIVE that this is effective?

I am as positive as I can be at this stage. I did before and after microscopy on the birds droppings as well as had floats taken for the local lab. Flagelates are not easy to demonstrate under a scope. They only live a short time out of the body. In all samples taken from absolutely positive animals, no evidence of infection was found after a week(7 days) treatment. 

Please understand this is in the West not florida so further follow up and more frequent treatment might be necessary there.  So far I have seen absolute dead on proof that this natural Grapefruit Seed product works very well as a deparasitizer for Protozoans such as Giardia. I have used it in reptiles as well as finches with known Giardia as well as Trichomonads. In both cases after one week of treatment in the water the birds show absolutely no sign of Giardia! Ten drops per gallon seems to work well for me.

Don Wells

Can this be used when they have babies in the nest?
   
I have not tested it so far on chicks in the nest. I do use it at a rate of a couple drops per pint container for handfeeding formula with no observable problems at all.

Don't mind at all. I just don't want this to be construed by some folks as the end all treatment. GSE is a natural Phenolic compound and Phenols are known to have long lasting effects that often don't show up for years to come. So far so good! Its lived up to its claims so far in my experience, which has
been:
1. Tested against yeast infection in small chicks with Candida albicans in crop and intestinal tract. Completely cleared it from the birds along with immune boosters given at same time.It tends to leave the gram positives alone also which I liked. But I do add microbials back after treatment.

2. Giardia and Trichomonads were effectively wiped out/controlled in both reptiles and birds treated for a week period at ten drops per gallon. I suspect this treatment will vary depending on water consumption of some birds?

3. I am now running parasite fecals on reptiles as far as worms and higher forms of parasites other then Flaggelates and other Protozoans such as Amoebas. It will be interesting to see those results because herps and birds are very similar regarding parasites as well as internal structures. It is
often noted that birds are reptiles with feathers on! I have a hard time locating parasitized birds for my tests.

Hope this helps.
Don

Note: About Phenols

Hi,
Understanding phenolic compounds: Phenol is a basic building block of
many important plant constituents.  Phenolic compounds may be simple in
structure or a complex combination of a range of basic molecules. One of
the simple phenolics is salicylic acid, which is found often in
combination with sugar, forming a glycoside. (eg wintergreen and
meadowsweet herbs) This chemical has antiseptic, pain-killing and
anti-inflammatory properties and is used by allopathic medicine in the
form of acetylosalicylic acid, better known as aspirin.

Eugenol, the pain-killing oil found in cloves, and thymol for oil of
thyme both have similar effects to salicylic acid.  Part of the
antiseptic action of bearberry on the urinary sustem can be explained by
the presence of the phenol hydroquinone.

Many natural plants contain phenols, as Don said.  When used in the
complete plant form, other substances in the plant act with the phenols
to lessen any harmful effects.

The problem with most synthetic produced by chemical manufacturers is
that the the active component of interest is synthesized all by itself,
so the other plant products are missing.  That is why synthetic
medicines have so many side-effects. Aspirin by itself, although
beneficial in many ways, is pretty hard on the stomach.  The naturally
occurring form found in white willow bark, is less likely to cause this
problem.

Many of today's drugs were derived from the plant kingdom.  Personally,
I wish they had done a better job by including all of the plant
components. (Like herbalists do :-)
gloria
 

Giardia Testing

From: the Amazon <>

Just a heads up.  I had a long discussion with a friend of mine who is on a
campaign to get rid of Giardia, to get it properly diagnosed and treated,
and to make vets and birdkeepers aware of its prevalence.

This friend, Deb Arbogast, has had experiences herself with Giardia, and
since learning as much as she has, she's telling everybody who'll listen.
She says it needs to be tested for properly, with a fecal trichrome test
taken from 3 successive days of first morning poops (taken within 15
minutes of the pooping).  A lot of vets are using ELISA tests, which are
not accurate.

So, Deb and her husband have started a website and are working on a
non-profit organization, called birdsafe.com.  She's recommending that
anybody with a plucking bird get the bird tested.  Birdsafe is issuing
tubes for the poop to be held in (with polyvinyl alcohol for preservation),
and there's a vet who's sending the poops off to the lab, and Deb lets you
know the results.

I'm having a CAG who came here a week ago tested.  He plucks quite a bit,
and looks uncomfortable to me.  If he tests negative, great!  But I want to
be sure.  If he's got Giardia, most probably the vets who've seen him in
the past would not have tested for it.  The person who placed him here says
he's been vetted, and believes the problem is behavioral.  We'll see.

You can go to birdsafe.com for more information, and you can contact Deb
and Joe (her husband) from there.

Robinn