lofty

Hi stevebelbin Couldn't agree more not long ago I had some bantams with what was thought to be mycoplasma and the vet wanted to give me linco spectin (cost £90) I insisted he take a sample to test for sensitivity (cost £10) 3 days later the results came back and the organism was resistant to 6 different antibiotics!!! Theoretically it could have cost me a small fortune for useless drugs, not to mention wasting valuable time treating the birds with something that worked! Lofty

Hi John The wing lame pigeons you speak of wouldn't have had the problem caused by paratyphoid. any joints affected by this disease become ankalosed and 'set' and even cortisone injections have little effect. So could have been caused by something else, possibly injury, calcium deficiency or paramyxovirus although one of the first signs of paramyxovirus is profuse watery droppings due to the virus attacking the kidneys. Birds can recover from paramyxo and win races even if they progressed to showing nervous symptoms. It makes it easier to find the cause if you split diarrhoea into two parts.. IE if the normally solid bit is liquid but streaks of the white are still present then the problem is in the intestines. If the solid bit is normal but the white bit has turned to water then the problem in in the kidneys lofty

Its true it does especially as it can cause so many different , often vague symptoms such as lameness, sterility, nervous symptoms similar to paramyxovirus,weight loss,poor hatchability and nestling mortality And the problem is made worse by indiscriminate use of antibiotics -expose the germs to antibiotic at too low a dose or for too short a time to kill them and it is only a matter of time before they 'learn' how to resist it and that's another one to add to the list that doesn't work anymore. Tests for the disease are also expensive as it needs 3 negative droppings samples tested a week a part to be sure a bird is clear. It is also more common than than one would expect - A study by Baay conducted in the netherlands during 1983 found that at the end of the racing season 67%of race baskets were infected with paratyphoid (baaij,j. 1983 Salmonellose by Postduiven. Een studie overepidemiologie en preventie. 3,17-18,33.) Of course not all symptoms mentioned can be attributed to paratyphoid but it is definately something to be born in mind! Lofty

Hi When paratyphoid causes symptoms of lameness in either legs or wings the affected joint feels hot to the touch then becomes stiff. might be an idea half way through the treatment to clean out the loft and wash everything down with bleach and hot water wash the birds feet with warm soapy water before you retun them to the loft otherwise they will soon re-infect themselves. Then consider vaccinating them all against paratyphoid after treatment. It is best to cull any birds that start showing symptoms after vaccination PS the treatment for salmonella (paratyphoid) is usually for at least 2 weeks ?? and unfortunately not all birds will be cleared of the germs some will remain carriers and vaccination can cause these birds to start showing symptoms The big problem with this disease is the fact that apparently healthy birds can harbour the germ and shed it only occasionally Any birds that seem to be losing weight (after being wormed) and never seems to reach good 'form' should be suspect Lofty

Well if they do we know how to cure them ;D ;D ;D ;D

Have postded a sketch in members photos Lofty

Hope this makes things a bit clearer

in coccidiosis you are looking for what looks like small bubbles with lots of even smaller bubbles inside it (some of the smaller bubbles will also be 'free' worm eggs are oval shaped. Hairworm eggs are much smaller with whats known as a polar cap at the end. Round worm eggs don' have this cap. If I knew how to I could post some pictures. To look for trichomonas. wet a cotton bud, gently push it down the birds throat and rub it against the inside if the crop, squeese the resultant fluid onto a slide and look at X100 if there are any trich's they will be seem jerking around in a happhazard manner but you have to be quick becouse they slow down and stop as they cool off. Lofty

Thought I had read that somewhere but NPA site seems to be out of date? Lofty

and is about the only antibiotic you shouldn't drink alchohol with or you will feel like S****! Lofty

That'l do me! cheers Lofty

Hi Doxycicline is one of the tetracycline antibiotics and is the prefered treatment for ornithosis becouse it is less effected by the grit the birds have eaten (tetracyclines have an affinity for calcium and 'bind' to it preventing the drug from being absorbed) but it is still a good idea to remove all grit containing calcium during treatment and preferable several days before (as some will still be in the gizzard) Yes it is used for STI'S 200mg twice a day for Chlamydia trachoma (but 1000mg as a single dose of the related drug Azithromycin is better)!!!! Lofty

Canesten contains the anti- fungal drug Clotrimazole Dimetridazole and Metronidazole (flagyl) are antibiotics used for anaerobic bacterial infections and some protozoa.(heximita and trichomonas) they can cause temporary sterility in birds lasting a couple of weeks the problem with using antibiotics at too low a dose or for too short a time means some bacteria are able to survive the treatment out of these there is the risk that some will 'learn' to resist the drug and become immune to its effect. This is why they should never be used as a 'tonic' The bird itself does not become immune to the drug For example Staphylococus Aureus lives on most people all the time. (on your skin and up your nose) Causing few if any problems. When people take antibiotics, for say, A sore throat etc etc. These bacteria are also exposed to the various antibiotics used and learn how to resist them. The problem comes when these same bacteria get into places they shouldn't be, such as wounds during surgery etc.and start to cause infection. As most antibiotics will no longer work on them they are able to multiply unhindered and are known as Multiple Resistant = MRSA Hope this helps Lofty

Hi Can anyone tel me if the january show at Blackpool wintergardens will include fancy pigeons? or is it just for racing birds? thanks Lofty

Would crossing flying Rollers with Show wests improve things re flying ability or is it likely to mess everything up? Lofty

Hi Does anyone have Polish Orliks? In need of new blood and also 4 hens Also looking for Cumulets for flying in yorkshire area but will travel Thanks Lofty