Translated by Nick R
Birds rarely get sick unless they are exposed to some factor that jeopardizes their integrity, such as strong odors, extreme environmental conditions, or contact with other species or surfaces contaminated with bacteria, parasites or viruses. Here you’ll learn the best way to give medicine to your bird and be confident that you’re doing it right.
Table of Contents
3 ways to give medication to your sick bird
1. Bird medicine in water
This method is good when there are a lot of sick birds. It is usually used in aviaries and pens, although some factors can affect the effectiveness of the medicine:
- The presence of bacteria in the drinkers can reduce the effectiveness.
- Other factors such as the pH of the water.
- The possibility of not consuming the necessary amount of medication in the water.
- It can impact the amount of water the birds drink due to changes in taste, odor and color of the water.
Instructions for mixing the medicine in the water
- First, make sure that the medicine can be diluted in water and that it won’t lose effectiveness in the mixture.
- The medicine has to be completely diluted into a homogeneous mixture within 10 minutes at a temperature of 15° to 30°C.
- There should be no lumps in the water unless the drug label states that this may occur.
2. Bird medicine in food
This is a somewhat simpler way to give medicine to a bird, especially if you do it with specific food that may be to its likings such as fruits or vegetables. The important thing is that it is moist so that the medicine can adhere better if it is in powder form.
Remember that the powder medicine should not be included in the seeds because it can remain at the bottom of the feeder and not be taken by the bird.
Pills for birds
In the case of pills, add them to the seeds that it usually consumes; resort to fasting so that your bird has no chance of rejecting them or selecting what it likes the most.
This fasting can be done by removing the food from the cage for a considerable time until it is time to eat, here you must know your bird schedules to eat, although they usually all do it in the morning and afternoon.
3. Bird medicine in a syringe
Using a syringe to medicate a bird can be complicated for many owners, either for fear of hurting it, ignorance of how to do it or simply because of nerves. In any case, it’s something you should know to make caring for your winged friend easier,
Steps to give medicine in a syringe to a bird
1. Use a 1cc or 1ml syringe
Before performing the procedure, make sure to have the right syringe for your bird, I recommend you to use a 1cc/ml syringe with a cone-shaped tip, similar to the one you use to feed a bird.
2. Get your bird familiar with the syringe
Unless you have hand-raised your bird from a baby, your pet will probably not know what the syringe is and what it does, so to reduce stress in the process, it is good for them to become familiar with it by letting them get up close.
Another helpful tip: if you have the time to do it, use the syringe to give juice to let your bird know that something delicious is coming from the syringe – it’s a type of deception and positive reinforcement for the bird.
3. Prepare the syringe with the medicine
To avoid prolonging the stressful time your bird will go through to receive the medicine, it’s important to have the syringe with the medicine ready before taking it.
4. Take the bird in your hands
In this step, avoid prolonged exposure to stress, so if your bird is used to being handled, the process will be less tedious. If it is not, you should proceed immediately and without hesitation to take it.
In the case of small birds, you’ll be able to use the small handkerchief to take it without much difficulty, which you should remove once you have it in your hands. With big birds, you should do it only with your hands, and then wrap it with a towel.
5. Immobilize the bird
Keeping the bird still will help to make the medication a little easier.
In small birds you can do this with one hand, placing the bird’s face towards you with the wings still and your index finger and thumb on the bird’s neck. Be careful not to press too hard! It is normal that even in your hands the bird will still move to get free.
On larger birds, you must use a towel, wrap it around the whole body of the bird and leave only the head uncovered, which you must also leave its face towards you.
6. Wield the syringe
To give the medicine you must take into account two things:
- The hand you use to take the syringe.
- The way you hold the syringe.
Try to use your dominant hand so you can have control over the amount of medicine you give and grasp the syringe with your palm, wrapping your fist around the syringe and placing your thumb over the plunger support (the end from which you squeeze to expel the contents of the syringe).
7. Place the syringe in the corner of the beak
The syringe has to be placed from one side of the beak, trying to get part of it into the beak and straightening it towards the front so that the medicine can reach the esophagus.
If it’s difficult to make the movement, you can try to expel only a small part of the medication once the syringe has entered the spout.
8. Control the amount of medication that comes out
Be careful with the amount of medicine that you expel from the syringe because your bird can get stuck or bronchoaspirate if it gets stuck. The best thing is to give him a moment to recover, do not try to hit him on his back or shake him to make him get better.
9. Wash the syringe and clean your bird
If your bird gets dirty in the process you must clean it with a wet handkerchief. In the case of the syringe, some medicines solidify and can obstruct the exit of the liquid, so you must wash it with plenty of water and let it dry.
Things you must take into account before medicating your bird
Before medicating, consult your veterinarian
Before you start, it’s imperative that you know that for no reason should you self-medicate your bird for any sign of illness: you can put its health at risk by not using the right amount of medicine or the right medicine for what it is sick.
To know which medicine is indicated for a sick bird, it is necessary that the veterinarian is not only guided by the physical symptoms, but also resorts to tests that help to identify if there is any presence of batteries or virus in its organism.
You must know the correct way of giving the medicine
Not all the medicines or supplements given to birds will be administered in the same way, some of them such as vitamins or feed should be included in the food, while those that should be given directly will be given through syringes, injections or topical solutions, this should only be indicated by the veterinarian.
Keep in mind the measures of the medication
Although the recommendation is that the veterinarian gives you the measures and indications, in some cases you must be the one who understands the correct way to give the medicine, this happens when the measures of the bottle are guided from the base active ingredient (which refers to the exact amount of the medicine) that is found within the same composition of the entire content.
To give you a better understanding, an example would be a medicine that on its label says “100 mg/ml” in it refers to one milliliter (ml) of medicine containing 100 milligrams (mg) of the base active ingredient, so if your bird needs 200 mg of the base active ingredient, you should give 2 ml of the medicine.
Read the instructions on the outside of the package
An alternative to understanding the correct way to give medication is reading the instructions on the label, where you can find the exact measurements for the size of the bird and the recommended frequency.
Be precise with the periodicity of the medication
Any treatment for a certain condition with a specific schedule such as “every 12 hours for 5 days” must be followed exactly and not be terminated before the recommended time, even if your bird improves. It may happen that the infection or virus is not completely eliminated and the bird gets sick again, increasing the recovery time even more.
Do not exceed the recommended dose
Do not try to make up for the amount of medication you are supposed to give your bird during the day, either because you skipped the schedule or because you want to avoid having to do it later because of an outing.
Remember that the thoroughness of the treatment will make your bird feel better in a short time.
Another point to remember is that in the case of medications given by syringe if your bird drops a little, do not try to make up for the lost amount.
Use one syringe for each bird
If you have to give medicine to more than one bird, for hygiene’s sake you should use an individual syringe for each bird.
Related Blogs
5 signs to know if your bird is sick
What vaccinations and medications are necessary for your pet bird?
Resources
Oral treatment in birds. Aspects to consider to minimize therapeutic failures.
