Emergency Preparedness for Bird Owners

No one ever wants to experience an emergency. However, preparing for one and having a plan in place and the necessary supplies can make an emergency more manageable and less stressful for you and your birds.

Emergencies come in many forms. There are medical emergencies, such as respiratory distress, trauma, and neurological symptoms; reproductive emergencies like prolapses; and environmental emergencies like hurricanes, fires, and floods.

To assist you in preparing for emergencies, we will go over what constitutes a medical emergency for a bird, what you need to have on hand for avian first aid and supportive care, important information for after-hours emergencies, and how to prepare if you and your birds need to evacuate.

Some items are useful in both scenarios, and all the items need to be together in one easily accessible location.

What is a Medical Emergency for a Bird?

A medical emergency for a bird can include bleeding that does not stop, difficulty breathing and tail bobbing, trauma such as burns, cuts, or puncture wounds, contact with a predator, including cats and dogs (tiny scratches and cuts from a predator may not immediately be visible but are life-threatening), ingestion of toxins like avocado, metals, chocolate, etc., inability to pass droppings or an egg, visible prolapse, vomiting, blood in droppings, or regurgitated fluids. This is not a complete list, but these are examples of emergencies that require immediate medical attention.

Since birds are prey species, they are conditioned to hide illness. As a result, a bird that shows visible signs of illness is often very sick and needs prompt medical attention. Please contact your bird’s veterinarian the same day if you notice loss of appetite, eye injuries or irritation, ingesting a foreign object, fluffed appearance, lethargy, sitting on the cage bottom, drooping wings, inability to perch or walk, swelling anywhere on the body, excessive thirst and/or urination, diarrhea, or self-mutilation.

Knowing what is normal for your bird is the best way to notice concerning behavior. Things you need to know include your bird’s weight, the appearance and number of droppings in a day, how much your bird eats and drinks, and your bird’s typical behavior, such as vocalizations, activity level, and napping.

It is also a good idea to have your bird’s updated medical records either saved in your email or in physical form, along with emergency contact info for your bird’s veterinarian.

To make emergency vet visits and evacuations easier, it is helpful to gradually get your bird used to being restrained in a towel and going into a carrier. Once learned, practice and reward these behaviors so they become a normal part of your bird’s routine, rather than something new and scary. That way, your bird will be used to these behaviors, making them less stressful for both of you.

Who to Contact for Emergencies?

Exotic Bird Hospital accepts emergencies, and we always try to, unless we get over capacity. Our hours are Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. In the event of an emergency, call us at 904-256-0043. We are located at 11744 Beach Blvd. Suite 108, Jacksonville, FL 32246.

For an after-hours emergency or if we are over capacity, we refer bird patients to VEG ER for Pets. They are open 24/7 and can be reached at 904-638-7730. They are located at 4507 Town Center Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32246.

Another option is Greenlight Pet ER. They are open 24/7 and have some veterinarians who see birds. Call 904-865-4860 to check if their exotic veterinarian is available. They are located at 14985 Old St. Augustine Rd., Units 106 & 107, Jacksonville, FL 32258.

For residents of the Fernandina area, an option is Robinson 24-Hour Veterinary Hospital. Their number is 904-913-0032. They are located at 942440 Nassauville Rd., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.

If you are reading this and aren’t local, take advantage of the Find-A-Vet tool on the AAV.org website to search for an avian veterinarian near you, preferably before you need one in an emergency situation.

Avian First Aid

Some items to have on hand should an emergency with your bird arise are a carrier, a smaller cage or crate, food and water dishes for the cage or crate, towels, a gram scale, a heating pad, a thermometer, and a first aid kit.

For your first aid kit, some items to include would be vet wrap, styptic powder or cornstarch, tweezers/hemostats, scissors, betadine (it will need to be diluted), rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, cotton-tipped applicators, a metal nail file, a heating pad, and a battery-powered light.

*Styptic powder like Kwik Stop should never be applied to wounds, the vent, near the eyes, eyelids, or mouth. Kwik Stop should mainly be used to stop bleeding from toenails or from the blood feather shaft, not on skin, as it burns the skin and can cause irritation.

If you observe blood, the most important thing is to identify the source of the bleeding. Try to determine whether the bleeding is coming from a feather, a skin wound, the beak, a nail, or the vent. If you can’t tell by looking at your bird, you may need to restrain your bird in a towel.

A broken blood feather, a common cause of seeing blood in the cage, can leave many blood splotches on the cage bottom. Once you figure out which feather is the culprit, you can often get it to stop with styptic powder and pressure. If it will not stop, it might need to be removed, and it is best to have your bird’s veterinarian do the removal.

Observe your bird. If the blood is coming from the vent or is in the poop, this is an emergency, and you need to take your bird to the vet right away. A major wound, whether from an accident or self-mutilation, also needs immediate veterinary attention. Minor wounds that stop bleeding are best observed closely, but if the bleeding does not stop or recurs, or if your bird seems weak or lethargic, contact your bird’s veterinarian right away. Make sure your bird is eating and drinking normally, as a beak wound can cause pain that may affect appetite and need attention.

An animal attack, whether by a dog, cat, or wild predator such as a raccoon, is an emergency requiring immediate veterinary attention, even if the bird appears normal after contact. Puncture wounds and scratches can easily be overlooked, and bites can cause crushing and internal injury. Both dogs and cats carry bacteria in their mouths and on their claws that can cause fatal infections in birds. The sooner the bird is treated with antibiotics and evaluated by the veterinarian, the better the bird’s chance of survival.

An attack from another bird may be an emergency, depending on the extent of the injuries. Sometimes injuries are minor, but other times, injuries can be quite critical, and if left untreated, can cause severe pain, necrotic tissue, and life-threatening infection. Unless an injury is incredibly minor, it is best to have it evaluated. We see beak and toe injuries from bird-on-bird violence that develop necrotic tissue and infections if left untreated.

Supportive Care for Birds

There are cases where you might want to observe your bird or provide supportive care. For instance, if your bird falls during the night but does not seem injured and is acting pretty normal, it is best to monitor your bird in a smaller cage with a perch placed low and the bottom padded by a towel and then covered by paper towels so a fall will not be from such a height and will be softer. Vet wrap should also be used on the perches to make them softer and easier to grip, and place food and water dishes close to your bird.

If a bird is not perching, place it in the smaller cage or crate without the perches. Pad the bottom with towels, cover them with paper towels, and place your bird on the paper towels on the bottom with small food and water dishes within easy reach. For a bird not perching, once you get your bird set up and comfortable, call your bird’s veterinarian right away.

The above measures, along with the smaller cage setup, should also be taken if your bird has head trauma from flying into a wall, window, ceiling fan, etc. Birds with this trauma can seem fine at first, but develop severe problems later, so this kind of emergency requires immediate attention. Once you have your bird in the smaller padded cage, contact your bird’s veterinarian right away.

If your bird is fluffed up or appears unwell, a heating pad can provide warmth, which can help when they are sick. Place a towel between the heating pad and the bird’s hospital cage, and make sure the electrical cord is not accessible to your bird.

*Do not use a heating pad or provide any supplemental heat to a bird with head trauma, as heat can cause more swelling in the brain, worsening the situation.

Bird Evacuation Kit

In Florida, we experience hurricanes, floods, and fires, and, less frequently, tornadoes; in other parts of the world, there are earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and other unexpected environmental emergencies. Some natural disasters happen without warning, and others may give you more time to prepare.

Items to include for a bird evacuation kit are a secure travel carrier and food and water dishes for each bird, two weeks of nonperishable food such as pellets, seed, or a mix in an airtight, waterproof container, newspaper or other cage liner, bottled water, a spray bottle, towels, your bird’s medical records, a contact card with your info and your veterinarian’s info, and your avian first aid kit.

Another important consideration is making sure you don’t let your bird’s prescription medications run low. In the event of an emergency, you might not be able to get refills in a timely manner, so it is best to always have enough medication on hand to last about two weeks.

Having a plan in place ahead of any emergency necessitating evacuation is the best approach. Many shelters for individuals displaced by natural disasters will not accept birds or other exotic pets, so take the time to find pet-friendly hotels or exotic pet boarding facilities, or reach out to friends in other areas to find shelter in case you ever have to evacuate with your pets. If you have too many pets to fit in one vehicle, you also need to designate who will help you during an emergency evacuation.

Before an emergency ever arrives, it is best to get your bird accustomed to going in and out of a carrier and riding in a vehicle. That way, that part of the process won’t be as scary.

Use the buddy system if you have a trusted neighbor or a nearby friend in case an emergency arises while you are out of town. You can agree to check on one another’s pets and give one another authorization with your pet’s veterinarian to approve necessary emergency treatment for your pets.

No one ever wants to experience an emergency or natural disaster, but planning and practicing for one ahead of time can help you deal with one more calmly, with less uncertainty for you and your pets.

Exotic Bird Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, has emergency appointments for birds. Please call us at 904-256-0043 if you think your bird may be experiencing an emergency.