Veterinary Services

One parrot and three parakeets died within 15 minutes of each other. The birds were in very good condition and all had congested lungs. In two birds the lungs were filled with frothy fluid. The birds were kept near to an air vent, and fumes from a neighbour’s bonfire may have caused the deaths.

A breeder of budgerigars lost three adults within two weeks. Post mortem examination showed congestion of the liver, kidneys and lungs, with a few indistinct haemorrhages on the liver surface. Histopathology revealed an acute multifocal fibrinous hepatitis with necrosis and intranuclear inclusion bodies suggestive of an underlying viral infection. Systemic erysipelas infection was found in a stone curlew from a wildlife park – the bird was in satisfactory body condition and no predisposing cause was detected.