Liver Disease / Fatty Liver
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Liver problems
- Fatty liver
- Bacterial infections such as E. coli
- Blackhead in turkeys, vector is the heterakis worm common in chickens
Fatty liver disease is one of the most common metabolic disorders. A healthy liver detoxifies the body and breaks down fat.
Most birds with this condition show all or most of the below clinical signs:
1. Obesity: Overweight birds have fat deposits on their chest and abdomen.
2) Abnormal beak growth: The beak grows rapidly and abnormally.
3) Black spots on the beak and toenails: The black spots are areas of hemorrhage, like bruising.
4) Enlarged fatty liver.
Causes:
Often the liver is subjected to toxic injury from ingesting mycotoxins (from seeds), aflatoxins, plant toxins, and a variety of chemicals (cleaning products, aerosols, deodorizers, insecticides, pesticides) used in the home environment. (For non-toxic ways to control pests in the house or garden, please visit this webpage.)
Other identified causes of liver damage are infectious diseases, i.e., Chlamydia psittai, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium avium, E-Coli, and Salmonella.
Treatment:
It is suspected that there is a correlation between vitamin deficiency and the development of fatty liver disease; and nutritional support is essential for the treatment. It is recommended that the following Vitamins are supplemented: Choline, biotin and methionine.
Foods that are high in choline are egg yolks, brewers yeast, legumes, and whole grain cereals. Sources of biotin are nuts, fruits, brewers yeast, and brown rice. Methionine is not available from plant sources; sources are eggs, fish, meat and milk.
It is important to change the diet to one that is low in fat and with reduced protein content - and preferably organic. Additionally, increasing your bird's daily exercise will be an important step in the treatment regiment.
In many cases there are secondary infections along with the liver disease, and the vet will (or should) ensure that any medications are not toxic to the liver.
There are some alternative treatments that can be used along with those that your avian veterinarian prescribes.
The following products will help with detoxifying your birds:
- Aloe Detox (available at your local health food store or at this website..
- Herbs that are conducive to maintaining liver health and even reversing existing liver problems are: Aloe, Milk Thistle, Psillium Husk Powder, Dandelions and others.
Aloe Detox has been used successfully to treat liver disease. This preparation already contains milk thistle and dandelion, in addition to Echinacea which is an immunostimulant. My eclectus was diagnosed with liver disease, and after a few weeks of mixing Aloe Detox in with his water, his liver values were normal. Admittedly, he hated the taste - and I had to syringe feed him at times. But it worked.
However, any treatment options, including the above, should be discussed with your avian veterinarian.
If you suspect that your bird is suffering from liver disease, please contact your avian veterinarian.
Some species won't want to raise a baby bird or more in any old bird house since different kinds of birds have different housing requirements, so if you want to buy a bird house for bird watching from your front window you may want to research the right house.
Resources: Causes for Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome ... Fatty Liver Disease in Cockatiels ... Fatty Liver Disease / Pancriatitus ... Evaluating Liver Function in Birds ... Avian Nutritional Problems: Fatty Liver Disease, Peter S. Sakas DVM, MS ... The following website was kindly provided by Patricia Carter (Micro-Biologist) for the benefit of those individuals who are interested in herbs: http://chili.rt66.com/hrbmoore/Resources/ResList.html
Many disease-causing organisms / toxins are transmitted via air and water. If you suspect a disease problem (or if you would like to prevent one), please investigate the possibility of filtering your air and purifying / treating your birds' drinking water.
Natural Antibiotics / Strengthening Your Immunesystem Naturally
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