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Petie the parrot is losing his singing voice

By Jeff Kahler, D.V.M., McClatchy Newspapers, Source: MCT News Service

Petie used to be a wonderful singer. Lately, the 10-year-old yellow-napped Amazon parrot is losing his voice.

Noah noticed the change over the last few weeks. He now thinks Petie is less active as well.

Petie has not been to a veterinarian in more than five years, and that's a bad thing because pet birds should be seen by their veterinarian on a regular basis. This means yearly for physical examinations and routine screening tests.

Birds are very good at hiding problems and often are far more ill by the time symptoms surface. This is one of the reasons why people mistakenly think birds are weak. They hide their symptoms and can be close to death before you realize they're ill. Regular evaluation by a qualified avian veterinarian is a way to help prevent this.

My concerns with Petie center on his respiratory tract. His voice changes and now apparent weakness could reflect a decreased ability to breathe properly. A parrot's respiratory system is complex, far more so than mammals, and very efficient. It is also sensitive to insults that can greatly reduce efficiency and affect the bird's ability to breathe.

Since Petie's voice has been affected, I suspect there is a problem in an area called the syrinx. This "vocal box" is located at the point where the trachea splits. In this area, air is guided into the left and right portions of the respiratory tract. It is also an area where "things" can lodge.

I have seen birds that have pieces of food _ most commonly hulls from seeds _ stuck in this area. This not only compromises air flow, but also leads to secondary bacterial infection. In smaller birds, such as cockatiels and love birds, this can be an emergency because the seed hull can obstruct the area enough to block air movement to the point of suffocation. These birds are difficult to save because of their small size and the difficulty of accessing the blockage.

With larger birds such as Petie, we can use a small endoscope placed down the trachea to the syrinx, look around and, if necessary, remove any obstructive material.

Seed hulls are not the only possibility. There are primary bacterial infections that can occur in this location, leading to abscesses that block air flow. Fungal disease can lead to formation of a structure called a granuloma that can restrict flow. Both of these conditions are progressive in most cases and can result in death.

I think you know what is next: Petie needs to see his veterinarian before things progress to the point of severe illness.

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(Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in Modesto, Calif. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto CA 95352.)

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