Protect your Birds from Avian InfluenzaDefra has recently sent out guidelines on how to protect your birds from the risk of Avian Influenza.
Measures suggested are; provide food and water for your birds indoors, this will help to prevent contamination of the feed/ water by wild birds and other animals. It will make your premises less attractive for wild birds to visit if a food source is not immediately obvious to them, so clean up any spilled food or litter. Food should be purchased from a reputable supplier (operating under Defra and Agricultural Industries Confederation Codes of Practice), clean fresh drinking water should be available. Keep your site clean and tidy. Always try to keep your birds away from wild birds and pets, control any vermin such as rats or mice.
If visitors have to come into close proximity to your birds make sure they clean their hands, clothes and footwear before and after contact with the birds. You should obviously be doing the same! However try to keep visitors away from your birds as far as possible. Remember that dirty vehicles can also spread disease so vehicles of visitors should be kept away if possible, make sure any vehicles which do go near your birds are clean (including your own!).
Any equipment used for your birds should be clean and in good order (old tatty equipment is much harder to keep clean). Avoid sharing any equipment but if you have to do so make sure it is cleaned and disinfected before and after contact with your birds.
If you purchase new birds or take your own of your premises isolate them for a time and watch out for any signs of disease before introducing them to the rest of your flock. Use a reputable source for your new stock. Be constantly vigilant and watch out for signs of disease in your birds. Signs of disease may include a fall in egg production, an unexpectedly high number of deaths, and signs of respiratory (breathing) problems.
If you suspect your birds are sick contact your vet. If the disease does turn out to be a notifiable one such as Avian Influenza or Newcastle Disease it would have to be reported to your local Divisional Veterinary Manager. It would almost certainly result in the destruction of your birds if such a disease were confirmed. © Samantha Coe. All rights reserved. Further information, news and pet-related healthcare articles are available at vetbase.co.uk
Questions Answered
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Lump under cockatiel's wing (bird) (25-Sep-07 11:43AM)
Heather asks:
My 13 year old cockatiel has been biting under her wing a lot lately. Last weekend she made herself bleed very badly, however, she recovered well with a makeshift collar around ... view
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Floppy tail (dog) (05-Feb-07 08:21PM)
Jason asks:
Bingo's tail is normally straight and constantly wagging but today it is between his legs and very droopy. Apart from this he is himself do you know the possible reason for ... view
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insuvet insulin (cat) (02-Mar-07 04:10PM)
Hayley asks:
It is stated on the bottle that it has to be thrown away every 28 days, although only using 7 units which means throwing a near full bottle away. Is this ... view
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feeding (dog) (22-Oct-07 01:37PM)
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
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Swollen thighs (cat) (16-May-07 02:16AM)
Mariah asks:
My cat kitten, Nutmeg, got accidentally run over last night on the lower half of her back. She now has swollen thighs, and she is bleeding just below her butt. She ... view
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flea control (na) (03-Oct-07 10:01PM)
Evelyn asks:
Sellers on Ebay are offering to sell Frontline Plus for large dogs along with instructions for dividing the dosage down to the appropriate amount for a cat. The idea is ... view
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Bowel problems (cat) (08-Feb-07 10:06PM)
Kelly asks:
Hey there. My cat has diarrhoea for the last week. He has had it before but seemed to clear up after a few days and it seems to have come ... view
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My female dog has droplets of blood in her urine (dog) (17-Oct-07 03:43AM)
 Casondrea asks:
My 4 yr. old unspayed female has been having droplets of blood in her urine. (Sometimes she passes clear urine, most of the time it will have a drop or two ... view
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cat health (na) (31-Jan-07 04:04PM)
Peter asks:
Can you tell if a cat has had a stroke? My mum's cat has started to walk sideways since last night and is having trouble jumping on the smallest of things ... view
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Shaking (dog) (10-Feb-07 07:31PM)
Roy asks:
My Beagle has had a litter and since she has lost her appetite and tends to shake a lot. She did lose her coat after the birth a year ago but ... view
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Broken Tail (cat) (26-Jan-07 10:56AM)
Margo asks:
Hello
I'm not sure if my cat has broken his tail.. it is swollen at the base, with a cut (near his back) and is slightly bending to one side. It is ... view
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Blood in dog's stools (dog) (31-Oct-07 08:53AM)
Lee asks:
Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has a little weight problem as she was not walked regularly which we ... view
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Whelping (dog) (22-Mar-07 09:23AM)
 Deepak asks:
Dear Doc,
I am from India. I have a female rottweilier that was mated on 23rd and 24th of January 2007. This was her first mating. She gave birth to a puppy ... view
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Blood and discharge at anus of cat (cat) (25-Jan-07 08:49PM)
Karen asks:
Can you please confirm what may have caused this problem? ... view
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Blood in puppys poo (dog) (03-Feb-07 04:18PM)
Jason asks:
Daphne is 6 weeks old and has had the runs for the last 24 hours but I have started to find blood in it. It is also jelly looking. She isn't ... view
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Excessive Drooling (dog) (31-Jan-07 09:27PM)
Helen asks:
Jake is excessively drooling from the right hand side of his mouth, wetting his bedding and furniture. I took him to the vets where they said it was nothing to worry ... view
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Delaying Neutering (cat) (31-Aug-07 01:28PM)
Carolyn asks:
I have two british shorthair cats, a little 10 month old girl who has been spayed and a 6 month old boy. I shall have the little boy neutered but have ... view
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Your Questions Answered
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Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07
Kelly asks:
I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view
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swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07
 Zshai asks:
I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view
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Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07
Sara asks:
Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view
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lack of sleep 07-Nov-07
Bill asks:
We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view
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wet tail 06-Nov-07
Evelyn asks:
Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view
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Alfie 06-Nov-07
Elaine asks:
Hi Sam
Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view
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Guarding problem 05-Nov-07
 Elaine asks:
Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view
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White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07
Leslie asks:
My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view
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Dog's Health 01-Nov-07
William asks:
My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view
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behaviour 31-Oct-07
Debby asks:
Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view
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Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07
Lee asks:
Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view
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upset stomach 30-Oct-07
kat asks:
About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view
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Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07
Mandy asks:
Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view
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neutering 27-Oct-07
 ashen1956 asks:
3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view
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Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07
Purdie asks:
Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view
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Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07
Joanne asks:
I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view
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My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07
Sarah asks:
My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view
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labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07
Paul asks:
Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view
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Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07
Renate asks:
My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view
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feeding 22-Oct-07
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
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