Bird lung disease, also known as avian air sac disease, is a respiratory condition that affects the air sacs and lungs of birds. It can be caused by a variety of infectious agents, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Bird lung disease often begins with mild symptoms but can quickly progress to become a serious, even fatal illness if left untreated. Being able to recognize the signs of this disease early on is crucial for getting birds the veterinary care they need. Here is an overview of the most common symptoms associated with bird lung disease.
Labored or Noisy Breathing
One of the first and most noticeable symptoms of bird lung disease is changes in normal breathing patterns. Sick birds often start showing signs of labored breathing, with their chests visibly rising and falling more rapidly or forcefully. Their breath may become noisy, with wheezing, clicking, or popping sounds audible as they inhale and exhale. These occur as their inflamed air sacs struggle to function properly. Birds may keep their beaks open to help get more air into their compromised respiratory systems. Their tail bobbing may also synchronize with their breathing patterns. These breathing difficulties tend to worsen as the infection progresses.
Loss of Stamina and Energy
Birds suffering from lung disease frequently experience a decreased energy level and loss of stamina. Where they once zoomed happily around their cages or homes, sick birds will often become far more stationary and inactive. They may spend more time sitting quietly in one area. They may stop happily chirping, singing, or talking as much since these activities require greater energy. A sick bird may sleep more often and not partake as readily in playful activities they once enjoyed. A good indicator is if they start avoiding or have difficulty with physical exertion like flying. The change in their normal activity levels results from their illness making them feel unwell, and their labored breathing impairing oxygen supply to their tissues.
Discharge from Nares
As respiratory infections take hold, birds often develop discharge that exudes from their nares (nostrils). This discharge may appear watery, thick, crusty, sticky, green, yellow, or blood-tinged depending on the type of infection present. Any abnormal nasal discharge is cause for prompt veterinary care. Bacterial infections can cause severe sinusitis with copious discharge. Fungal infections may produce drier discharge with clumps of debris. Discharge often sticks to a bird’s beak and feathers too. Viruses may cause less discharge overall. Any discharges will worsen if secondary bacterial infections emerge. Keeping the nares clean of obstructions is important.
Loss of Appetite
Illness often causes a decreased appetite in birds. Birds with lung disease frequently experience a loss of appetite ranging from mild to complete refusal to eat their normal diet. This happens for several reasons. Sick birds feel poorly and weakness saps their normal interest in food. Labored breathing requires energy that further reduces their hunger drive. Discharge can plug their nares or collect in their mouths impairing their ability to smell or taste food normally. If prolonged, inappetence leads to weight loss and nutritional deficits. A bird’s droppings may also decrease in volume or become more watery if food intake drops. Monitoring if your bird is eating normally is very important.
Fluffed, Inactive Appearance
Birds suffering from illness will often appear fluffed up, sleepy and inactive. Their feathers may appear more ruffled than normal as they lose their usual grooming behaviors. They lose interest in interacting with owners or the environment. A sick bird will often perch in one spot for prolonged periods without moving around the cage much. Head tucked under the wing and eyes closed, they conserve their energy. Their low energy, discomfort, and poor breathing all contribute to their fluffed, sleepy and inactive appearance. Any major behavior or feather changes warrant an avian veterinary visit.
Weight Loss
As birds become more ill from lung infections, they often start to lose weight. This results from decreased food intake coupled with higher energy needs to breathe and fight infection. Muscle wasting and fat loss occur over time. Weight loss may start subtly but can become marked if the bird is not treated. Weighing a bird routinely makes it easier to catch weight loss early. Sudden weight loss merits urgent veterinary attention, as it may signal the bird is in critical condition.
Change in Droppings
A sick bird’s droppings often reflect changes happening inside their bodies. Droppings may change from solid well-formed stools to loose, watery and abnormally colored. Green, yellow, blood-tinged or foul smelling droppings indicate internal issues. Droppings may contain undigested food, blood, unusual odor or become larger or smaller in volume. Carefully observing a bird’s droppings provides clues into their health status. Dropping changes warrant veterinary attention to identify causes and provide treatment.
Lethargy
As bird lung disease advances, sick birds often progress to severe lethargy and weakness. Where they previously continued eating and moving around somewhat, they become far more depressed and immobile. They may refrain from virtually all normal activity. Severely affected birds can reach the point where they are too weak to reach food or water, stay upright, or resist handling. Their physical deterioration stems from dehydration, malnutrition, and low oxygen reaching their tissues. Lethargy represents an emergency requiring swift veterinary treatment.
Ruffled, Unkempt Feathers
A sick bird’s feathers usually show noticeable changes from their normal sleek, well-groomed appearance. Ruffled body feathers give them a scruffy, unkempt look as they lose the energy for preening. Soiled or sticky feathers around the face and vent may result from nasal discharge or droppings. Poor circulation can lead to a ‘puffed’ appearance. Wing and tail feathers may droop downward abnormally instead of being held up. Feathers may look duller or appear wet from abnormal perspiration. Any feather changes reflect a bird feeling poorly and can offer clues into their illness.
Exercise Intolerance
Birds with respiratory disease often develop decreased tolerance to any form of exertion. Where they previously flew, walked and moved about their enclosures energetically, simple activities now leave them weak and winded. This exercise intolerance results from their lung impairment and poor oxygenation. For example, a bird may fly to a perch but then appear extremely fatigued afterward, gasping or tail bobbing to catch their breath. Mild exercise that previously posed no challenge now exhausts them. This reflects their compromised lung function and overall health decline.
Cyanosis of Mucous Membranes
As their oxygenation status severely worsens, birds may develop cyanosis. This refers to their mucous membranes turning blue from oxygen deprivation. Their skin and feathers can take on a dusky, grayish-blue cast as well. The mucous membranes with the most obvious color change are the mouth, eyes and bottom of the feet. Any change from a healthy pink color to blue warrants an emergency visit, as cyanosis indicates critical distress. Swift treatment is needed to stabilize the bird and improve their respiration and oxygenation.
Collapsing During Activity
Extremely ill birds may start to suddenly collapse during mild activity or exertion. For example, a sick parrot may fall straight off a perch after trying to walk along it, or a canary’s legs may give out while hopping around the cage floor. Sudden collapsing signals complete exhaustion and debilitation from illness. It occurs when a body is too physiologically unstable to engage muscles and remain upright. Collapsing spells are dire signs of imminent deterioration that require emergency veterinary care to have any chance of recovery.
Seizures
In severe cases of lung disease, a bird may start experiencing seizures and convulsions. These result from critical illness and a buildup of toxins in the bloodstream that poison the brain. During a seizure, a bird loses consciousness, their body becomes rigid, and their eyes roll back. Limbs jerk uncontrollably, muscles twitch and contract. After a period lasting up to several minutes, the seizure ends and the bird appears weak and dazed afterward. Seizures must be addressed immediately as life-threatening emergencies before brain damage occurs.
Sneezing
Sneezing is a common symptom of infectious respiratory disease in birds. Sneezes are the body’s attempt to rapidly expel irritants or infectious agents from the upper airways. Several sneezes in a row may occur. Discharge, food or other materials may be expelled along with sneezes. The infectious organisms themselves, along with the inflammation and congestion they cause, provoke sneezing reflexes. Sneezing itself is not serious, but signals an underlying infection or irritation needing treatment.
Depression
Ill birds often appear depressed with their heads and bodies in a lowered, slumped posture. Their natural curiosity and interaction diminishes. Where they once looked bright-eyed and alert, a sick bird can appear listless and apathetic with a ‘zoned out’ demeanor. Their activity decreases and they lose interest in toys, food and socializing. Sick birds feel too poorly for normal behavior and just cope with their illness from moment to moment. Any major depression lasting over 24 hours warrants a thorough veterinary visit.
Regurgitation
Some birds with lung infections develop problems with regurgitation of food. This happens when irritation or congestion of the upper airways spill over into the esophagus. Mucous accumulation in the mouth and throat can also interfere with the swallowing reflex. Undigested seeds, pellets or liquids are brought back up by affected birds. Regurgitation prevents normal nutrition. It also risks aspiration of food materials into the delicate lungs, which can lead to deadly pneumonia.
Wheezing or Coughing
Noisy breathing from lung disease may include audible wheezing or coughing. These reflect airway congestion and tightening of smooth muscle bands within the bronchi. Narrowed airways cause air turbulence and vibrations producing wheezes. Infected mucus triggers coughing up efforts to try and expel it. Owners describe wheezes as whistling, raspy, or crackling noises during respiration. Wet-sounding coughs follow discomfort swallowing mucus. Wheezing or coughing signify inflammation and infection within the respiratory tract.
Tail Bobbing
Tail bobbing refers to the up and down pumping motion birds make with their tails while breathing. This occurs when their air sac system is not functioning smoothly. Air sacs are not inflating and deflating normally to facilitate passive airflow. This makes the bird have to actively pump its tail to move more air in and out of its compromised lungs. The harder a sick bird works its tail, the more severe their respiratory distress. Tail bobbing is an obvious red flag for lung infections requiring prompt veterinary diagnosis and care.
Open Mouth Breathing
Birds suffering from lung congestion often resort to open mouth breathing in an effort to get more air. Their usual nasal breathing proves inadequate due to inflammation and discharge clogging their airways. Opening their beak allows air to bypass obstructions in the nostrils and upper passages. Pink oral tissues may blanch and appear pale during severe respiratory distress. While open mouth breathing does permit more air exchange, it also accelerates dehydration. Medical assistance is needed for relief.
Stretching Neck During Breathing
Another breathing compensation sick birds exhibit is exaggerated neck stretching or contortions synchronized with respiration. As with open mouth breathing, this allows greater airflow by maximizing opening of the trachea. The longer the neck is extended during inhalation, the more the tracheal diameter enlarges. Sick birds may appear to be gasping or gulping at air while simultaneously elongating their necks. Their unusual breathing postures help ease their respiratory discomfort. These should never be considered normal or ignored.
Emergency Signs
Certain signs in birds with lung disease signal they are in critical condition requiring emergency veterinary treatment to survive. These include: collapsing or seizures, severe depression and lethargy, minimal food/water intake, severe weight loss or emaciation, cyanotic mucous membranes, and extreme exercise intolerance. Birds showing any of these symptoms are in imminent danger of death without intensive hospitalization and supportive care. They require oxygen therapy, fluid therapy, nutritional support and nebulization to stabilize their status. Only prompt intervention can offer a chance of saving their lives.
Conclusion
Bird lung disease can cause an array of progressively worsening symptoms ranging from mild to fatal. Key symptoms include changes in normal breathing patterns, decreased activity and appetite, discharge from nares, ruffled feathers, weight loss, abnormal droppings, lethargy, sneezing, coughing, tail bobbing and open mouth breathing. Severely affected birds may collapse, have seizures or turn cyanotic. Being alert to the signs of illness allows early veterinary treatment to maximize the chances of a full recovery. Birds hide symptoms well, so owners need to watch them closely for any abnormalities.