Problem | Species Commonly Affected | Common Agents (if known) | Typical Signs |
---|---|---|---|
Toxicosis | Various | Lead, zinc, pesticides, medications | Vomiting, abnormal droppings, lethargy, possible CNS signs |
Oral upper GI irritation | Cockatiels, various | Plants (Pothos, Philodendron), various medications, other caustic materials | Lethargy, ptyalism, passive regurgitation of water, erythema of tongue and pharynx |
Proventricular dilatation syndrome | Macaws, miniature macaws, African grey parrots, cockatoos, others | Avian bornavirus | Weight loss, vomiting, seeds in feces, possible CNS signs |
Bacterial GI infections | Various | Gram-negative bacteria | Vomiting, watery droppings, lethargy |
Candidiasis | Cockatiels, lovebirds, others | Candida spp | Regurgitation, crop distention, oropharyngeal and crop lesions |
Trichomoniasis | Budgerigars, cockatiels, doves, others | Trichomonas spp | Regurgitation, mouth and crop lesions (white matter), mucus in crop |
Ventricular, proventricular, or crop obstruction | Cockatoos, macaws, Eclectus parrots, cockatiels, others | Wood shavings, corncob bedding, other bedding, fibers, foreign bodies, ascarids | Vomiting, depression, weight loss |
Proventricular adenocarcinoma | Various | Neoplasm | Vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, severe pain, sudden death |
Internal papillomatosis | Amazons, macaws | Psittacine herpesvirus 1 | Vomiting, straining to defecate, secondary cloacal and choanal infections |
Abdominal mass | Budgerigars | Renal or gonadal mass—usually neoplasia | Weight loss, lameness, vomiting |
Behavioral | Various | Courtship behavior | Regurgitation on mirror, owner, toy, or cagemate |