Handling Inhalation Toxicity in Pet Birds
It's mostly going to be supportive care when we talk about inhalation toxicity in birds.
Sarah Kolb, RVT, VTS-CP (Exotic Companion Animals), primary care and exotics technician at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University, talks about how to handle inhalation toxicity in pet birds.
"Usually these birds come in acutely ill, so trying to figure out what happened directly before they started showing those signs of illness is going to be key. So, you have to try to work with the owners to figure out were you cooking? Did you light a candle? All of these different things to try to pinpoint what started it. These birds come in with difficulty breathing, they're gasping, they can't breathe.
For inhalant toxicity, just removing them from the toxin in the first place is the No. 1 thing you should do. Also providing them with oxygen supplementation—sometimes a bronchodilator will help with that as well—but it's mostly going to be supportive care when we talk about inhalation."
