Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 2/10/2007

Question
Hi Chrys!
Thank you so much for your past answer about my regrutiating budgie, you
were right,she was regrutiating to me because she was lonely when her mate
died. So we got her a new mate, a 8 month old boy from a breeder. Problem
is, the air in our house is a little dry because of the heating and because of
the change of air quality he started sneezing a little 2 days after we got him.
We took him to a vet immediately, she took a swab from his throat and told
us that he has staphylococci. So she prescribed Enrofloxacin (I think it is also
called Baytril in US) in liquid form, 0.02 ml (one small drop NOT mixed with
water) per day orally for 5 days. But as I did some research on the net I found
out that it can kill or cause serious problems! What do you think?Also,when
we gave it to him yesterday he moved his head and a little bit of medicine
ended up in his eye.There wasn't any kind of reaction in his eye, but I'm
worried anyway. Other than the occasional sneezing he's fine, happy, strong
and has appetite. I'm trying to keep the air humidity up by putting a pan with
evaporating water close to him.Do you have any other advice?
Sorry for the loooong mail again:)
Thank you!

Answer
Hi, Morana.

Any medicine can kill or cause serious problems if not given in the correct dosage for the stated amount of time, for the intended purpose, etc.  This goes for any kind of medicine.  Baytril is a very powerful drug, so it's important you use it correctly.  

Was this an avian veterinarian you took your bird to or a dog/cat vet?  If an avian vet and she prescribed this medication, do exactly what she said.  The sneezing was/is most likely due to the staphylococci.  However, this time of year, our homes are dry and can cause dry skin problems, etc., for our birds.  It's a good idea to use the pan of water.  A portable humidifier would even be better in the same room with the bird.  

Do you use any type of aerosol sprays in/around the bird?  Any smokers in the home?  Air quality is VERY important in keeping parrots healthy.  Their respiratory systems are very sensitive to any types of sprays, fumes, smoke, incense, overheated Teflon, carpet deodorizers (except baking soda), etc., so be sure to eliminate any of these things.  This could be the reason for the sneezing (or at least be a contributing factor).

I think the medicine would be absorbed into the bird's system through the eye.  If your bird is getting to the point now where he doesn't want to take his meds (or more of it gets on everything around him instead down his throat), you could try placing the drop of medicine directly on some of the bird's skin...it will be absorbed through the skin into the body.  You can also mix the medicine with food, depending on the type of food you serve this bird.  After a while, a bird learns what's coming and if the medicine tastes bad, they often spit it out or stick their tongues in the way so the medicine doesn't go down the throat.  Hopefully, you're using some type of eyedropper where you can get the eyedropper on top of the tongue so the medicine goes down.  The medicine won't do any good if enough of it doesn't get inside the bird.  

The long posts are great because it provides all the detail I really like to have in order to help determine what might be going on.  The more information the better!

Let me know how your bird progresses.

Chrys