TOXIC PRODUCTS
- By DeAnn Waggoner, Executive Director, Wings of Love
Bird Haven
Birds' respiratory systems are more sensitive than humans,
and for that reason, bird
owners need to pay particular attention to toxic fumes
and other potential dangers.
When in doubt, err on the conservative side to avoid putting
your bird at risk.
Here are some things to avoid:
Fumes toxic to birds:
| - Asbestos |
- Bleach/Chlorine |
- Carbon Monoxide |
| - Cigarette Smoke |
- Diazanon |
- Flea bombs and collars |
| - Floor polishes |
- Formaldehyde |
- Hair dye & hair spray |
| - House paint |
- Kerosene |
- Matches |
| - Moth balls |
- Nail polish and remover |
- Oil-based paint |
| - Oven Cleaner |
- Paint remover |
- Perfume |
| - Permanent wave solution |
- Pesticides |
- Shoe polish and cleaners |
| - Spot removers |
- Spray starch |
- Suntan lotion |
| - Surgical acrylics |
- Toilet cleaners |
- Wax |
| - Overheated, non-stick
cookware |
Non-chemical Dangers that can be Toxic or Fatal:
Fatty Diet. In humans high fat diet has
been shown to cause heart disease, liver
malfunction, and endocrine problems (diabetes and pancreatitis).
Birds do need
more calories than mammals based on body weight, but 30-50%
should be high-
quality carbohydrates. Excess fat is either stored in
the millions of liver cells or
recirculated in the bloodstream. This overloads the liver
and can eventually lead to
liver failure. Sometimes this can be acute with the only
symptoms being death or
severe weakness, paralysis or seizures. Excess fat circulating
in the blood stream
can produce fatty tumors. Atherosclerosis also exists
in birds with the associated
heart maladies and circulatory problems associated with
it.
Alcohol. This includes wine, liquor and
beer. All are destructive to the liver. Because
the bird has a high metabolic rate and the ability to
ingest a much higher volume
compared to its body weight, liver failure occurs in a
very short period of time.
Tobacco Products. This includes cigarettes, cigars, chewing
tobacco, and marijuana.
Chronic sinusitis, lung, and liver pathologies have been
confirmed in birds housed
with smokers. In any given breath, a bird can extract
70% more air particulate than
a human. This added to an increased respiratory rate makes
birds very susceptible
to airborne toxins.
FYI: Did you know that it has now been proven that ETS
(Environmental Tobacco
Smoke) can cause cancer, bronchitis and heart disease
in humans? ETS contains
43 compounds known as human or animal carcinogens. No
studies have yet been
done on birds, however birds' unique respiratory anatomy
makes them highly
sensitive to airborne toxin.
In conclusion: Many birds housed with smokers have been
diagnosed wtih low grade
infections, respiratory compromise, heart disease, skin
disorders, as well as other
nondescript symptoms. If you smoke, DON'T HAVE A BIRD!!!
Avocados. Research was done in 1989 to prove that avocado
was indeed toxic to
birds. Budgerigars were the most suseptible with 6 out
of 8 dying within 48 hours
after ingesting one drop from a 1:10 dilution mixture.
Avocado is also toxic to goats,
horses, rabbits, cattle and mice. The toxic component
has not been identified but...
do not feed any part of the fruit, seed or tree to your
bird.
Caffeine. This includes chocolate, tea,
soda and coffee. These items tend to affect
the body muscles including the heart with signs such as
vomiting, restlessness or
hyperactivity with more severe signs of a drunken-like
appearance, muscle tremors,
cyanosis, seizures and possible death from cardiac or
respiratory collapse. This toxic
group is dose related. Just because you might have given
a product that didn't hurt
does not mean that it could not be more serious next time.
Lead or "plumbism". Lead toxicity is well documented.
Sources include lead-based
paints, lead shot, solder, birds toys, linoleium, ceramics,
curtain weights, stained
glass windows, Tiffany lamps, glitter from trendy clothes,
Christmas ornaments and
foil from the top fo wine bottles. Very small amouns are
sufficient to create toxicity.
Lead adversely affects all body systems. South American
species, particularly
amazons and macaws are acutely sensitive to lead poisoning.
Signs usually show up
several days after ingestion, but proceed rapidly and
can lead to death within 48
hours. Symptoms can be vague, but usually have a sudden
onset with one day the
bird acting fine and the next day demonstrating weakness,
anorexia or other
neurological symptoms. If a bird suddenly regurgitates
and looks listless one should
seek veterinary attention immediately and have radiographs
taken. Time is critical
once symptoms manifest themselves. Antidotes are available
to control the
symptoms, then further medical or surgical therapy can
be undertaken.
Zinc. Zinc poisoning has become more and
more common in pet birds and is often
underdiagnosed. Because so many products contain zinc
as a component, clinical
symptoms are quite variable dependent on quantity ingested,
concentration of zinc,
and species of bird. Symptoms might include regurgitation,
lameness, mental
aberrations, marked depression and sometimes death. History
of ingestion has
ranged from only a few days to chronic low-grade exposure
over years. If your bird
is a heavy chewer, replace all galvanized hardware with
stainless steel as a
precaution.
Common sources of zinc are: paint primers on cages, especially
pre-1995, bronze
coating on metals, galvanized products, anodized aluminum
windows, costume
jewelry and sequins, hardware products, washers, bolts,
etc., post-1982 pennies,
"hot spots" in colored food pellets, many forms
of rubber products.
Other Heavy Metals. Various other metals are also toxic
to birds. TIN: found in
aluminum foil, gum wrappers and cans.
Copper. Certain toys, old pennies, designer
furniture and home electrical cords.
Iron. Found in rusted steel products. Just remember to
be very careful where a bird
roams in your house unattended. Symptoms in these other
metal toxins are variable
but most commonly present neurologically, gastrointestinally
and concurrent with
feather picking.
Teflon Vapors. When nonstick cookery (teflon,
silverstone, etc) is heated above a
critical temperature (530 degrees) an invisible, odorless
vapor is emitted. The
irritating vapors accumulate in the lungs causing fluid
production and subsequent
anoxia (lack of oxygen) with the only sign often being
acute death, sometimes within
1-5 minutes. Birds seem to be highly sensitive to this
toxin compared to other
animals or humans. The critical temperature is usually
not obtained during the
"normal" cooking processes, but may be reached
when pans are used for searing
meat or when using teflon-coated Chinese woks or electric
skillets. To be safe, never
keep your bird in the kitchen and be aware of which products
contain teflon. Even
products such as curling irons, hot curlers and portable
room heaters have been
known to have teflon in them and are potentially hazardous.
Simple Sugars. Foods like sweet rolls, danish,
candy, glazed products, and even
portions of sweet fruits have caused acute toxicity or
death in some birds. The cause
stems from the simple sugars causing a fermenting process
in the lower bowel and a
change from an aerobic environment to an anaerobic environment.
Toxin-producing
bacteria already located in the small intestines proliferate
under anaerobic conditions
with the ensuing signs of shock and/or death if antibiotics
and fluid therapy is not
rapidly administered. Unfortunately, birds have an affinity
for these types of foods.
Be careful!
Acidic Foods. A newly observed cause of
toxicity in bird species is foods with a
relatively low pH (acidity). Examples are oranges, tomatoes,
raspberries or tart apple
varieties. Small birds are again more susceptible since
this is dose related. The
symptoms are similar to sugar toxicity, but by a different
mechanism. When ingested,
acidic foods lower the pH in the crop and slow or stop
the crop's normal function as
a passageway to the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
This leads to the absorption of
"normal" toxic food by-products, causing dehydration,
depression, regurgitation,
shock and sometimes death.
Plants. See Toxic
Plants
Conclusion: this is an overview of toxic compounds possibly
available to your bird. If your bird ingests any of these
products or suddenly does not seem right, contact your
avian veterinarian immediately as only a few hours delay
may make the difference between life and death.
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