In Case of "Choking"

[Hjarta5]

I had a scare tonight with Wally seeming to have gotten a couple of seeds from a piece of Avicake stuck, and her not able to make any sound for a good 5 minutes. Everything checked out fine with my local avian vet, but he said that if there was a next time, I can use a toothpick or popsicle stick to clear the beak of any blockage. Or, if there was a clean syringe on hand, to use it as an aspirator. My vet also recommended gently trying to stretch the bird's neck upward and away from the body.

I shared some of the "advice I found on the internet" about what to do if your bird was choking, but he did not believe inverting your bird and pressing on the keel, similar to the Heimlich Manuever, would be helpful since birds do not have diaphragms and that it may do more harm in preventing air from entering the bird's air sac and/or cause them stress. He also did not believe using water or oil would be helpful, as you want to aspirate instead.

If you have a similar scare like me where it seems like your bird choking but recovers, my avian vet said its still best to bring your bird in to be seen for possible infections and/or if there is another cause of your bird's symptoms.

 

[orphansparrow]

How do you use a syringe as an aspirator?

I'm glad Wally is okay!

 

[Hjarta5]

Thanks @orphansparrow ! Wally actually seemed the happiest once we left the vet clinic and was going home

For the syringe, the vet suggested that using it to pull air into the syringe (as opposed to pushing air out) would be enough sometimes to pull a seed or seed hull out.

 

[TikiMyn]

Thank you so much! I wish I had known that sooner, thank you for sharing!

 

[finchly]

This is great information!

I would caution about pulling the neck, if you’re in a panic do it GENTLY. Same with the syringe, especially with a small bird. I keep very small syringes on hand to hand feed. Perhaps I’ll add that to my first aid kit list.

 

[Hjarta5]

Thank you so much! I wish I had known that sooner, thank you for sharing!

No problem, I wish I knew sooner too. I was definitely in a panic and Googling like crazy while my vet office had me on hold. Nothing seemed to come up!

I would caution about pulling the neck, if you’re in a panic do it GENTLY. Same with the syringe, especially with a small bird. I keep very small syringes on hand to hand feed. Perhaps I’ll add that to my first aid kit list.

Yes, definitely gently! which may be hard to do in a panic. My vet showed me you can do it by first wrapping your bird in a towel -- like when you have a wet chicken burrito -- and then using your thumb and forefinger under their ears, beak area from behind their heads.

 

[Birdbabe]

Never, ever use a toothpick you can gently clear the throat with a small " no needle "syringe ,or a small pair of hemostats..just be calm, careful to push the blockage past the glottis and down into the upper crop area.