How do people with small birds give medicine?

[Big.Green.Chicken]

There have been a lot of sick birds lately. Reading about Squeeky and Mikey the tiels made me realize something frightening I had never considered before. How do you give meds to a little bird?

KerBear is huge. I don't worry about crushing her. Her beak is big, the syringe fits in there. She will drink meds with pina colada.

Greywing is little. His initial exam went ok, but we won't get the labs on his blood work back until next week because of the holidays.

How do you fit a syringe in a little birds mouth?
How do you hold him so you know you are not crushing him?
How do you make sure that you are not choking them?

Someone said that Baytril couldn't be used, they had to use Doxycyclene. I am deathly allergic to that, what if my bird can't take it because of me. Is there something else they can give them?!

Hubby won't give meds to any of the animals so it will be up to me. When I thought about the reality of actually giving meds to Greywing I started shaking. He is so little.

How do you guys with small birds do it?

 

[avianantics]

Little birds, medium birds, big birds.... I give all oral meds in a tiny bit of handfeeding formula via a 1cc insulin syringe. The trick is to put the medicine in the syringe first, then pull a bit of HF formula into the syringe. Most of them take it enthusiastically.

 

[JLcribber]

It's all done the same only on a smaller scale. The syringe is smaller. The towel used to restrain the bird (if needed) is smaller and you use a lighter touch.

This article has lots of good tips for medicating your bird.

Medicating Pet Birds Orally

 

[Big.Green.Chicken]

Thank you John and Shelly.

I read the article.
I still worry. I don't think Greywing will just suck it up on his own the way Ker does.

There is no way I would even try to give my bird shots. I would go to the vet twice a day for that if I had too. Kudos to those of you who can manage that one.

 

[JLcribber]

Thank you John and Shelly.

I read the article.
I still worry. I don't think Greywing will just suck it up on his own the way Ker does.

There is no way I would even try to give my bird shots. I would go to the vet twice a day for that if I had too. Kudos to those of you who can manage that one.

There's no way to really prepare for it other than actually doing it. The first time is always the most traumatic (for us). It's mostly nerves. You will get better at doing it with each dose as you become more confident and relaxed. You just need to get past that first time or two.

 

[Tielygirl]

I use this teeny-tiny syringe.. and when I had to give them to Shadow I had to wrap her up like a burrito, hold her head up because she'd squirm. I also had to hold her head still cause she figured out how to 'keep' the meds in the bottom of her beak until I let her go and with one quick flick of her head it would be all over me!!! So having had small birds, you get used to holding them. I guess you learn where/how hard to hold pretty quickly. Also If you restrain them correctly then you needn't worry about things like over heating and compression of the chest.

They are sneaky little buggers that figure out pretty quickly how to 'try' and get out of taking them!!!!!

 

[love4birds]

I usually lay down with them on my chest, gently cup them in my left hand, and use a tiny syringe in my right hand to drip the meds in the right side of their beak. Since they are so tiny, I prefer to just drip it in rather than get the syringe inside their beak. I just go slow and let them swallow each drop.

 

[Big.Green.Chicken]

They are sneaky little buggers that figure out pretty quickly how to 'try' and get out of taking them!!!!!

I never would have thought of watching for that. Thanks for the warning

usually lay down with them on my chest, gently cup them in my left hand, and use a tiny syringe in my right hand to drip the meds in the right side of their beak. Since they are so tiny, I prefer to just drip it in rather than get the syringe inside their beak. I just go slow and let them swallow each drop.

Being little guys, I guess they wouldn't take much. Giving it drop by drop ensures you don't give them too much

 

[Sharpie]

It's all a matter of practice! It's really not difficult, but it does require some in-person teaching generally speaking. Holding little birds is a bit of a trick to learn, at least if you're dealing with squirmy birds who intend to bite the ever loving stuffing out of you if they get the chance. Many birds just sort of 'give up' once you've restrained them for a few seconds and let you get it over with though.

Generally speaking, so long as you've got them by the head/neck and past their legs towards their tail, you're safe. Just don't push on their chest- since they breath with their entire body, they have to be able to move their chest to breath. It's shocking how TINY their little necks really are. You'd have to work to actually choke them that way (as opposed to as if you were holding them about the body). Even BIG birds have tiny little chicken necks!

My avian vet uses baytril (enrofloxacin) in small birds all the time. Usually we tube/gavage/crop needle it with them since it is such a tiny volume that if they shook their head it would be impossible to tell how much of the dose they actually swallowed. That means putting a tube down their throat all the way to their crop, then giving it with the syringe. If they're good and will just take it orally though, I think it's easier for people to do. I am always nervous about injections in small birds- even with the tiny needle on an insulin syringe you can go all the way through their chest muscles and give it into their coelom (chest/abdomen) without meaning to.

 

[Jally]

You never know, you might get lucky. Kiwi takes medicine like a champ. I was told that the medicine I was giving tasted horrible, but he took it like it was candy!

Metacam doesn't taste the best either and poor Joey would always gag on it. He made such funny faces when he had to take it!!

 

[platinum]

I had to medicate Merlin once... not only is she tiny (only 27 grams), but she's untame. I would towel her lightly, hold her head gently with my thumb and forfinger, and give her the meds slowly. A drop at a time usually.