Warning - Tainted Peanut Alert!

[darkchi]

I found this on a local bird club web site....

Warning - Tainted Peanut Alert!
This was sent out by the president of The Aviculture Society of Chicagoland as a warning to all.
One of our members wrote "I just wanted to let the members know that they should REALLY CHECK any peanuts that they give to their birds....I should have known better than to feed my babies peanuts and an older bag of bird food a friend gave to me...needless to say, I lost all 4 of my Congo Greys, Sweet Pea, my moluccan cockatoo,my B&G Macaw Tango, my African red bellie Beakie, and both of my Amazons....this was all within the span of 9 days....." This was food bought at Wal-Mart. Be sure to purchase bird foods from a trusted supply vendor.

The below was posted this morning. "The report came back that it was fungal and after the loss of the first bird, I put the flock on the anti fungal he prescribed,but it was too late." (FYI: Aspergillus species are a group of fungus that are often found in peanuts.)

We are simply passing on this information because we feel it important to remind everyone to check food for freshness. THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON! All of our birds can fall prey to this if we don't purchase our food from a reliable bird supply vendor.

 

[TexDot33]

How sad is that ... :17:

 

[Minzer84]

I used to feed Iggy peanuts from the grocery store (some looked a little questionable I think), not aware of this fungus. He got sick back in October, wheezing, nasal discharge, and I brought him to the vet, where they did all sorts of tests (one Asper titer came back high), but couldn't tell me anything without doing endoscopy/laproscopy/biopsy, and he seemed to get a little better, so I didn't want to put him through all that. The vets continue to try to convince me that I'm killing my parrot. At this point, Iggy still eats and plays and obviously screams and his blood work looks ok, but he still occasionally has nasal discharge and crusting...any opinions on Aspergillus? I would think he would be much more sick by this point, almost 6 months later...sorry if this is "thread jacking"...not my intention.

 

[darkchi]

YEAH NO TREAD JACKING... kidding
This is why I put this stuff up here.

anyways, I found more info on it...

Aspergillosis is a very difficult-to-treat disease that can affect parrots and other birds. Aspergillus species are a type of fungus found in the environment. Generally, birds with other underlying health problems are most susceptible to infection. However, certain foods or elements in the environment can increase the risk to even healthy birds.

Unshelled peanuts: If you want to give your parrot unshelled peanuts, it is best to buy human-grade quality. The unshelled peanuts in avian seed mixes are often damaged and do not necessarily meet the standards required for human consumption. Poor quality unshelled peanuts are a known carrier of Aspergillus species.

Plant soil: Aspergillus species are endemic in the environment, particularly in damp soil. Do not let your parrot dig in the garden while you plant flowers. Avoid contact with houseplants (this is true anyway, because often people don't realize a particular plant is itself toxic to birds).

Damp, dirty cage conditions: a damp and dirty cage is prime breeding ground for not only this deadly fungus, but of many dangerous pathogens such as harmful bacteria. If a wooden nestbox becomes smelly and moldy, this creates a very unhealthy environment for your birds. If you are losing babies in the nest, this can sometimes be the cause. Babies have underdeveloped immune systems and are more susceptible to opportunistic pathogens that might not affect their parents, although parents are more susceptible during the stressful time of breeding and brooding young.

Inappropriate or excessive use of antibiotics: You often hear about how women who have undergone antibiotic treatments for an infection will then develop yeast infections. Antibiotics can undermine your body's ability to ward off fungal and related opportunistic pathogens. Be extra careful when your bird has to undergo antibiotic therapy. Do not buy over-the-counter antibiotics and self-treat your birds; these medications are largely ineffective and can cause you to delay appropriate and timely treatment of infections.

Opportunity strikes: As you can see, many of the risk factors have to do with opportunity. This is primarily an opportunistic pathogen. To put it in the simplist terms, Aspergillus species are all around us, but it is when certain other conditions are present that it is most likely to be able to infect your pet bird.

How Does Aspergillus Affect Birds?

Sometimes the signs are subtle, but it often affects the respiratory system. If your amazon normally has a nice, clear voice, and it now seems raspy or not quite right, this can be a sign of respiratory problems. Decrease in speech and vocalizations should also be a warning sign. Difficulty breathing while simply sitting on the perch is a very serious sign and any bird exhibiting tail bobbing or wheezing should be seen by an avian veterinarian immediately. If you see any changes in vitality, behavior, voice, or sleeping/eating behavior, immediately take your bird to an avian vet for examination. Although Aspergillus cannot be spread from bird-to-bird, if one bird is infected it means your environment could be the culprit and other birds could become sick.

Treatment

My avian vet gets a very sad look on her face when you bring up Aspergillus. She can tell you that it is a very intractable disease to treat, and has high treatment failures. Lesions develop that can cause permanent, life-threatening damage. Because of this, prevention is the best medicine. Any bird with an underlying illness should be vigorously protected from conditions that could allow for the fungus to be present. Birds with immune deficiencies should not be fed unshelled peanuts or dried corn because they have a history of containing these toxins when stored improperly by the manufacturer or buyer.

 

[NicoleN]

Well, I would think that symptoms of Aspergillosis would only get worse as time goes on, so I don't really know what to make of that Minzer. If his blood work comes back okay, then I think he would be alright because a sign of Aspergillosis is an increase in the white blood cell count. But of course, I am no vet.

Here's some more info. I found about the symptoms besides just the discharge and wheezing:
Common outward symptoms that one should watch for are a very flaky or delaminating beak, very unstructured or frayed feathers that do not have "Velcro" between the strands, black edged feathers especially on the outside of the wings, and extreme itchiness. Even though there can be other causes of these things, none could be accepted as normal and are a flashing neon sign for an immediate health check.


But trust me, I know how frustrating it is to keep going to the vet and never having a definite answer. Sisqo started on treatment for liver disease in January, and he takes meds. everyday. They can't 'diagnose' him with it, all they can say is that his treatment is effective.

 

[Peta]

I got some shelled peanuts once from a pet store and ended up throwing most of them away, I'm of the opinion that if I won't eat it then neither will my birds. I only ever buy nuts that are for human consumption now.

After reading that I'm so glad I did throw them away. Thanks so much for posting that its really interesting.