Beak and Feather - Help!

[taco]

Hi all,

I got a new 4.5month old cockatoo a little over a month ago and we've called him Taco. He seems happy and healthy, but a few weeks ago he got a cold. When we took him to the vet he told us that 99% of pet birds in this country (UAE) have beak and feather disease. We were devastated by these statistics and decided to have him tested. Sadly the results are back and he tested positive for PBFD.

At the moment it doesn't seem to be affecting him (other than the secondary cold that may of been caused by a reduced immune system). I'm just wondering because we love him so much already, does anyone know:

how long it will take for the symptoms to start to show

will his disease affect anyone else in the household (he is our only pet)
we often have young children coming into the house and they love to pick him up, will he make them sick?

and what is his life expectancy now that he has tested positive for PBFD?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[suebee]

i am so sorry to read this but i have no idea of how pbfd, effects the birds

http://birds.about.com/od/birdhealth/f/pbfd.htm

 

[mnsalani]

I'm so sorry to hear your baby; I pray for a quick recovery for him. Unfortunately I am not sure if it can be spread to humans, however just to be careful I wouldn't let young children handle him & wash your hands really well after handling him.

 

[wuvzbirdies]

Hi there, my heart just sank to the bottom of my gut my prayers are with you. I don't know much about this disease but I think birds diagnosed can live a long time but need extra special care as they are suseptible to other diseases. You will need to ensure he lives in a healthy clean envoirnment, a good diet and regular vet care will be crucial. I believe that once the clinical signs are present life expectancy is generally between 6-12 months and while he is no direct threat to anyone in your home I do believe you can carry the virus and spread it to another bird you may come in contact with. I'm sure more experienced bird lovers can chime in to confirm that though.

Bless you.

 

[Pedro]

PBFD isn't a nice disease for our parrots to have. I also had a Corella with the disease & he died just past the 12 month age.

I have posted a link that will explain it better for you.

http://www.awrc.org.au/uploads/5/8/6/6/5866843/awrc_michael_pyne.pdf

 

[Echo]

I am sorry that you are going through this. Now your baby is still young, under 6 months, and you should have him tested again in 90 days. Sometimes, their body works again the virus and the test comes back negative where there is no sign of the disease left. It does happen, and even though I don't want to give you false hope, until you do the second test in 3 months, you still have hope......

The percentage of parrots having the disease here in the States is not so high, however, every responsible bird owner should have their bird tested as being vigilent is how we can keep this number down.

 

[GoffinLily]

I'm so sorry to hear this!

how is PBFD contracted??!!??

 

[wibitywab]

So sorry, keep strong, Oscar the cockatoo in Florida is very happy and he has Beak and Feather!