Pigeon pox: causes and symptoms, treatment and prevention

Viral diseases of birds are ubiquitous and can appear on the farm at any time. One such disease is smallpox. This disease exists in 2 forms and causes great harm to livestock. Consider the causes, symptoms of smallpox in pigeons, diagnostic methods, therapy with drugs and folk methods, prevention of the disease at home.

Causes of disease

In case of smallpox, the skin and mucous membranes of pigeons are affected. The infection is highly contagious, the disease is acute and chronic, in both cases the birds become carriers of the virus.Sick, mostly young, adult birds are virus carriers. The smallpox virus is transmitted through nasal discharge, droppings, remains on the surface of feeders and drinkers, various equipment, can be transmitted through the air, by blood-sucking insects (much less often than through excretions from the body). Cases of the disease are more often recorded in the warm season.

Often smallpox gets sick with pigeons that live in a dovecote, which is rarely cleaned, ventilated, and does not maintain temperature and humidity conditions. Feeding food that is unbalanced in terms of nutrients and mineral elements, being in a cold and damp room leads to a weakening of the birds' immunity and subsequent illness. The virus can enter the body of pigeons through minor injuries.

Main symptoms and forms of the disease

Pox in pigeons is asymptomatic at first, this period lasts up to 2 months in the warm season and up to 4 in the cold. Then symptoms appear, which vary depending on the form the disease has taken.

Dermal form

It can be identified by the appearance of red sores on the skin around the beak, ears, in the corners of the mouth, turning into purulent growths of a dirty yellow color. In severe form, smallpox affects not only the skin and mucous membranes, but also the internal organs, which ends with the death of the bird. With damage to the mucous membrane of the eyes, pigeons may experience photophobia, tears flow, the eyes turn red and inflamed. Growths form in the corners of the eyes. Pigeons become drowsy, eat little, their wings droop, their feathers are ruffled.

Diphtheria

With this form of smallpox in pigeons, the nasal mucosa is affected, growths appear in the nose, larynx and goiter. At first, these are spots of white or yellow color, then they turn into a film. Because of this, it becomes difficult for the birds to breathe, they wheeze, keep their beak open, and cannot eat and drink normally. Smallpox in the form of diphtheria is often chronic.

Mixed

In this form, pigeons show symptoms of both forms at the same time. It proceeds hard, often leading to the death of the bird. If at least one external sign of smallpox has appeared or the behavior of the pigeon has changed, you should immediately send the diseased individual to quarantine and begin therapy.

How the disease is diagnosed

When smallpox is in its early stages, its symptoms can be confused with signs of other infections, so it is necessary to determine what disease you are dealing with before starting treatment. The diagnosis is made in a veterinary laboratory by analyzing biological material taken from a sick bird.

How to treat pigeon pox

Sick pigeons are kept separately while being treated.Those who have smallpox in a severe stage are killed and burned, since only fire destroys the virus completely. All those who are still he althy are soldered with a solution of potassium permanganate (1 to 1000), a 3-5% solution of "Furacilin" or "Iodinil". The poultry house is carefully cleaned and disinfected.

Antibiotics

Drugs are given internally and treat external injuries. Duration of treatment - 5-9 days. Antibiotics are injected into the muscles of the chest, under the skin of the back of the head, or dissolved in water and given to each bird from a syringe. To destroy the smallpox virus, tetracycline is used in the form of tablets and ointments. The tablets are diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 4, the solution is instilled into the beak and eyes 3 times a day. The powder is mixed with bread and given to pigeons to kill the virus in the organs.

Do not exceed the daily dose of tetracycline for young animals - 50 ml. External growths are smeared with tetracycline ointment for 5-8 days.

Another drug - "Tilan" - is given to pigeons in the proportion of 0.5 g per 1 liter of drinking water.Per day, 1 pigeon should have no more than 40-50 ml, if the bird does not drink itself, it is instilled into its beak from a pipette. "Thylan" destroys the virus not only on the skin, but also in the internal organs. Duration of treatment - 5 days, maximum - 8.

"Enrofloxacin" is diluted in water at the rate of 5 ml per 10 liters, the solution is poured into a drinking bowl and given to sick birds for 6 days in a row. Contraindications to the use of this antibiotic - kidney disease. After a course of antibiotic therapy, pigeons are given probiotics and vitamins.

Handmade

Traditional medicine for the treatment of smallpox in pigeons offers a tincture of onion, garlic and rose hips with honey. Recipe: 2 heads of garlic, finely chop 1 unpeeled onion, add 2 tbsp. l. rosehip berries, 1 tbsp. l. honey. All pour 0.5 liters of alcohol, insist 2 weeks. Add to drinking water 1 tsp. per 1 liter You can make an infusion of needles, soak it for a day and give the infusion to the pigeons to drink.

Prevention measures

Vaccination helps to avoid the disease, it is carried out for young animals when they reach 6-10 weeks. The vaccine is injected into the membrane on the wings. Within a month, there may be inflammation in this place. A month later, they are vaccinated again. Then the vaccination is repeated annually. Sick pigeons are not vaccinated.

As a preventive measure, it is necessary to treat the house with a 2% solution of caustic sodium or formalin, lime with copper sulphate. Regularly clean and wash feeders, drinkers, burn perches, floors and walls, inventory once a month with a blowtorch.

Ventilate the room, make sure that it is not damp, hot or, conversely, cold. Keep new pigeons in quarantine for 2-4 weeks.

Pigeonpox is treatable, but not in advanced form. Preventive measures can save the livestock from infection, but if this happens, treatment should be started immediately. Antibiotics and folk tinctures will restore he alth to pigeons and prolong their life.