Papillomas by Joanie Doss

Azure's last blood count was very bad and the vet and I both feared that it has spread higher up into her digestive tract. Three months ago she passed several blood clots. She is isolated from my other birds as was Boomer from the first day he arrived. I have always taken care of them last and never use anything from that room near the other birds. Papilloma can escape even a careful bird person. Boomer had been quarantined for 45 days and vet checked by a very good vet. He showed no signs of papiloma until after he was out of quarantine and by the time it showed on Boomer, Azure was infected.

I had their papillomas removed every six months to a year. Neither bird has suffered from a prolapse which I believe is because I had it removed whenever it appeared again. It is very painful for the bird and I would strongly urge you not to use your bird as a breeder....especially if it is a female. I went through Azure laying eggs and screaming in pain as she lay them. I will do everything to prevent her from laying eggs again. Although you could get a baby without papilloma from birds that have it, the odds are high that their will be some that have it. I was told several years ago that papilloma can show itself 5 years after exposure to it. (Maybe this information is no longer valid as more is known about the disease now than when my birds showed signs of having it.) I would still worry for that long about a baby being produced by a papilloma pair. Just because it does not show it at birth does not mean that later down the line it won't develop. Even though a bird's mate has papilloma, it may never get it. Some feel that birds with very strong immune systems do not get it.....but again this is not a proven fact. At this point in time, no one knows exactly how it is spread or how to cure it.

There is a vaccine that they are working on. It is not 100% effective and it is made from the papilloma of the individual bird. It is quite expensive. I have not gone this route with Azure as it requires frequent administrations and Azure could not put up with the stress. Some Holistic vets are also using products but these are more in building up the birds immune system to combat the papilloma.

If you have other birds or are around other birds, use caution and wash before handling another bird. Also, do not expose your bird to other birds. They believe papilloma is spread through direct sexual contact, but they do not rule out passing it on to others through the droppings.

Watch your bird's water dishes and feed dishes so that he does not eat food or drink water that has his droppings in it. You do not want to risk having any papillomas taking hold higher up in his digestive tract.

Azure is doing fairly well. She has lived with her papilloma for about 4 years. Since she is isolated and I avoid working with her, she has a radio. She has become quite a fan of classical music. Especially anything with flutes. She has been trying to imitate the flutes and makes very soft and beautiful sounds when she hears them. The other night I saw some of the fire and vim return to Azure. I tried covering her cage while classical music with lots of flute was on the radio. She did not want to go to bed and attacked me with every ounce of energy in that fat little body of hers. With her hackles raised and a strong growl coming from her opened beak, she charged my hands as I pulled her cover over her cage. I felt Azure would not have a quality life with no interaction from a mate or people, but she really seems quite happy with her classical music and the view from her window. Azure is an older bird and one of the smartest animals I have ever met. Although many people have tried to breed her for many years, she has only produced one baby, Kodiak.

Because of Azure's papilloma, all my birds are checked carefully by the vet for papilloma. If you suspect your bird might have papilloma, you can tell by putting vinegar on the cloaca. Papilloma will turn white. Without vinegar, it looks like a cluster of red pimples (warts) that look like a raspberry.

Some birds have more advanced cases than others. I do hope yours is only in the cloaca and that it is very small. The large ones in the cloaca can be hard to remove as if it circles this area completely you do not want scar tissue to build up so that the area cannot expand for them to go potty or in the case of a female, pass an egg.

Checking for papilloma should be included in any bird's yearly physical exam.