ASK THE VET (Avian Vaccinations - Polyoma)

This article first appeared in SQUAWK, the newsletter of the Big Apple Bird Association and is reprinted with permission.

In addition to a good diet, a healthy and safe place to live, and good medical care, vaccinations are new available to protect birds against several devastating and fatal viral diseases.

A vaccination for polyoma has recently been made available. Polyoma is a viral disease hat can infect many types of birds including budgies, other psittacines, finches and gallinaceous birds such as chickens and turkeys. Very young budgies will die of this virus, while those exposes to this virus at two to four weeks of age may develop feather abnormalities. Many budgies are subclinically infected and shed the virus in respiratory secretions, crop secretions, feather dust and droppings during times of stress such as during the breeding season. Young non-budgie psittacines under five months of age are very susceptible to this virus and may die suddenly or after a brief period of anorexia (appetite loss), depression, delayed crop emptying, and subcutaneous hemorrhages. Older psittacines that are exposed to polyoma virus may develop subclinical infections but remain infected.

The best way to prevent polyoma virus is to vaccinate birds. Neonates may be vaccinated at 40 days of age and boosted two weeks later. They are considered protected two weeks past their second vaccination. Yearly boosters are recommended. Breeding birds should be vaccinated twice several months before breeding season.

This vaccination has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in vaccination trials involving large numbers of birds. Birds in a multiple bird household, birds that are exposed to other birds -- such as at bird shows -- or birds in a household in which new birds will be added should be protected by vaccination. Breeders and pet stores should vaccinate as well.

Next column -- Pacheco's and Pox Vaccinations.