polyoma (?) resurgence

[kiwibarb12]

Today I took Goblin and Gremlin, my green cheek conures to the vet to get their wings clipped. The vet said that there have been cases of polyoma in Arkansas, and she has had birds die in her clinic from this virus.

 

I had the guys vaccinated for about $40 each , and think every bird owner, needs to consider having their bird vaccinated.

 

The vet told me that the virus is 100%fatal. Every bird that gets it will die a nasty death. The virus is hard to kill on surfaces, so you can pick it up , bring it into your house and regular hygiene won't kill it.

 

She also told me a really good place to pick up the virus is at bird shows, and any where where there are a lot of birds.

 

If there are cases of polyoma in Arkansas, where there isn't a high ratio of birds, then in other states there almost has to be more cases, even if you don't hear about them.

 

If it comes down to a matter of economics , then you buy a grey for $1000, then a little matter of $40 shouldn't break the piggy bank :lol: , and you can feel safe about your baby.

 

Anyway - just a word to the wise! :blink:

[judygram]

Thanks Barbara for alerting us to this, I had not heard of this particular virus, I had Josey at the vet a couple of months ago and I will check to see if the vaccine was given to her. You are right, $40 is nothing if it means the life of your bird.

[spookyhurst]

Here's a good article that gives lots of information about Pplyoma and the vaccine:

 

http://www.companionparrot.com/Questions%20About%20Polyoma%20Vaccine.htm

[dblhelix]

Below is another good article on the polyoma virus. Its a bit of a long read, but worth it. Adult birds are rarely affected and healthy adults exposed will clear the virus and thereafter be immune through the normal immune response. The concern is with chicks and the vaccine is only effective for chicks in the 9-15 week window. In addition, severity differs from species to species and African Greys rarely present with severe disease. I am not suggesting people should not be concerned and aware of this disease. You should always consult your vet with questions. However, it is important to understand the biology of this virus and the age/species of concern so owners can adequately gauge the need for action.

 

http://www.blackstone-aviaries.com/polyom.html<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/10/18 08:02

[danmcq]

These links both provide a good understanding of this disease, how it is spread and species/age susceptibility.

 

The one element I find most important is controlling it in aviaries and contact with other birds. It seems for example our Grey could be a carrier and spread it to a breeders aviary if we visited them with our Grey in hand for just a nice chat. Which could result in a severe outbreak in the babies through out the aviary.

 

This is rather eye opening when speaking of the importance of quarantine. Now I am wondering about the visits we have paid to our breeders home. Which I know she has had no instances of this disease, but still, that risk is always there.

 

Thanks for bringing this to light, so we can all make sound decisions of where and when it is appropriate to visit with other Parrot owners, I am going to do some more reading on this to come to a clearer understanding of it.

[nevjoe]

Lots of great info here. A real eye opener. I bring my birds to a lot of pet stores whitout THINKING. It's out of bounds now. Thanks for the topic kiwibarb12. Karma for you in 4 hours.

 

Thanks so much to all in this thread.

 

Joe

[kiwibarb12]

something that I didn't think about before is birdie playdates. Since my vet has had adult birds die of this virus, should birds for playdates be vaccinated? Something to think about.

[loviechick]

Yeah I worry about this, but most of the playdates are at the bird meetings, and my birds don't play with anyone I have snobby birds LOL I will definitely call my vet today and look into it!