Plant toxicosis in birds: educating owners
Stephanie Guindon
Friday, October 1, 2010
Veterinary professionals should educate bird owners on which plants may be highly poisonous as prevention of plant toxicosis is imperative. Accidental exposure by even the most well-intentioned pet owner may occur because of lack of general awareness about plants that are toxic to birds. Aggressive decontamination is the mainstay for preventing clinical toxicosis. Once poisoned, crop lavage followed by administration of activated charcoal is imperative to prevent further absorption of the toxicant by birds. Supportive and symptomatic care (in the form of nutritional support, fluid therapy, etc) is essential once clinical signs have already developed. This article reviews commonly available plants that are toxic to birds, and discusses the underlying mechanism of action of toxicosis and general treatment recommendations.
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