We think of sinusitis as more of a nuisance than a serious life threatening disease. In mammals this may be so but in birds sinusitis can mean the death of the bird if not treated correctly.
Birds have a very complicated sinus system with lots of interconnecting pockets making a beautiful site for disease to grow and spread. Infections can start in one site and move through the sinus system to attack most areas of the skull. A severe infection means that many affected birds will die without treatment.
What Does Sinusitis Look Like?
Those birds you see that have swollen eyes or a discharge from the eye and nostril generally have a form of sinusitis. Sometimes the whole side of the face is swollen and the eye is shut. At other times there will be a distinct swelling just above the eye.
Any sort of nasal discharge, clear or coloured normally points to sinus involvement.
Birds with sinusitis are always sick birds. They will have other signs of illness such as being fluffed, not eating or sleeping a lot.
Due to the structure of the eye and it’s placement over the sinus, anything that inflames the sinus will show as a swollen, reddened of weeping eye. The trick is to separate a simple eye injury from the more severe infected sinus.
Another peculiarity of birds is the formation of a hard cheesy matter instead of liquid pus. This is critical to the understanding of sinusitis because this hard material cannot drain out of the sinus. Once it is formed it is locked into the sinus giving a place for infection to hide.
Bacteria and viruses are the most common invaders of sinuses. Bacteria in particular cause the most severe disease. It is mainly bacteria that cause the hard cheesy material that builds up in the sinus. Sometimes these bacteria can be very resistant to antibiotics, which makes treatment very difficult.
The Chlamydia bacteria (the cause of Psittacosis) will invade the sinuses readily. A classic example is the Neophema with the swollen, reddened eye, which the bird wipes on the perch. These birds have a swollen sinus from the Chlamydia that we see as an eye problem.
Mycoplasma (another type of bacteria) commonly invades the sinuses of pigeons and finches. By itself it probably does not cause major damage but it opens the door for a secondary infection by some of the dangerous bacteria.
A lack of Vitamin A can cause changes to the lining of the sinus leading to a secondary infection with bacteria.
There are some fungal infections which cause sinusitis but these are not common.
What Should You do for an Infected Bird?
The first step is to realise that sinus infections may kill the bird.
Catch up the bird and have a good close look at the eye and surrounding area. Is there any damage to the eye itself? Is there a nasal discharge? Are both sides of the head affected? Are there any swellings – if so are they soft or hard?
For mild cases where there is no swelling of the head and only as slight clear nasal discharge – put the bird straight onto antibiotics. I normally use Lincospectin either crop fed or in the drinking water. Treatment needs to be for at least 10 days.
If there is any chance of the bird having Chlamydia ( Psittacosis ) then they are immediately given a course of Psittavet, either in water or in the feed. All Neophemas and Polytelis are treated with Psittavet because Chlamydia is the most common cause of sinusitis in these species.
If the bird has a swelling around the eye or on the side of the face the treatment must be more aggressive. Normally these swellings are opened surgically and the material scraped and flushed from the sinus cavity. Then they are given antibiotics and sinus flushings.
Not really. It tends to be a disease that strikes only a few birds in a group or even the single bird in the cage. Obviously control of Psittacosis will help in the Neophemas and Polytelis. Early detection is paramount, when checking your birds be suspicious of a bird that only looks at you from one eye, it may be hiding a sore eye on the other side.