Heavy Metal Poisoning in Birds T

Heavy Metal Poisoning in Birds
The silent "Killer"
The effects of LEAD & ZINC if ingested by your Bird

Lead or zinc poisoning can happen quickly or build up slowly over a period of time, depending on how much
of the metal a bird ingests, how much of the toxin is present also other factors.
Behavioural changes, such as screaming, might happen because the bird is in pain and otherwise uncomfortable.
Many of the symptoms listed below can also indicate other types of illnesses.
You would be surprised how many Birds that are "Just not right" are suffering from this condition
without the Owner being aware!!
If you suspect your pet has ingested something inedible visit to your AVIAN VET is urgently recommended.

Toxins	Sources		Symptoms / Clinical Signs
Zinc	Galvanized wire cages, toys, chains, water or food bowls (galvanized coatings may contain up to 99.9% zinc) Zinc hardware (washers, nuts, wire) padlocks, galvanized cage wire Some metal dishes, some clips or mesh staples, some bird toys (esp. foreign ones) keys, nails, plumbing nuts chrome some antirust paints, some shampoos and skin preparations (check ingredients)		Lethargy (tiredness) Shallow respiration (breathing) Anorexia / reduced appetite Decreased body weight as doesn't eat well. breastbone obvious Weakness: falling off perch unable to walk, stand or fly straight Polyuria / polydipsia excessive drinking followed by excessive peeing. Diarrhoea Haemolytic anaemia Kidney dysfunction Can make the bird infertile, if excessive, long-term and not treated in time.		Cyanosis Blueish membranes (eyes/inside mouth) Possible liver and pancreatic abnormalities Liver problems show in white urates and membranes = yellow. Regurgitation - bringing up food - not the same as when they feed their mates - more sickly - you will be able to tell the difference! Feather plucking Pale mucous membranes Shivering Death is the final symptom!
Symptoms Feather Plucking Depression Seizures (fits) Loses Weight green or bloody diarrhoea death		Gastrointestinal stasis ☺Digestive system slows down Polydipsia / Polyuria Increased Thirst and Urination Dysphagia ☺Difficulty in swallowing Loss of balance ☺Resting/sleeping with both feet on perch. Healthy birds hold one foot up and rest/sleep/balance on other foot. Resting on 2 feet is a classic sign of a bird that is not feeling well.		Dehydration ☺Skin starts to feel like parchment and if you can pinch it it stays in that shape rather than springing back. Ataxia ☺People/birds with Ataxia have co-ordination problems. Becos parts of the nervous system that normally control co-ordination and balance are affected.
Lead	Lead paint chips Twist ties Imported candy / food packaging wrapping/labels Crystal Fishing sinkers Some artist paints Lead weights Lead hardware Leaded-light glass windows some older metal Venetian blinds Lead-coated household products Some wine/champagne bottle foil Plumbing materials Solder in stained glass/Tiffany style lamps Lead shot Some antiques Curtain weights Batteries		Depression Weakness: falling off perch; unable to walk, stand or fly straight Anorexia loses interest in food & loses weight Regurgitation / vomiting Abnormal droppings / blood in droppings, red urine Polyuria / polydipsia excessive drinking followed by excessive peeing. Greenish-black diarrhoea		Ataxia Head tilt Seizures Blindness Haematuria (Amazon parrots) = blood in urine Death
	OTHER SOURCES OF LEAD : Tap water (out of old lead pipes) solder, stained glass, batteries, galvanized wire, linoleum paints (lead-based + those with leaded drying agents), fishing & diving accessories, certain ceramic pieces, leaded gasoline fumes, lead frames of stained glass windows.		You would be very surprised how many birds do suffer from Lead and/or Zinc poisoning to a greater or lesser degree. If you check the symptoms above, you will realise that any bird appearing just slightly off-colour, slightly fluffed or "just not right" may, in fact, have ingested zinc or Lead. If it has just been climbing up new Aviary mesh using it's beak, it could be absorbing low levels of zinc on a regular basis. The symptoms may be minor but they would still be in evidence and effecting the internal organs. The bird would need a blood test to confirm diagnosis then correct treatment to prevent long-term problems.
Effects on the Body (if you read below you will realise it effects just about every part of the body and it's organs) Absorbed Lead is retained by soft tissues and eventually by bone and is slowly excreted through the kidneys. Lead affects the Central Nervous System; Renal (kidneys) Hematopoietic (blood) Neurologic (nervous system) Gastrointestinal (digestive) systems. Lead can cause cerebral oedema (Brain swelling) this will give the bird a "Headache"! Neuronal damage, (Nerve damage) Demyelination and decreased peripheral nerve conduction. Demyelination is the loss of myelin = covering of some nerve fibres resulting in their impaired function MYELIN : is the insulating sheath surrounding nerve cells…the white matter coating our nerves, enabling them to conduct impulses between the brain and other parts of the body. It consists of a layer of proteins packed between two layers of lipids. Lead can cause anaemia (damaged or reduced red blood cells) Bone marrow suppression is also a potential effect ^Top You will need to take your Bird to your Avian Vet as soon as possible! who will examine him, take blood samples and then possibly take X-rays which will help determine if the problem is heavy metal poisoning. This will determine the Treatment This is a life threatening disease and your bird may need to stay at the Vets until it starts eating. It may take as short as one day or as long as 10 days to detoxify your bird. When the heavy metal has been in the body for too long or when there is excessive amounts of heavy metal ingested, it may be impossible to save your bird. However, with correct and timely treatment more than 90% of birds presented with heavy metal poisoning can be treated and saved. What is heavy metal poisoning? There are several types of heavy metal poisons which affect birds. the most common are Zinc, Lead and Copper poisoning. Zinc is used on many cages/Aviary mesh to prevent rusting and when new, before it has oxidised, it is toxic to birds when ingested. We often see this poisoning in birds placed into a new aviary or certain cages (often the cheaper/foreign cages) It is called "New Wire Disease" for this reason. also when birds chew on the solder which joins the wire of their cages/Aviaries Copper poisoning is less common but occurs when the bird chews an electrical wire. It must be remembered that not every bird in a new cage will get heavy metal poisoning. Hen birds which have a mineral deficiency will chew on wire more than a bird that has a perfect diet. Inquisitive, depressed and naughty pet birds will chew wire and so may ingest the zinc coating or solder bits. Lead poisoning can occur in older houses - lead pipes for water The common signs of heavy metal poisoning are increased thirst, vomiting in larger birds, sudden depression, not eating and a dark green diarrhoea. How it can be Treated When the metal is in the gizzard or lower down the digestive tract heavy metal poisoning can be treated with an antidote-like injection i.e. Calsenate. This substance leeches ("Chelates") the poisonous zinc/lead out of the ingested metal fragments and renders the zinc or lead harmless. But at the same time the bird must be fed and its fluid intake maintained or the kidneys and liver can shut down. Surgery to remove the ingested metallic poison can be performed if the metal is still in the crop. this is where X-rays can help to pin-point where any metal objects may be within the birds system Antibiotics or Anti-fungals may be necessary This will be decided after the results of the Culture Tests Your bird must be hospitalised until it is eating and drinking by itself and then it can be discharged and treated as an outpatient. Treatment Options: Chelating agents. i.e. Calsenate or EDTA Cathartics to aid in the passage of small particles. A magnetized instrument to remove metals from the digestive tract. An Avian Vet would be needed to do this, safely Surgery or endoscopic removal to remove zinc particles that are visible radiographically. Are there any long term problems? Heavy metals can harm the kidneys and liver and leave the bird susceptible to illness in the future. Can heavy metal be prevented from recurring? Yes. By providing good levels of minerals. All new wire should be treated with a vinegar or lemon juice solution to accelerate the oxidisation process which renders the zinc non toxic. New cages/Aviary Mesh can be left outside to "weather" for 3 months or longer before birds are introduced to the aviary. If this is a feasible proposition. ^Top GENERAL INFO: Recently Powder Coating has become a very popular way to finish steel cages. Cage manufacturers produce attractive powder-coated cages in the moderate price range. But parrots will be parrots and many regard their cages as something else to chew on. Pet parrots are commonly supplied with a variety of toys. Many of these involve metal chains and hangers. Parrots are often drawn to shiny objects and usually have a lot of spare time to play with, chew and destroy anything within reach. In an effort to make toys last, many manufacturers have used sturdy chains and hardware. CASE STUDY A Cockatoo ate a metal key ring. The bird showed signs of Gastro Intestinal upset. The metal piece was in the ventriculus for 9 days. Flushing resulted in passage of the key ring. The birds serum zinc and lead levels were still high. TREATMENT: With Chelating Therapy and removal of the metal key ring, the bird felt better. "Chelation Therapy" is the use of chelating agents to detoxify poisonous metal agents such as Lead by converting them to a chemically inert form that can be excreted safely without further interaction with the body. Chelating Agents function by chemically bonding with metal ions, thus rendering them much less chemically reactive. The resulting complex is water-soluble, allowing it to enter the bloodstream and be excreted harmlessly. (Antibiotic drugs of the tetracycline family are chelators of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions). The lead level returned to normal quickly but the zinc remained elevated. Over a period of months, as the zinc stayed high, the bird’s environment and food and water were carefully tested. Any potential sources of zinc were removed (toys, clips etc). With all other possible sources removed, the bird’s zinc remained elevated. Through a process of elimination the powder coating on the cage was tested: Levels were found to be 1200ppm. Results were verified by analysis at a second lab. The bird had chewed quite a bit of the powder coating off. There was an African Grey parrot in the same household housed in a similar cage from the same manufacturer. The Grey also had a persistent elevation of the serum zinc. The Grey was also a cage chewer. POWDER COATED CAGES Powder coating is a relatively new technology for the pet bird cage market. It is used as an alternative to painting. the powder is applied electrostatically to the cage, which is usually made of steel. When applied the cage is then heated to a temperature of about 400F degrees. The process is more environmentally-friendly than painting. The coating usually results in a safe protective coating for the cage. Formulas differ by manufacturers Most contain NO Zinc. Zinc can be incorporated into the formula in one of three ways. First the zinc oxide can be used as a pigment especially for white colours. Secondly, Zinc can also be added for corrosion resistance. Neither of these are thought to be a factor in pet bird cages. PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR WHEN THE FOLLOWING HAPPENS: Thirdly, Zinc hardeners can be incorporated into the coating formula at a rate of .05-.5%. Zinc acetoacetate When used in this way it results in harder finishes that "cure" faster. High zinc content Primers may also contribute to the problem. Zinc levels between 0-50ppm are considered acceptable However cages tested in the 500ppm - 1100ppm range are not acceptable! Birds in these cages can become ill if they have a tendency to chew. One cage of unknown origin contained 2700ppm zinc!! Most cage companies have responded quickly to identify and remedy the problem. GALVANIZED CAGES Galvanized wire is another common source of Zinc poisoning in parrots. Cage Wire is usually galvanized before welding. The welds blobs/tags are the result of spot welding steel wire to steel wire with heat as the catalyst. The zinc is applied by a hot dipping process. Most wire is coated with an oil before shipping. A potential toxin in itself, this must be removed before the cage houses a bird. Aviary mesh imported from abroad must be checked thoroughly before you put your birds in contact with it. The process of galvanization can leave tags of zinc on the wire. These must be removed with a steel brush. These tags can pose a hazard to birds that might eat them. Most experienced aviculturists carefully brush the wire and also allow it to "cure" outside before it is used. Extra precaution is using Vinegar or Lemon Juice (both acidic) to paint ALL sides of the mesh to help neutralise the zinc. ^Top