Don’t Kiss Birds!

Birds are some of the most spectacular creatures on the face of the Earth. We love to see them sore in the Heights and watching a bird such as an eagle take a fish from a lake is one of life’s greatest pleasures. But, beware pet birds can make you sick if you did not know that. What you ask, how can my pet bird make me sick? Well, let me tell you.

Bird Diseases to Avoid

There is actually a disease called pit psittacosis. So if you are one of those fortunate people to have a pet parrot it is a good thing to know that you can actually get pretty sick from him. If you have a parrot and you start to have a headache, chills, fever and you think you’re getting malaria, think again. This is a common ailment that is passed on from birds to humans. Parrots are not the only ones that can transmit this disease, pigeons in common poultry can do the same. But, to be truthful getting it from a hen is not very common but it does happen. The typical symptoms are muscle ache, back and neck pain, and just a general stiffness that is very painful. Doctors may even miss diagnose it at times as meningitis which is obviously much more serious. Sometimes people will feel very tired and depressed and they have a real hard time sleeping when they are infected with this. So give the doctor a break the symptoms are similar to many other ailments out there. So if you have these type symptoms and you’re at the doctor be sure to let him know that you own poultry, pigeons etc.

Bird Disease Treatments

So after you handle any kind of poultry or bird it’s a great idea to wash your hands well before you sit down to eat any kind of a meal or put anything into your mouth. Typically this disease presents itself in 1 to 2 weeks after you’re exposed to the bird who is carrying it. Usually people will get a mild ailment resembling a common flu and it will pass fairly quickly. But sometimes it can be more serious. Why take a chance? Doctors can take a urine sample and look for a specific protein and identify the disease that way. If they see that it may be advisable to do a blood culture and see if there is any bacteria that is a marker for this disease. If you get a serious case of this the most common antibiotic used for it is tetracycline.

What To Do After a Bird Disease

But the best thing to do is try to avoid getting it in the first place. Who wants to take antibiotics and mess up their gut health because they were in contact with a mere bird? The best course is to just not acquire the disease in the first place by taking some simple precautions like washing your hands after handling your pet parrot or taking care of the hens in The Hen house. Don’t be a chicken, make sure to take these precautions and avoid this ugly disease.