Could it be Asper?

[Joby]

Well, the bird that I trapped yesterday, Orbit, has done pretty well so far. I noticed this afternoon however that when he recovers from his bates he is breathing heavily for over a minute at a time. Could this be asper? I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow afternoon. What type of treatment will they most likely prescribe if it is found to be asper/. Is it common in newly trapped birdsssssss/.
-Joby

[Deleted]

Maybe just fat and out of shape? You said no keel so maybe mom and dad have been feeding him or he just floats down and eats mice all day. How hard does he bate and for how long before he recovers?

[Joby]

Doesn't bate much, perhaps once or twice every 30 minutes or so. He regains the glove immediately and then he starts his open mouth breathing with deep, noticeable breaths. He's pretty well muscled up so I don't think he's out of shape. He's only been with me for a couple of days and didn't breath like this after bates on the first day. Is 2 days after trapping too early for signs of asper to show up? I figure it might be due to the stress. My former sponsor suggested that they might give me Lamisil to treat it with.
-Joby

[Deleted]

I'd bet stress has a lot to do with it but it sure warrants looking into. Does he bate off the bow perch often? Can you watch hin without him knowing you are there and see if he opens his mouth after bating from the bowperch a few times?

[Bridget]

My first red-tail, a tiercel named Bud, had asper. It's a weird disease, to say the least. The bird will have days when it flies perfectly, and then the next day at the same weight it will not even be able to fly to your fist. Mine would fly fine one day, and then couldn't even make it up to the fist from the ground the next day. If your bird starts to show signs like this, I'd give it to a rehabber or release it and trap another bird.

Asper is not fun to deal with, and is very hard to treat...I lost my MRT 2 days before Christmas of 07 due to asper.

Best of luck with your bird, and God help ya that it's not asper!
Bridget

[forestfalcon]

As far as I'm aware, I don't think asper manifests itself that quickly. While I would agree that asper is definitely a risk with wild RTs, I disagree with the advice to immediately release, or give up to a rehabber. I'm glad to hear that you are taking your bird into the vet. Itraconazole is one of the treatments of asper, but I had long talks with my vet about it, and he really doesn't like giving it as a prophylactic. It can cause liver and kidney damage pretty easily.

My coops will bate for a few seconds, and come up breathing heavily, with her mouth partially open..sometimes it even sounds raspy...but her bloodwork shows that she doesn't have asper.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Wolf]

usually fresh trapped birds have open mouths due to stress.

Still a good idea to go to the vet.

[Migisi]

Oct 26, 2008 21:27:25 GMT -5 Joby said:

Well, the bird that I trapped yesterday, Orbit, has done pretty well so far. I noticed this afternoon however that when he recovers from his bates he is breathing heavily for over a minute at a time. Could this be asper?

There are other respiratory conditions besides asper.. like air sacculitis, pneumonia, air sac worms, etc. I wouldn't jump to conclusions without a professional diagnosis.

There are other signs with asper... fluffed appearance, listless and lethargic behavior, acting too tame, gasping after physical exertion. Any of those observed?

I'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow afternoon.
-Joby

Good idea. GOOD films of the entire body, including the limbs, are a must. If there's cloudiness or solid obstruction in lungs or airsacs, your vet will need to do lab tests to determine what it is. If the film is clear (meaning no abnormality), I'd assume the hawk's mouth breathing is caused by stress-related overheating. Normal for a new hawk. A hawk loses excess body heat and perspiration through open mouth breathing. Are you keeping the hawk inside your house (a heated environment)?

[Joby]

Well, I worked with Orbit last night after getting home from the vet's office and he seemed to be gasping even a bit more. I soaked some mice in water and got him to eat two of them via the hemostats. Manned him for about 2 hours while I watched the game and then went to put him out in the mew for the evening. When I went to work this morning and talked to the vet and he said that the blood work was negative except for a high level of toxicity in the blood, but that his white and red blood cell counts were normal. He suggested some further tests. But when I got home this evening, I found out that he didn't make it. I feel really bad, although he was only in my care for a couple of days, I feel responsible in some way. Although, the vet said that he probably got hold of something right before I trapped him on Saturday, maybe a poisoned rat or something. Anyway, I think I'll take a bit of time and focus on my FHH, SINISTER, before trying to trap another bird. Never lost a bird before and it's surprising how attached you can get after just a couple of days. Rest well Orbit!!
-Joby

[Bridget]

aww, Joby..I'm awefully sorry for you..You aren't alone in this. I lost my first bird due to asper..it happens, even to great falconers such as yourself. Just remember that the time you gave Orbit was probably the best time he had in his life. Eating the best meals, staying in a warm house while you manned him...etc.

So sorry to hear your loss, and best of luck Joby. You'll bounce back.

Bridget

[Migisi]

I'm really sorry to hear it, Joby.

[K9JaY]

Sorry to hear that happened, Joe. No reason to feel responsible. You were observant enough to identify that there was a problem. Good job paying attention, and look forward to your next RT.

[ikcus]

You took perfect care of him. No need to worry. You did everything right.

Sorry man
Joe