Article by Loretta Smith
In May of 2015 when I went out to chore I noticed a peahen gaping like a classic gape worm infestation. I knew what to do and set about getting the Safeguard Goat dewormer which is Fenbendazole 10% solution. This can be purchased at most feed stores. My Vet also sells this under the name Panacur. It is a safe, reliable, and a very effective dewormer for dogs, cats, horses and goats. This medication is not approved for Peafowl but is very helpful in combating internal parasites especially Gape, Cecal and Capillary worms. Since my hen was showing signs of respiratory distress with her mouth open I knew I must direct dose her. I gave her 1 cc daily for 5 days. Normally I see improvement in the first 3 days but I always treat for 5 days to make sure the infestation is gone. After the initial 5 day treatment I saw no improvement which was concerning. I waited a few more days but still the hen gaped with every breath. I know to repeat the Safeguard at 2 weeks to break the life cycle of parasites. Since she showed no signs of improvement I felt it was time to consult with another breeder. He recommended repeating the Safeguard for another 5 days which I did, to no avail. By this time I was getting very concerned as her breathing was very labored with each breath for air. She looked like a person wheezing for air in an asthma attack. I decided I needed another consult so called another long time breeder and friend. He said he’d seen this happen before and he wasn’t sure what to do but that he felt certain that something else was wrong and this wasn’t gape worms like I originally thought. As this point I knew it was time to head for Cincinnati to consult with my avian veterinarian. After a careful examination and getting the history of the things I had already tried, Dr. Bob Dahlhausen diagnosed Aspergillosis. He said it would take along time to treat, at least 6 weeks and possibly longer. By this time she has been gaping for about a month so decided I would do what ever it took to help her recover. Some breeders would cull a sick bird but I believe that what I learn on one sick bird may help to safe many others. Possibly this article will help someone far from my farm in Ohio.
Aspergillosis is a fungal disease that usually manifests in the respiratory system of chickens, turkeys, peacocks and many other wild and pet birds. It is caused by the fungal genus Aspergillus of which Aspergillus fumigatus is the most common cause. The organism is ubiquitous in the environment. Although birds are commonly exposed to the spores of this fungus, they develop the disease only under certain conditions. If a bird’s immune system is suppressed by a concurrent illness, malnutrition or stress, it may become sick after exposure. Stress-induced Aspergillosis is frequently seen in birds subjected to surgery, reproduction, environmental changes, capture, confinement or shipping.
Infection may appear as an acute or chronic disease. In the acute form, birds inhale a large number of fungal spores which sets up an overwhelming infection in the respiratory tract. The course of this disease is rapid and it is extremely difficult to treat successfully. The chronic form is much more common. If left untreated expect a long slow demise of the bird. They can linger a long time struggling to breath as the pulmonary lesions in their airway grows slowly but eventually will block it resulting in death. In chicks one common cause is leaving them in a brooder box too long where the Aspergillosis spores can multiply due to higher humidity. Also high mortality rates are seen in chicks that inhale large numbers of spores during hatching in contaminated incubators or when placed on mold bearing litter. Cleaning the litter and incubator are critical to minimize exposure to these spores. In older birds infection is caused primarily by inhalation of spore laden dust through litter, feed or dusty range areas. In chicks up to 6 wk old, the lungs are most frequently involved. Pulmonary lesions are characterized by white to yellow plaques and nodules a few mm to several cm in diameter in the airway.
Diagnosis of avian Aspergillosis can be difficult. Treatment should be started as soon as possible. By the time a bird show obvious signs of infection the disease is advanced. Treatment needs to be tailored to the bird. Aggressive antifungal treatment is in order. Localized and systemic treatment is usually used concurrently. Aggressive nebulization is often needed as well.
It not highly contagious from bird to bird. Dr. Bob let me know I was in no danger and that the other birds in the barn had very minimal risk. Dr. Bob sent me home armed with Terbinafine oral medication for 10 days and a nebulizer with Terbinafine to be vaporized in a chamber for 10-15 minutes twice a day. I had to question how in the world was I going to get my peahen to quietly sit with me and breath exclusively through the nebulizer as I remembered doing with a child needing treatment. Dr. Dahlhausen kindly explained how to make a nebulizing treatment chamber or tent from a dog crate and a large, opaque, garbage bag to contain the vaporized medication so she would receive optimal treatment.
I was encouraged so headed home, armed with everything needed to save my peahen and very hopeful that in 6 short weeks she would be completely well. I got her set up in a tented dog crate and attached the mouth piece to the crate with a twist tie so I could direct the medicated vapor into the dog crate treatment chamber without having to stand and hold it. Each day before starting chores I would move the peahen into the nebulizing chamber and start the treatment. After 15 minutes I checked her and put her back in the pen with her group. I did this faithfully morning and evening for several weeks but she didn’t respond. She was holding her own but not improving at all. I noticed that it took longer and longer each day to get the Terbinafine to vaporize. I started leaving her in the chamber for 30 minutes, then 45 minutes and eventually an hour twice a day. I remembered Dr. Bob telling me this was going to take some time so I kept treating her hoping to see improvement soon. After a full 6 weeks of treatment I called and reported that she was still gaping and that I only had enough medicine to treat her possibly 1 more week. I made the trip back to Cincy and picked up a second bottle of medicine. I continued to treat her for another 2 weeks and still no improvement. I consulted with Dr. Bob again and was encouraged to continue treating so I did for 2 more weeks but still no improvement. I was getting discouraged and wondering if she was going to die even after all I’d tried. By this time it was taking a lot longer than an hour to nebulize 10 ml. of medication. I wondered if there was anything more I could try. I called Dr. Dahlhausen’s office again and mentioned to Sarah how long it was taking to nebulize Precious. She explained I may need a new mouth piece since they can get clogged and stop working after a while thus needing to be replaced. I was given a new hope that maybe with a new mouth piece I would see improvement. By this time I’d made a good dent on the 2nd bottle of mediation but felt like I had to follow through just in case the mouth piece was the problem. I must confess prior to this new suggestion I wondered if I should just give up but knowing she would die if I quit trying I decided it was worth exhausting all the possibilities. I got the new mouth piece and tubing and noticed immediate improvement in treatment time. It took 10 minutes to treat the bird morning and evening. I watched her closely and after 3weeks was sure I saw some improvement. It was slow but it was finally showing signs of retreating. By this time the 2nd bottle of Terbinafine was almost gone so I got the final bottle of medicine. I continued treating her for several more weeks then returned to Dr. Bob for evaluation. He was very encouraging noting that her breathing was much improved and said the Aspergillus was almost gone. He said to continue the treatment for a week beyond her last signs of gaping.
Finally, after 3½ months Precious was finally well. She has had no problems all Fall and Winter. I’ve got a double band on her leg so I can always spot her in the flock. She will stay with me for the remainder of her life so I can monitor her health.
I must share that Precious was a model patient. She never once in 3 ½ months hit me with a peafowl’s smelly “secret weapon”. I could walk in the pen and she would rarely even squirm when I would pick her up to treat her. I really was amazed that she rarely fought or tried to escape but would wait for me most days calmly on the perch. As a side note, I did have a peachick get Asperillosis due to being in a brooder box too long 3-4 years ago. I never thought to mark the chick but I wonder if this could be the same bird? I will never know but will watch Precious for the remainder of her days to see if this ever reoccurs. Also an important thing I learned is Aspergilla is not a highly contagious disease. No other birds in the barn got ill. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email me at tlcsmith83@msn.com. I hope you never need this information but if you do, I hope it will save the life of your bird too. Best Wishes as you enjoy your peafowl.
P.S. This article was originally written in the Winter of 2016. This is the update, Mid Spring 2016, Precious showed signs of gaping again. After consulting with Dr. Bob he explained she now has lesions in her airway that act a little like asthma. She needed some treatment this summer but not nearly as long. Precious is doing well and the only peafowl I can walk up to and pick up anytime with out her stressing about being handled. She is very tame after all the treatments last summer and really a joy to have around.