RESPIRATORY TROUBLES.
The fact that canaries are injured by cold drafts can not be too strongly emphasized, and it may be said that a large proportion of their common ailments come from such exposure. In many cases exposure is followed by congestion in the intestinal region, and death ensues in a very short time. In ordinary colds there is difficulty in breathing and some liquid discharge from the nose. Frequently this is accompanied by coughing. A bird thus affected should be kept in a warm room free from all drafts and protected from irritating dust, vapor, or tobacco smoke. The symptoms are increased as the cold progresses and becomes acute, and the bird sits with feathers puffed out, seeming really ill. Breathing is difficult and rapid. If there is enough catarrhal secretion partly to block the respiratory passages a slight bluish tint is noticed beneath the transparent sheath of the bill. As a remedy, place in the drinking cup 1 ounce of water to which have been added 20 drops of sirup of tolu, 10 of sweet spirits of niter, and 10 of glycerin.
Pneumonia in cage birds often follows exposure and is nearly always fatal. The symptoms, rapid and difficult breathing with little catarrhal discharge, appear suddenly. The bird becomes very weak at once and usually dies in from two to seven days. Little can be done beyond sheltering the bird, as noted above, and providing an easily assimilated food, as egg food and bread moistened in milk.
Asthma is a chronic affection, in which there is difficulty in expiration of air in breathing. In severe cases a contraction of the abdominal muscles is evident in forcing the air from the lungs. Asthma is more in evidence at night, and often birds apparently free from it during the day will wheeze when at rest. There is practically nothing that can be done for it. Sometimes a semblance of asthma is caused by indigestion from overeating. Fanciers consider asthma hereditary and do not recommend birds so affected for breeding purposes.
INTESTINAL COMPLAINTS.
Intestinal troubles in canaries arise in most cases from the food or water supply and are avoided by cleanliness and proper care. Dirty water cups with foul water, decayed or soured fresh or soft foods, or a poor seed supply lead inevitably to trouble. Should the canary contract diarrhea, remove all green and soft foods from the cage for a time and give only the normal seed supply. As a remedy, add a small quantity of Epsom salts to the drinking water for a day. If there is no improvement, feed the bird a bit of moist bread, with the surface covered lightly with bismuth (subnitrate), or place an ounce of water in the drinking cup, to which have been added three or four drops of tincture of opium. For constipation, the addition of lettuce, apple, chickweed, or other green food to the regular menu is usually sufficient; if not, a pinch of Epsom salts may be added to the drinking water. The quantity of the purgative should be enough to impart a faintly saline taste to the solution. Castor oil is not a good corrective remedy for small birds.
Occasionally birds in confinement “go light,” or waste away until they are far below their normal standard of plumpness, without marked symptoms of disease. In such cases change the seed supply, making sure that the seed is fresh and wholesome, and vary the diet with green foods, and with bread softened with milk. It is also beneficial to change the location of the cage; if possible, place the cage where it will receive the sun for a few hours each day, except in the heat of midsummer. Make sure that the canary is not infested with mites.
When worms are present, as sometimes happens, small fragments of these internal parasites may be seen in the droppings when the cage is cleaned. As a remedy, place in the drinking cup 8 or 10 drops of tincture of gentian in an ounce of water. This may be given for two days, and, in addition, two drops of olive oil may be administered in the bill by means of a medicine dropper.
For more serious complaints than those enumerated it will be well, if possible, for the amateur to seek the advice of some person with experience in handling cage birds.