By Dr. Scott Ford
Citation: Ford S. Raptor Gastroenterology. J Exotic Pet Med, 19:2 (April), 2010: pp 140-150.
Abstract: Birds of prey have developed talons, a hooked beak, and a tongue and oral cavity replete with pronounced hooks and papillae for prehending large boluses of food. The size of the proventriculus in relation to the ventriculus and weak musculature of the ventriculus, combined with an extremely acidic luminal pH, are consistent with a gastric digestive physiology maximized for protein digestion. The pyloric sphincter retains indigestible matter in the stomach, which is later compressed into a pellet and egested. The ventriculus, pylorus, pancreas, and an elongated duodenum coordinate to maximize neutralization of acidic peptic juices and increase the efficiency of digestion and absorption. Raptors are susceptible to a variety of infectious and noninfectious diseases that affect the digestive tract. Diagnostic testing and treatment recommendations for raptor intestinal disease conditions are discussed in this article.
I wrote this review article in 2010 and supplemented it with some presentations at national conferences. I’ve had several requests for so here it is in its entirety.
Tags: anatomy, bacteria, cloaca, fungal, gastrointestinal, intestine, liver, medical, nutrition, oral, pancreas, parasites, raptor, review, stomach, viral
#anatomy #bacteria #cloaca #fungal #gastrointestinal #intestine #liver #medical #nutrition #oral #pancreas #parasites #raptor #review #stomach #viral
The Raptor Research Foundation is hosting a virtual conference next week. It’s free to members (good excuse to join!) or $20 for non-members. It sounds like they have a good assortment of research presentations as well as techniques seminars. Learn more at https://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/conferences/virtual-event2020/ Here’s the official announcement: RRF is thrilled to invite you to participate […]
By Dr. Scott Ford These are my diet recommendations for large parrots such as Amazons, gray parrots, cockatoos, and macaws. Free free to download and share the handout. Recommended Diet For most pet psittacines (parrots) I recommend a diet consisting of: 80% formulated commercial diet (e.g., “pellets” such as Zupreem, Harrison’s Adult Lifetime, Lafebers, Roudybush, […]
By C. J. Randall Required reading for avian medicine board certification. The book is dated but the information and images are still relevant as all of these diseases are still around.