Clinical Workup of Bustards

This chapter deals with the examination and clinical work-up of bustards. Like all birds sick bustards are good at concealing signs of their illness as part of a natural survival strategy. In intensively managed bustards housed in small pens, food and water intake changes are often the first indicators of disease. Consequently, monitoring of daily food and water returns, in addition to close observation, is necessary. Early detection of disease in nervous bustards housed in outdoor aviaries is more difficult. Some sick bustards will try to behave normally, until they run out of energy, while their feathers hide the fact that they have lost physical condition. Other birds may conceal themselves behind cover in naturalistic aviaries, making observation difficult. Very often the first sign of illness is that the bird becomes too weak to stand, which can be misinterpreted as paralysis. The range of specific symptoms seen in bustards is limited, making clinical diagnosis difficult. The clinical work-up of bustards involves assessing information derived from: 1) history of the bird, 2) physical examination, 3) laboratory testing and 4) diagnostic imaging to establish a diagnosis and treatment pla