Sub clinical infections

[Pajarita]

I wonder how many of our birds suffer them in a chronic manner from the inevitable stress of captivity and whether that is the main reason for their short lives.... I always remember an avian vet that specialized in necropsies (wrote an article about them) and said that pet parrots internal organs always appeared as if they had been 'besieged' by stress all their lives - could the chronic subclinical infection caused part of the damage? What do you think?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 081727.htm

[Wolf]

After having lived with bad teeth for years before getting them removed, I noticed that there was a big difference in how I felt. And also since I live in constant pain, I am certain that this articles puts forth a very valid point and that such illness as described would have this type of effect.

[patti]

i'm not a medical doctor, but i think that stress alone can wreak havoc, in addition to making one more susceptible to illness. for example, stress interferes with digestion, and your gut is like a second brain. during 'fight or flight' digestion slows down as a protective mechanism to conserve energy for the crisis. so a state of hightened stress interferes with nutrient absorption.... and over extended time that can lead to organ damage. i;m sure there are tons of other physiological changes like that. i don't know. stress is terrible. i do think it literally kills you. better to be free and happy.

[Pajarita]

Yes, Patti, I agree. We do know that stress has a direct effect on the immune system and we do know that pet birds are stressed out by the unavoidably unnatural conditions they live under in captivity so their having chronic sub-clinical infections is a fairly certain consequence of the situation.