Blue and Gold Macaw Beak Problems

[NKJIncognito]

Wolf,

Is the Milk Thistle extract better than the seeds? Do the seeds appear palatable to the birds?

[Chantilly]

Hi, I saw this thread and instantly it reminded me of one of the issues of Birdkeeper magazines I have where an avian vet wrote about different beak deformities and ilness, so I found the magazine and (turns out it was'nt as informative as I remembered) and the only thing it says about decaying beak is that it is a bacterial or fungal Infections.

these can be introduced by traumatic infections, spreading under the keratin, causing it to lift up or slough. These infections require laboratory tests to identify both the cause and the treatment. Long term treatment (several months is usually required to eliminate the infection and allow the beak to recover.

Sorry it does not help at all, when I first saw this I was thinking mabye beak and feather disease? I will search up on it.

[Chantilly]

This was deleted about 5 times when I tried to post it, oh well...
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-s ... r-disease/
You may want to check out ^ I really hope that this is not the problem, and looking at the photos his feathers are lovely and healthy it likely isnt. But this is what i was thinking at first, other than this all I can find on it is that it could be a malnutrition like suggested or an infection (has he ever injured his beak??)

[Pajarita]

No, Chantilly, it was actually VERY helpful! I would not think of giving a bird antibiotic for months for a bacterial infection but, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense when the infection is INSIDE the beak keratin. I am not sure where I read this but I remember reading about beak fungal infections treatment and it said that the beak needs to be filed down to expose the infected part so they can also use a topical treatment on it (with fungal infections, topical is ALWAYS more effective than systemic) but, of course, this would have to be limited to only certain areas of the beak because you don't want to mess up the inside portion where there is blood and nerves there or you might end up with a deformed beak forever.

Incognito, milk thistle seeds are not really effective, you need to use either the alcohol-free liquid extract (in the water) or the capsules (in the soft food). The silymarin (medicinal element of the milk thistle seed) is found mostly in the aril (the covering of the seed that the parrot 'peels off' before eating it) and it's actually very low in each seed so you need the extract for it to do any real good.