Psitacídeos com obesidade e manejo nutricional incorreto atendidos no hospital veterinário da UFPB: Achados clínicos e patológicos

Abstract

Among the birds most bred in captivity as pets, most are parrots. The nutritional density of these birds is not being well defined due to the difficulty in identifying what they are eating, as they are extremely selective. In this sense, the birds' diet becomes unbalanced, poor in nutrients and containing a high level of fat, causing obesity and other changes. For parrots a balanced diet is extremely important for the bird to have longevity. The aim of this study was to report cases of incorrect nutritional management in parrots treated at the UPPB Veterinary Hospital. The study was carried out based on clinical records of animals treated from January 2019 to December 2020, taken from the files of the reception of the Veterinary Hospital of UFPB. The data taken from the forms included the identification of the animal, which contained the patient's individual record, name, species, age, origin, weight, date of care, type of patient's diet, and clinical signs resulting from the diet. When analyzing the results during the years 2019 and 2020, 42 parrots were treated, 26 cockatiels with the largest casuistry in the clinic, 5 true parrots, 3 Australian parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 2 scarlet macaws, 2 caatinga parakeets and 1 parrot. When analyzing the feeding management of the birds, it was observed that the majority that were served in the years 2019 and 2020 ate a mixture of seeds as the main food, extruded feed, fruits (banana, apple, pear, grape, jiló), vegetables (cabbage), vegetables (corn, beets) and food for human consumption (bread, eggs, coffee, biscuits, rice, coconut, milk, cornmeal, oats). The results also reveal that 24 birds attended did not return to care, 7 birds decreased in weight, 7 birds increased in weight and 4 maintained their weight. The bodily condition of the birds was also seen, where 19 birds were classified with a healthy body score of 3, 13 birds classified with a score 2 lean, 8 birds classified with a score 4 are overweight, 1 bird classified with a score 1 cachectic and 1 bird classified with a score 5 obese. In view of the data presented, it was noticed that with the diversity of species served and the variety of food that was offered to them, the nutritional need becomes unbalanced, directly affecting the weight of the birds, resulting in obesity, lipomas, atherosclerosis and diseases that are diagnosed in the clinic. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the Psittaciformes owners’ awareness about how important it is to study the animals’ feeding habits, nutritional needs, the benefits of a balanced diet as well as the risks brought by bad feeding habits.