This section is from the book "The Speaking Parrots: A Scientific Manual", by Dr. Karl Russ. Also available from Amazon: The Speaking Parrots.
The eyes are more or less sympathetically affected by the diseases of other organs; for example, in the diphtheritic-croupish inflammation of the mucous membrane (see p. 55), in which nearly always the cuticle of one or both eyes, the aponeurosis, and even the cornea, is affected, so that the lids appear swollen and stuck together, and the cornea becomes thick. Concerning the treatment, I beg to refer the reader to p. 55.
Swelling and Inflammation of the Cuticle of the eye may also be caused by cold. Symptoms: Tears in the eyes, swelling of the lids, avoidance of the light. Remedy : Washing with lukewarm liquor chlori (16), or Goulard water (11), or solution of sulphate of zinc (87).
Besides these, Inflammation of the Cuticle or Cornea of the eye may be caused by a blow or bite. Remedy: Cool with water; smear with a solution of sulphate of zinc (87), or with a solution of potash and laudanum (71).
Internal Inflammation of the eye, which Zurn has noticed in fowls, may also arise in parrots, and cause blindness (cataract). Treatment: Touching the apple of the eye with sulphate of atropia (8). I have several times observed a disease of the eyes in the Noble Parrakeets, which begins with a swelling of the lid, upon which, and even upon the apple of the eye, little ulcers form, so that the eye is destroyed. These parrakeets had the suppuration, which spread over one side of the head, and entirely discoloured it, for years, though the bird was otherwise quite healthy, for the couple bred with satisfactory results. As a remedy, a solution of nitrate of silver (28) should be used betimes.
Warts on the Eyelids, Swellings or Scirrhus of the Eyelids, and of the cuticle, also occur; they can only be removed by operation.
Gout, Rheumatism and Lameness occur not unfrequently in parrots. Zurn mentions two varieties of the first - festering, and gouty inflammation of the joints, which, however, as far as the parrot fancier is concerned, are very nearly the same. Causes : Cold or injury, also sitting upon too narrow and sharp-edged a perch. Symptoms: Loss of appetite, fever, swelling of the joints of the wings and feet, which are at first hard, very red, hot and painful, and then become soft and contain a fluid of mingled blood and pus; later on they get hard again; the contents, also, are hard, and resemble gall or cheese. Sometimes, after a lapse of weeks, they heal of themselves, but usually they leave enlargement of the joints behind; in other cases, emaciation sets in slowly, poverty of the blood, pallor of the mucous membrane, then severe purging, and death from exhaustion. Treatment: Warmth and dryness; when the swellings are inflamed and hot, cool with Goulard water (11) or vinegar and water; if hard, rub with spirits of camphor (40), or spirits of ants (4), or smear with diluted tincture of iodine (34). Wrap them up also in warm woollen rags; if the swellings suppurate, cut them open, taking care not to do it too soon, press them, and then rub with a solution of carbolic acid (46). Give, in any case, an internal dose of a solution of salicylic acid (73). The useless perches must, of course, be taken away, and replaced by good ones (see p. 22).
Rheumatic Pains, which occur without swelling of the joints and cause painful lameness, and which arise from cold caught from a draught or after a bath, I have cured, as a rule, by rubbing with warm oil and wrapping up the suffering limb in a warm woollen cloth, which must, however, be firmly sewn on. Of course, the invalid must be kept in a warm room. Other lamenesses, which arise from severe injury to internal organs, can only be healed by the discovery and removal of the cause. As soon as such disease is rightly determined and heals with proper treatment, the lameness ceases of its own accord.
 
Continue to: