Music and the Mind

In this edition of "Grey Matters," Aniruddh Patel, of the Neurosciences Institute, discusses what music can teach us about the brain, and what brain science, in turn, can reveal about music. Series: "Grey Matters" [4/2006] [Science] [Show ID: 11189]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgKFeuzGEns

Please paste the above link into your browser to watch the lecture.

About 35 minutes into the lecture, Aniruddh Patel discusses the biological significance of moving to a musical beat, and why it's interesting to find
out if animals (other than humans) can do it. He even discusses a bird that moves to music (from the film "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"). Of course, this was all pre-Snowball!

Irena and Charles of Bird Lovers Only Rescue Service, Inc. would like to thank Dr. Aniruddh Patel for his visit on April 3rd, 2008 and for our continued collaboration on this very exciting and interesting project!

A very special thank you to Dane, for none of this would have been possible without you!

Pictured above is Aniruddh Patel with Snowball.

Fundraiser at Steak and Shake

Please join us for great food and help raise funds for Bird Lovers Only on Sunday, April 27th at the Steak and Shake on Rt. 41 in Schererville, IN. Steak 'n Shake will donate 20% of what you spend on the Fundraiser Day between 12 noon and 8pm but you need to bring a voucher with you.

Click one of these links to download vouhcers, then print them and bring them with your appetite PDF File or JPG File

FOX News Chicago w/Mark Saxenmeyer

A very special THANK YOU to FOX News and Mark Saxenmeyer for a wonderful piece on Snowball and Bird Lovers Only Rescue! The episode aired on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Thanks, Mark! We love you!

http://community.myfoxchicago.com/blogs/saxinthecity

Water Filters

We recommend that birds be given bottled water (please check for quality) or water from a good home-treatment system. Home-treatment systems can be confusing, though. Here is a brief description of several types.

The type of treatment system to acquire depends on what problems your water supply has; therefore, it is best to have your water tested. Alternatively, public water departments should have an analysis on file, and you can request a copy of it.

In general, the types of contaminants to be concerned about include:

• Bacteria, Giardia/protozoa, cryptosporidium
• Inorganic chemicals (such as nitrates)
• Organic chemicals (such as pesticides, industrial chemicals)
• Chlorine and fluorine
• Minerals (hard water)
• Sediment, particulate matter

Reverse Osmosis: Filtration generally removes inorganic contaminants, such as nitrates.

Mechanical Filtration: Removes sediment and microbes, such as Giardia, bacteria and cryptosporidium.

Activated Charcoal: This is best for removing organic materials such as pesticides, herbicides and the trihalomethanes formed by chlorinating water. Some systems combine all of these types of treatment and would be the right choice if your water supply has problems in all three areas.

Water Distillers: These are available as well, but we do not recommend them. They tend to remove healthy minerals and may not remove volatile organic compounds (pesticides) and microbes, such as Giardia cysts.

The last type of water treatment is a water softener. This is good at removing minerals, including lead and iron, but does nothing for bacterial contaminants, Giardia cysts, nitrates, or pesticides. If the only problem you have is hard water, these devices are effective. But the advice would be to check with the public water deparment for a water analysis

To determine the best type of home-treatment system for your specific needs, please ask your public water department for a water analysis or have it professionaly tested yourself.

Reference: "Holistic Care For Birds" by David McCluggage, DVM and Pamela Leis Higdon

Necessity of Avian Veterinary Care

The AVMA survey indicated both good and bad news for avian practitioners. On the negative side, pet bird owners overall are not likely to seek veterinary care. In 2001, only 11.7% of bird owners in the USA reported at least one veterinary visit. In comparison, 83.6% of dog owners and 65.3% of cat owners reported at least one veterinary visit in 2001. On the positive side, however, a 6 year survey indicated the average number of veterinary visits for pet birds actually increased. An estimated 2 million avian veterinary visits occurred in 2001, compared to 1.6 million in 1996. This represents a solid increase in demand for the services of avian veterinarians. More evidence for this conclusion can be seen in the fact that veterinary expenditures for bird owners increased dramatically from 37 million dollars in 1991 to 135 million dollars in 2001.

It is interesting to note those veterinary services most commonly purchased for pet birds. Examinations are purchased most frequently, followed by laboratory tests, then emergency care. While many bird-owning clients appreciate the value of preventive medicine, far too many others consult the avian veterinarian only in time of medical crisis.

Slightly more than half of surveyed clients selected their regular dog and cat veterinarian to provide care for their avian pets. Encouragingly enough, 24.2% made their selection based on the fact that the veterinarian was a bird specialist. (Note that this survey does not distinguish between veterinarians who are board-certified avian specialists and those claiming a "special interest" in avian medicine.) Discouragingly, just as many clients chose a veterinarian based simply on location.

It is obvious avian practitioners have a great deal of work to do to catch up to our fellow dog and cat practitioners. While bird owners who do seek regular veterinary care are generally seeking a higher quality of care and more frequent visits for their pets, it is obvious the great majority of bird owners either are unaware such services are available or not convinced of their value.

Reference: "Cinical Avian Medicine - Vol I & II" by Harrison and Lightfoot.

Speical Note from Bird Lovers Only Rescue: Birds are expert at masking their illnesses and many bird owners believe them to be healthy because of it....until they wake up one morning to find their bird dead at the bottom of the cage without any previous signs or warnings to indicate that something was wrong. Dogs and cats do not mask their illnesses as birds do because birds behave instinctively to demonstrate health and strength in the wild to avoid appearing vulnerable to other birds and predators. This instinctive behavior does not change in your home. Please take your birds in for yearly exams and tests to a board-certified avian veterinarian. You can find one close to you by going to www.aav.org. We thank you!

Treat Street

"Beaks Fruit Birdie Bread"

• 1 cup organic corn meal
• 1 cup organic coconut flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 8 oz organic applesauce
• 8 oz organic fruit baby food (your choice of fruit flavor)
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/2 cup organic chamomile tea (liquid)
• 1/2 cup organic coconut oil (liquid)
• 1/2 cup organic red palm oil (liquid)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (chopped)

In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients in order listed above except for pine nuts. Mix with hand mixer or standard mixer until all ingredients are incorporated. Spread mixture in greased jelly roll pan, sprinkle pine nuts on top. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. You can then let cool for about 15 minutes, use cookie cutters to shape or just cut with knife. Keep in refrigerator or keep frozen. ENJOY!

Reference: Special thanks to Jason Crean for supplying us with some excellent and HEALTHY bird recipes! Jason Crean is the President of TASC (The Avicultural Society of Chicagoland). TASC is hosting a bird fair on April 5th, 2008. Please visit their web site for further details. http://www.tasc-chicago.org/

Aspergillosis

Aspergillosis is an infection of the respiratory system that occurs sporadically in a wide range of birds. Birds from cold and dry climates are highly susceptible to infection. Environments that are conducive to the environmental growth of Aspergillus spp. and environments that are poorly ventilated will result in an increased incidence of aspergillosis. Disease can be localized to the upper airways or the syrinx, or it may involve the air sacs and lungs. Respiratory signs are a common feature of this disease, but a bird may not manifest signs until the disease is advanced. Radiographs, endoscopy and biopsy, cytology and hematology are all valuable tools in the diagnosis of this disease. Even with all these assays, the diagnosis of aspergillosis is often a difficult one.

The diagnosis of aspergillosis has been most extensively studied in humans. Ancillary diagnostic assays used in people include PCR to detect Aspergillus DNA from blood, an ELISA to detect Aspergillus antigen and an ELISA to detect anti-Aspergillus antibody. These studies clearly indicate that even a combination of these three assays will not be adequate to detect many cases of aspergillosis. The problem comes from the fact that most people who contract aspergillosis are immunocompromised. This also may be true in birds. If the infected person's immune system is adequate to contain the disease and the organism is localized in a walled-off granuloma, then these individuals are found to produce antibody. People with generalized disease are generally severely immunocompromised and they do not produce antibody. In these people, Aspergillus antigen and DNA are most likely to be found in the blood, but they are not when the lesion is encapsulated. If the pathophysiology of avian aspergillosis resembles that seen in humans, then none of these assays are likely to detect infection in most infected birds. A combination of these assays may be more specific, but false negatives are to be expected.

Reference: "Clinical Avian Medicine - Vol I and II" by Harrison and Lightfoot