Malattie ad eziologia virale nei colombi
Disease of viral etiology in pigeons
Authors
Cattarossi D.
Clinica Veterinaria “Casale sul Sile” - Treviso
Summary
Viral diseases in pigeons are a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for every veterinarian who wants to work with pigeons and doves.
According to the author viruses are the most frequently found diseases among homing pigeons and among pigeons that participate in exhibitions.
The German, Dutch and Belgian pharmaceutical industries have created many effective “do it yourself” products for curing the main bacterial and parasitic diseases of pigeons. Most breeders know of and use these products.
The causes of the high incidence of viral diseases are due to the lack of knowledge of the symptoms, the absence of specific vaccinations for almost all of the pathogens and the scarcity of effective treatment protocols. There is only one vaccine in the country registered for pigeons and that allows immunization against paramyxovirus, which is responsible for the pseudo bird plague, but there are still many viruses that can infect the dovecotes often with very high morbidity and mortality. This is why it is the author’s desire to share his experience in this specific field with veterinary colleagues that deal with exotic animals. This work is the result of careful literary research and direct experience in clinical practice with several breeders of homing pigeons, high-flying pigeons, capitombolante pigeons and pigeons selected for exhibitions.
Keywords
Pigeon, diseases, virus, diagnosis, treatment.
