A 16-year-old male grey-cheeked parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhopterus) was presented for dyspnea and decreased activity. The bird's diet was primarily table food, with a large proportion of animal products. Radiographs revealed a linear mineralized structure in the plane of the aorta and an enlarged hepatocardiac silhouette. Left atrial and left ventricular enlargement and a left ventricular systolic dysfunction were diagnosed by echocardiography. The bird's condition progressively declined, and it died 5 days after presentation. A postmortem examination revealed marked atherosclerosis of the aorta, great vessels of the heart, and coronary arteries with myocardial degeneration, pulmonary congestion, and ascites. Little is known about the risk factors of atherosclerosis in psittacine birds, and dietary influence, if any, is not understood.
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1 March 2007
Radiographic Evidence of Atherosclerosis of the Descending Aorta in a Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhopterus)
Christoph Mans,
Cynthia J. Brown
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Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery
Vol. 21 • No. 1
March 2007
Vol. 21 • No. 1
March 2007
aortic mineralization
atherosclerosis
Avian
Brotogeris pyrrhopterus
cholesterol
congestive heart failure
grey-cheeked parakeet