BH>I always thought that you could feed the bird mash "flock" recipe of
BH>soft food in specific proportions mixed with seed and doxycycline. This
BH>is the way flocks have been treated for quite some time.

BH>digestibility/absorbability of the medication. He said that by the time
BH>you got to the regime of feeding soft food medicated mash you are down
BH>to 60% effectiveness. I think he said this has somewhat to do with the
BH>birds actually eating enough by weight to knock out the disease. I do
BH>not know what the current thoughts are on the effectiveness of the
BH>Keetlife tetracycline impregnated millet seed which used to cost about
BH>$2 or $3 a lb.  Same thing for the various 1% tetracycline medicated
BH>pellets available, such as Pretty Birds Chlortet pellets, and other
BH>brands.
To really take out Chlamydia Psittici, one must maintain a certain
constant level of Doxycycline in the blood for at least 45 days. If the
bird is eating treated food, it may not eat as much food every day, and
the blood level of medication may drop below what is required. It is
much safer and more consistent to dose orally with one of the liquid
Doxy. meds than to use treated feeds of any kind.
> Also I don't know much about the new Doxycycline injectible,
BH>except that I was told they were giving it by once a week injections by
BH>the vet (the carrier agent of the solution can leave abcesses if given
BH>improperly I think) and  that the injections were about $25 each or
BH>more.
From what I was told last time I inquired of my vet (last fall, when I
got my last purchased bird), the Doxy. injectible is not legal in the
US. The FDA found that it was proven to cause tissue damage in the area
of injection, to the point of causing necrotic (dead) tissue and
gangrene. I'm told that some Mich. vets DO go to Canada to get it, and
will sneak it over the border for use in outbreaks where there are too
many birds to dose orally, but they prefer not to because of the
potential for danger.
If the Doxy. injectible is legal now, it's news to me!
--Kathy
 * SLMR 2.1a * Gone Chopin. Bach in a minuet.
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