Best,Did you know that…..?The moulting period is pre-eminently the period to take extra good care of the pigeons. Most fanciers know that the prices of the following year are partly made during the moult of the previous year. Yet there are still enough fanciers who don't take it all that seriously during the moulting period and leave the pigeons more or less to their own devices, to focus on other things. But especially during the moult it is important to support the pigeons well.
DetoxifyDetoxing the body is important. As well as providing sufficient amino acids including certainly sufficient Methionine, Lysine and Choline. Proper functioning of the enzyme Glutathation is also important. One can argue that this enzyme is the main detoxifier of the liver. The substance that plays an important role in the production of glutathione is NAC or N-Acethyl-cysteine. This substance helps the liver to work better. This is important during the moulting period, but also for the removal of harmful substances from the body in humans and animals. Just think of harmful substances in medication and vaccines.
MedicationMedication during the moult should be kept to a minimum if at all possible, and only limited to pigeons that are unable to change plumage due to illness. In all other cases it is a 'No go'. There are various substances that can negatively affect the quality of the feathers. Traditionally, it has been known that certain worming agents can cause deformed feathers. But we should not only think of visible deformities in this regard. Invisible quality damage can also have far-reaching consequences.
In this context it is worth noting that sulfa preparations (often also used as a cure against paratyphoid in combination with Trimetoprim) can cause damage to the shafts of the pens, which reduces the quality of the pens and makes them break more easily (in the racing season?). That in turn can mean that the pigeons may not be able to achieve the performances they would otherwise be able to achieve.
For the same reasons, it is important to optimize the support of the new spring structure to guarantee the quality of the springs.
paratyphusParatyphus is a nasty disease that can lead to death, infertility, loss of fitness, inability to fly and so on. A disease that you do not wish to have in your loft.
Vets tend to all talk after each other. A dissenting opinion is often fought with fire and sword. For example, there remains a persistent habit of treating pigeons in the autumn against this disease. So-called preventive cures. Enthusiasts have often been doing this for many decades and are hard to get rid of..
Crazy PhenomenonNow a crazy phenomenon is occurring for the last few years. At least that's what I'm finding through research. In bacteriological research we often see paratyphoid bacilli to be multi-resistant to commonly used antibiotics. On balance, the use of these remedies for preventive treatment is therefore like putting the cart before the horse. Simple, because by curing with these agents one not only tries to kill the paratyphoid bacillus, which is actually less or not sensitive to it, but also the good intestinal bacteria that ensure the balance in the intestine. As a result, there are no problems with the stool and the paratyphoid bacillus can be kept under control. The bacteria is present in the gut but does not cause any problems.
By giving the (wrong) cure now, the problem of paratyphoid is actually getting bigger. There are many examples of enthusiasts who contact the practice one or two months after a 'preventive cure' because they have paratyphoid 'again'. Many do not realize that they themselves are to blame for this.
In the past there were good remedies against this disease that usually had little resistance. The names of these drugs still exist, but the composition has changed completely because the products that worked well are no longer allowed. This naturally also contributes to the above phenomenon. That cannot be avoided.
PreviSalI myself have been away from these preventive cures for a long time. Especially with my own pigeons. Bony PreviSal has a supportive effect for the good intestinal bacteria and the E. Coli and Salmonellas are looking for a good refuge. On balance, these bacteria therefore find it difficult to maintain themselves in the climate in the gut created by the Bony PreviSal. In the month of October I myself give this product to my pigeons for a month.
VaccinationsFinally, about vaccinations. Personally, I found the Zoosal T a very good vaccine against paratyphoid in pigeons for many years. Unfortunately it has been taken off the market. I heard from the company IDT that brought the vaccine on the market that an vaccine that the company puts on the market for pigs contains exactly the same strain that this company also had in the pigeon vaccine. (In addition, there are several other strains that are of no use to pigeons, because they are not sensitive to it. In principle, the rest is mainly ballast for the pigeons. Immunologically, the pigeons do not react to this according to the information we received).
This vaccine is 100 times more powerful than the original vaccine. It must therefore be emphasized that if one wants to use this vaccine, it must be diluted. Then in principle you have the same effective dose as is available in the Zoosal T. In principle, 2000 pigeons can be vaccinated with a bottle.
Off label use is allowed as long as no other effective vaccines registered for pigeons are available. The so-called Cascade scheme in Europe. However, no registered paratyphoid vaccines for pigeons are available in several European countries.
In case of a clinical outbreak of paratyphoid or in lofts with a paratyphoid history, vaccinating pigeons against this disease can also contribute to bringing this problem under control.
Good Luck,
Peter Boskamp
