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Salmonellosis (Paratyphus)

Salmonellosis has one of the highest mortality rates of any infectious bacterial disease of pigeons.

Pathogen:
Salmonella typhimurium var. copenhagen, designated as the "pigeon type" salmonella strain.
Given the right conditions, the bacterium can remain infective in the environment for 1 year or more.

Salmonellae are spread by:

• inhalation of dust containing the pathogen
• contaminated feed (insects, mice, rats)
• dirty feed troughs and water bowls
• mating
• transmission from the hen to the egg
• feeding the nestlings with infected crop milk and billing
• chronic carriers: pigeons that appear healthy after surviving salmonella infection, but shed the pathogen at irregular intervals and thus pose a risk to the current flock and their progeny.

Clinical signs:
Acute form (mainly affects young pigeons):

Enteritis with pulpy, mucoid, greenish droppings; once organs (liver, kidneys, spleen) have become infected, there is growth retardation, emaciation and (in isolated cases) death. Embryos infected with salmonellae frequently die in ovo or during the first few days of life.

Chronic form (mainly affects adult pigeons):

Inflammation causes a thickening of the joints, especially the elbow joint, wing or leg lameness, disorders of balance and torsion of the neck. Recognition of the disease: Bacteriological examination of faecal and/or organ samples. An antibiogram is performed to determine which medication is suitable for treatment purposes.

Similar conditions:
Paramyxovirus infection, Ornithosis, Coccidiosis, worm infestation, organ form of Trichomoniasis.

Treatment:
Upon appearance of the symptoms described, treatment with chloramphenicol-N should be started immediately. In some cases it is necessary to change the treatment (e.g. to doxycyclin-t or ampicillin-t) when the results of the bacteriological examination and antibiogram become available.

Do not give pigeons any feeds containing calcium (e.g. grit) during treatment with doxycyclin-t, since calcium binds doxycycline and thus reduces its efficacy.

No free flight for affected pigeons.

Do not provide bath water.

Treat the entire flock rather than individual birds.

Cull severely affected pigeons before beginning the treatment, since it is unlikely that they can be cured.

To check the outcome of the treatment, carry out bacteriological examinations on faecal samples. These should take place at least 14 days after termination of treatment, and then repeated twice at 3-week intervals.

Duration of treatment		Week 1							Week 2							Week 3							Week 4
Day		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28
Breeder’s check list
chloramphenicol-N	drinking water or feed
livimun®	drinking water or feed
multivitamin EB12	drinking water
liviferm	drinking water
desinfectans	disinfection

necessary treatment
optional back-up treatment

Salmonellosis - Table of requirements for the flock

Product and duration of treatment	Dosage	Total requirements for 100 pigeons (entire treatment period)
chloramphenicol-N 10 days	1 sachet per litre	sachets packages	50 5
livimun® 8 days	20 ml per 2 litres or the daily feed ration of 40 pigeons	ml bottles	400 2
multivitamin EB12 3 days	½ sachet per litre or 2 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	7 ½ 1 600 6
liviferm 5 days	½ sachet per litre or 1 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	12 ½ 2 500 5

chevita - Requirement calculation: Treatment with chloramphenicol-N

How many pigeons are to be treated?

Duration of treatment		Week 1							Week 2							Week 3							Week 4
Day		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28
Breeder’s check list
doxycyclin-t	drinking water
livimun®	drinking water or feed
multivitamin EB12	drinking water
liviferm	drinking water
desinfectans	disinfection

necessary treatment
optional back-up treatment

Salmonellosis - Table of requirements for the flock

Product and duration of treatment	Dosage	Total requirements for 100 pigeons (entire treatment period)
doxycyclin-t Salmonellosis: 14 days	1 sachet per 2 litres or 1 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	35 3 1,400 14
livimun® 8 days	20 ml per 2 litres or the daily feed ration of 40 pigeons	ml bottles	400 2
multivitamin EB12 3 days	½ sachet per litre or 2 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	7 ½ 1 600 6
liviferm 5 days	½ sachet per litre or 1 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	12 ½ 2 500 5

chevita - Requirement calculation: Treatment with doxycyclin-t

How many pigeons are to be treated?

Salmonellosis and general bacterial infections

Duration of treatment		Week 1							Week 2							Week 3							Week 4
Day		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28
Breeder’s check list
ampicillin-t	drinking water or feed
livimun®	drinking water or feed
multivitamin EB12	drinking water
liviferm	drinking water
desinfectans	disinfection

necessary treatment
optional back-up treatment

Salmonellosis and general bacterial infections - Table of requirements for the flock

Product and duration of treatment	Dosage	Total requirements for 100 pigeons (entire treatment period)
ampicillin-t Salmonellosis: 10 days	2 sachet per litre or 2 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	100 9 2,000 20
General bacterial infections: 5 days	1 sachet per litre or 1 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	25 3 500 5
livimun® 8 days	20 ml per 2 litres or the daily feed ration of 40 pigeons	ml bottles	400 2
multivitamin EB12 3 days	½ sachet per litre or 2 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	7 ½ 1 600 6
liviferm 5 days	½ sachet per litre or 1 caps. per pigeon and day	sachets packages capsules packages	12 ½ 2 500 5

chevita - Requirement calculation: Treatment with ampicillin-t

How many pigeons are to be treated?

SalmonellosisBacterial infection