Our products and avian care

Avian vets recognise a few key aspects of avian care and Meadow's Animal Healthcare provides the best products available to enable you to do the best for the birds in your care.

These aspects are:

Nutrition

Biosecurity

Lighting

Health care

Nutrition

90% of avian disease is linked to malnutrition. Many diets contain food items of the wrong type, resulting in a lack of essential nutrients or, equally importantly, an excess of potentially harmful ones. Even offering a mix of foods can be flawed as many birds have the habit of buffet feeding, and will pick certain items from the bowl and not get the full range of foods necessary to get a nutritional balance.

This nutritional imbalance can cause minor ailments, but can also bring about fatal diseases. Birds fed on an inadequate diet may survive, but they certainly will not thrive.

Harrison's Bird Foods were developed by esteemed American avian veterinarian Greg Harrison to meet the needs of the modern educated bird owner who knows the importance of a formulated diet in preventing malnutrition and combating disease and death in companion birds.

Harrison's Bird Foods have been scientifically formulated to provide all the nutrients a bird needs. A seed only diet, for example, lacks 32 essential vitamins and minerals - Harrison's provides these with no need for additional supplementation. This means no need for powders or drops where the level of uptake by the bird may be random and/or unknown. Indeed, the natural vitamins and minerals in Harrison's are scientifically controlled at the optimal level for your bird's health and needs and the addition of further supplements will unbalance this and may be harmful.

Research has shown that many captive birds fed on a high quality formulated diet actually receive better nutrition than those in the wild. Studies into the diet of wild parrots was proving unsuccessful as the range of food eaten was so vast - and many of these foods were unavailable not only to owners, but to the researchers themselves - so the focus has instead been on the physiology of birds, and their nutritional requirements. This change in emphasis has enabled the creation of foods that meet a bird's needs and provide a better, more nutritionally balanced diet. As a result, assuming optimal husbandry (of which providing an appropriate diet is a large part), captive birds now live longer than their relatives in the wild. Put simply, feeding a scientifically formulated, balanced diet will improve the health and happiness of your bird.

So, why choose Harrison's over other brands? Chemical insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, artificial preservatives, colourings, sweeteners and flavourings can all be harmful to a bird's health. Harrison's diets contain none of these and are 100% organic. The ingredients are all premium whole grains, approved for human consumption and certified organic by the US Department of Agriculture.

We, and the majority of leading avian vets in the country, therefore believe that there is no better diet for your bird than Harrison's Bird Foods.

For more information go to www.hbf-uk.co.uk

Biosecurity

Ensuring that your bird is not exposed to potentially fatal pathogens is obviously of great importance. This requires the use of a disinfectant and cleaning product that is proven to kill all known types of pathogen.

But not only that, the product you use must not be harmful to the bird, nor should it damage the cage, toys etc.

F10 Disinfectants are scientifically proven to kill all known types of pathogen but also present no risk to you or your birds. It has been given a 'zero' hazard rating by the EU, is non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-irritant, and yet kills all known types of pathogen including those that cause avian flu, MRSA, PBFD and many many more. It is so safe that you can use it to wash your bird's drinking bowl, wash its feathers - vets even use it for nebulisation.

It is available in a range of forms that cover all aspects of your hygiene routine. It comes as a basic disinfectant (F10SC) for washing their bowls and toys, with an added detergent (F10SCXD) for cleaning the cage and hard surfaces, as a range of hand decontaminants so that you do not pass anything on to the bird when you handle them (the F10 Gel, Soap, Scrub or Wipes), an Aerosol Fogger for disinfecting the air in your lounge or bird room - everything you need is covered and as it is a highly concentrated solution a little goes a long way, making it highly cost effective.

Don't put your birds at risk - make F10 part of your cleaning and disinfection biosecurity regime and be confident you are using the best that is available.

For more information go to www.f10biocare.co.uk

Lighting

Providing adequate lighting is something which all avian vets believe is of great importance to the health of birds.

Domestic lighting, and sunlight that has passed through a window pane, does not contain the UV that birds require for good physical and mental health. The UV is needed for the efficient synthesis of vitamins and inadequate levels of UV can lead to bone disorders. It also affects the hormone levels in the body, which can affect the bird's mood and behaviour.

Also, as birds are able to see the UV part of light, an absence of UV adversely affects their vision which can suppress their appetite and general lower their mental wellbeing.

Arcadia Lighting is specifically designed to provide birds with the optimal levels of UV to stimulate the physiological process that they need for optimal health, as well as allowing optimal vision which will encourage good mental health.

Available as tube lighting or as a compact bulb, there is an option which will suit you whatever living arrangement your bird currently enjoys. The compact bulbs will fit regular lamps/light fittings or can be bought with a holder and reflector which will attach to the cage to increase the benefit of the emitted light.

For more information please go to www.avequip.co.uk and follow the link to the Arcadia section.

Health Care

HEALx/AVIx products are a range of products designed to aid in the treatment of avian ailments.

The range includes products that will assist with the healing of skin conditions, such as dermatitis, injuries or self-inflicted wounds, for example from feather plucking. These products can act as a pre-emptive measure by keeping the skin hydrated and the feathers in good condition, thus help to eliminate one of the reasons that birds 'feather pluck' - namely that the skin and feathers are sore or irritating to the bird.

The range also includes dietary supplements which can help to boost the immune system and improve the skin and feather condition. This helps birds who's health has been compromised by illness or need something added to the food which will improve their overall wellbeing.

The advantage of these products is that they are based on completely natural ingredients. Many birds react very badly to the artificial components found in some products, whereas the HEALx/AVIx range are entirely natural, offering you an alternative to synthetic remedies.

For more information, and to see case studies of the products at work, please go to www.healx.co.uk