Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ovarian hemangiosarcoma causing breathing trouble in Amazon parrot
By Mickley, Kimberly et al.·Published in Journal of avian medicine and surgery·2009·Angell Animal Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ovarian hemangiosarcoma in an orange-winged Amazon parrot (Amazona amazonica).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A 25-year-old female orange-winged Amazon parrot was brought in because she had been straining to defecate, seemed very tired, was breathing with her beak open, and had ruffled feathers for two weeks. The vet found fluid in her abdomen and a heart murmur, and an ultrasound showed fluid around her heart. Unfortunately, the prognosis was poor, and the owner chose to euthanize her. A necropsy revealed ovarian hemangiosarcoma, a type of cancer that had not been previously reported in parrots.
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Abstract
A 25-year-old intact female orange-winged Amazon parrot (Amazona amazonica) presented for a 2-week history of straining to defecate, lethargy, open-beak breathing, decreased vocalization, and ruffled feathers. On physical examination, the parrot had a heart murmur, increased air sac and lung sounds, open-beak breathing, increased respiratory rate and effort, and coelomic distension. An ultrasound revealed intracoelomic fluid, and hemorrhagic fluid was aspirated from the coelom. Cytologic analysis indicated hemocoelom. Pericardial effusion was observed during the sonogram, and pericardiocentesis was performed. The bird was euthanatized upon the owner's request because of a poor prognosis. At necropsy, several masses that involved the ovary and oviduct were observed, as well as a thickened pericardium and a thickened, fibrinous epicardium. Results of a histopathologic examination of the masses that involved the reproductive tract revealed ovarian hemangiosarcoma, which was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. To our knowledge, ovarian hemangiosarcoma has not been reported in a psittacine species, nor has immunohistochemistry confirmed ovarian hemangiosarcoma in avian species, specifically in an orange-winged Amazon parrot.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19530404/