Two adult Alexandrenes were bought in with severe respiratory distress.  They were anaesthetised and the endoscope (the same one I use for sexing) was gently put down the windpipe to look for blockages. One bird was normal but the other had a plug of material right down the bottom of the windpipe.

I then also scoped the abdomen (using the same technique as for sexing) to look at the back of the lungs and the air sacs – this time both were normal.

Blood tests did not show anything abnormal.

To try and save the birds they were given injections of cortisone and antibiotics and hospitalised. Unfortunately both died fairly quickly.

We had full post-mortem and lab work done as the owner had lost 4 other Alexandrenes in the past 12 months.

The lung samples showed small “golden” granules through them – these birds had inhaled something from their environment that started a lung disease. The pathologist could not identify the “granules” but he was sure they are the cause of the respiratory disease.

We never managed to get to the bottom of this as the costs associated with further tests were prohibitive.