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View Full Version : Is Dog saliva dangerous to Parrots ?



Pat 621
11-07-2013, 12:37 PM
ADMIN EDIT: It is extremely dangerous to allow physical access between companion parrots and dogs or cats. This is especially true if the dogs or cats are large enough to overpower the birds. Please DO NOT allow such access among your pets!

Max my macaw loves to play with Julius my Siberian Husky. I heard saliva will kill a parrot. Julius let's Max do whatever she wants . She nibbles on his ears and I caught Max grabbing one of his teeth. I cleaned her beak right away . Is there any truth to this ?


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Debra
11-07-2013, 02:59 PM
I've always heard that dog, cat, and human saliva is harmful/deadly to our companion parrots. Having said that, sometimes my birds eat after me and have suffered no ill effects. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Honesty
11-07-2013, 03:19 PM
Yes, Cat and Dog saliva is deadly to birds! Here is an article about it.

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Pat 621
11-07-2013, 04:18 PM
Thanks For the info. I was told by my breeder if it happens to spray white vinegar and water


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plax
11-07-2013, 04:45 PM
Pat: please consider not allowing Max and Julius to have physical contact. While Julius may be a wonderfully mannered dog when playing with Max (and otherwise), all it may take for a catastrophe to ensue is either or both of your beloved pets becoming startled at some point. No matter what you may wish to believe, or what your experience has been so far, Julius is a larger dog. This means that the potential does exist for him to instinctively snap at Max - and that's even if he has never demonstrated tendency toward such behavior in the past. It CAN happen, and sadly it HAS happened in cases where pet owners had wholeheartedly believed that their easygoing larger dogs would never harm their pet birds :(. And even if you are always right near Max and Julius when they are together, in many cases it's simply not possible to act quickly enough when a dog snaps at a smaller animal (who is only a few inches from the dog's face) to save that smaller animal from injury, or far worse :(

While it's often quite pleasing -even adorable- to watch pet dogs and pet parrots physically interacting with one another, any carnivorous animal that is large enough to physically overpower a pet bird may eventually result in that pet bird becoming maimed, or even killed! In my personal view, it's not fair to a pet bird to place it at such risk. This forum site does not support creating such a potential for serious risk to pet birds. Please see: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

Pat 621
11-07-2013, 09:21 PM
Yes I know that. I make sure they never get close to each other. The dog has learned that the parrot is off limits. It's the parrot that try's to bother the dog. I am working on that now. The dog is afraid of her beak so he keeps his distance.


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plax
11-07-2013, 09:30 PM
Yes I know that. I make sure they never get close to each other. The dog has learned that the parrot is off limits. It's the parrot that try's to bother the dog. I am working on that now. The dog is afraid of her beak so he keeps his distance.Okay, that's good. But I'm confused now because earlier today you wrote the following: "Julius let's Max do whatever she wants . She nibbles on his ears and I caught Max grabbing one of his teeth."

Pat 621
11-07-2013, 09:43 PM
Yes Max does bother the dog. I was worried because one time Max managed to grab one of his teeth. Julius opened his mouth and she had her beak around his tooth. Of course I grabbed her right away. I don't let them play together. But I also want them to respect each other. Julius is trained if Max does try and bother him to stay still. Max can fly and I don't trim her wings for that reason . If she needs to get away in a emergency she can. She flew right on the dogs back last week, Julius knew just to sit there and don't move. My breeder recommended I brought Julius to meet Max when she was only 5 months old. Before I even took her home. Which I did.


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plax
11-07-2013, 09:57 PM
Yes Max does bother the dog. I was worried because one time Max managed to grab one of his teeth. Julius opened his mouth and she had her beak around his tooth. Of course I grabbed her right away. I don't let them play together. But I also want them to respect each other. Julius is trained if Max does try and bother him to stay still. Max can fly and I don't trim her wings for that reason . If she needs to get away in a emergency she can. She flew right on the dogs back last week, Julius knew just to sit there and don't move. My breeder recommended I brought Julius to meet Max when she was only 5 months old. Before I even took her home. Which I did.That's all very dangerous! Max should never be within the snapping distance of Julius! The training of a dog is NOT completely dependable, and all it takes is one event to seriously injure or kill a bird. One of the greatest danger risks is when a pet bird flies to a dog (as you've described happens with Max and Julius)... the dog may become startled if the bird happens to surprise it (by landing on it, appearing unexpectedly in its face, etc.) and that's when the snapping reaction is most likely to occur in many instances. It's just not worth the risk!

spiritbird
11-07-2013, 10:23 PM
It could happen is a flash of a second between animals. They could even be friends and still chomp down or bite.

plax
11-07-2013, 10:28 PM
It could happen is a flash of a second between animals. They could even be friends and still chomp down or bite.Absolutely correct!

Pat 621
11-07-2013, 10:48 PM
Yes true


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Pat 621
11-07-2013, 11:58 PM
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Seen this video and wondered about dog saliva .


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Pat 621
11-08-2013, 12:08 AM
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plax
11-08-2013, 01:20 AM
While contact with cat saliva is more likely than contact with dog saliva to cause illness in pet birds, the saliva from both cats and dogs can result in serious illness among our avian friends. Contact with human saliva can make companion birds ill as well. The natural flora in the saliva of many species hosts various strains of bacteria, some of which can be fatal to certain other species. It's best to avoid saliva contact altogether.

There are a few reasons that you will find many YouTube videos showing parrots contacting saliva-saturated objects and engaging in direct physical contact with dogs or cats capable of killing them with little effort. Those reasons are typically:

1) Because many folks simply don't have good sense.

2) Because many folks desperately want to believe that they have full control of such situations when in actuality said control is nothing more than illusion. (note: in most cases pet owners have not done adequate research and simply do not understand the real risks involved.)

3) Because it's more important for some folks to derive gratification from boasting about how 'cute' their pets can be when interacting together, than it is to acknowledge the genuine safety risks to their pets they are in fact facilitating.

If more folks would place safety first (with ego second) and lean toward logic and good sense, we would have far fewer pet catastrophes in our world.

Pat 621
11-08-2013, 07:53 AM
Before I even brought Max home I went to Home Depot and purchased sheets of plexi glass and covered all the sides of her cage 1/2 way up to protect her and the dogs nose. So when I go to work I have peace of mind. It also keeps a lot of the mess inside the cage. I don't trust the both of them together for a minute.


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Debra
11-08-2013, 04:21 PM
That's a good idea Pat!

Pat 621
11-11-2013, 02:25 PM
You just measure it to the sides & front of the cage drill two hole along side bars and use small plastic ties to attach to cage. I do a lot less sweeping now.


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Pat 621
11-11-2013, 02:31 PM
Also keeps her from climbing down the sides of the cage and going on the floor. Nothing to grab onto . From far away you can't notice it because it's clear.


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plax
11-11-2013, 02:36 PM
You just measure it to the sides & front of the cage drill two hole along side bars and use small plastic ties to attach to cage. I do a lot less sweeping now.My guys would sever the tie-wraps in a heartbeat! I would have to drill small holes in the cage frames and use metal screws through the sheets instead. It's a great idea though :). I actually mount sheets of plexiglass on (or hang them from) my walls where the cages are near them. That doesn't do a thing to stop scatter, but it keeps the walls from getting spattered ;)

Pat 621
11-11-2013, 02:40 PM
Yeah Max knocked of a few of them in the beginning but I just replace them . Now she is tired of them and leaves them alone. Like when they get tired of a toy.


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plax
11-11-2013, 02:44 PM
Yeah Max knocked of a few of them in the beginning but I just replace them . Now she is tired of them and leaves them alone. Like when they get tired of a toy.For birds that aren't as apt to get bored with snapping or cutting through objects, the small holes with the screws should solve the problem nicely.

Pinkbirdy
11-11-2013, 06:15 PM
A girl on another forum .Just lost her Zon to a dog accident :(

plax
11-11-2013, 06:37 PM
A girl on another forum .Just lost her Zon to a dog accident :(That's so tragic :'(. Accidents can and do happen... but some bird guardians dramatically increase the probability of them occurring through their ignorance and stubbornness :(