ABSTRACT
Birds are animals with a fast metabolism, high body temperature and a relatively big surface area in comparison to their body weight, which favors heat loss. In addition, most birds are prey animals and hide symptoms of disease for as long as possible. As a result, birds presenting to the veterinarian are often already compromised. Most clearly sick birds are at least 5–10% dehydrated. In addition to dehydration (which can lead to hypovolemia and acute renal failure), hypothermia, hypoglycemia and hypoxia are often life-threatening. Sick birds often have an urgent need for heat, fluids, nutrition and oxygen because of these factors. In many cases, sick birds presented as emergency patients can be stabilized by meeting these needs. This indicates that in events of illness of unknown cause, sufficient time can often be gained by providing heat, fluids, nutrition and oxygen, so that the patient can be safely examined more thoroughly or be referred to an avian veterinarian later on.
