Will canary pox affects Lovebird?

Canary pox is a dreadful disease because the affected lovebirds will show 80% mortality. Some may get escaped from the disease but may act as carrier during lifetime.

The symptoms of canary pox in lovebirds include skin lesions around featherless areas of the head, particularly the eyelids. Small nodules and scabs may be seen which in severe cases may result in a lot of swelling and inflammation.

The virus needs a break in healthy skin to start an infection; this may be a small wound or the result of some insect bite where the insect can transmit the infection from bird to bird. Insect transmission is probably a major factor for birds in outdoor aviaries.

In most cases, these cutaneous forms of pox are self-limiting and the birds will recover with only some residual scarring. There is also a more aggressive form of the disease which involves the upper respiratory tract; in these cases the infection may result in the death of the bird due to swelling and inflammation of the breathing passages.

Treatment can be performed by vaccination against pox, which is readily available in the open market.