My bird was caught by dog, breathing hard. Is he internally injured?

Question

My bird jumped out of the cage tonight and was chased and caught by our dog. He has no external injuries but missing feathers but has been breathing slightly harder since. Is this something to be worried about? He has ate and drank. Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male

Rebeccah Wood · Accepted Answer

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about Elliot's mishap! As a bird and dog owner myself, I know how these things can happen in the blink of an eye. I'm glad to hear the Elliott does not have any external injuries, however we do get concerned with birds having internal injuries when they've had a traumatic incident. It is possible that Elliot is simply stressed from the ordeal and is recovering, but there is also the possibility that he has some soft tissue injuries (like bruising) over his chest, which would make it painful for him to breathe. Birds do not breathe with a diaphragm like other animals do - they breathe solely using the muscles over their chest and ribs, so if those muscles are painful, it could make Elliott want to take faster, shorter breaths. The fact that he is still eating and drinking makes me feel that this is not a severe internal injury as birds that are severely injured often do not care to do this. Of course, without a full physical exam and potentially x-rays, there is no way that I could say Elliott is in the clear for sure. If he were my bird, I would continue to monitor him carefully over the next 4 to 8 hours, and if there is no improvement in his breathing, or if anything changes for the worse (he stops eating, becomes ruffled even when awake, or appears lethargic), you should get him to the vet right away - preferably, a veterinarian that is comfortable with birds or an avian-specific vet. I hope that Elliot does well and feels better soon!

My bird was caught by dog, breathing hard. Is he internally injured?

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