Max Laid an Egg!

One of the first things you'll notice when you come to VACC is our mascot, Max.  She is a blue and gold macaw and last week she was not acting quite right.  Dr. Burns ordered some x-rays, and this is what we saw:

Max has a history of egg binding, a condition where the bird is unable to pass the egg.  Egg binding is serious and often fatal, so we watched Max closely for symptoms. We suspected that she may have an egg because she was shredding the paper at the bottom of her cage more than usual.  In addition to this normal nesting behavior an egg bound bird may exhibit labored breathing, straining, ruffled-looking feathers, abdominal swelling, constipation, and sitting on the floor of the cage.  Any bird showing these symptoms should immediately see a veterinarian.
Fortunately, Max was not egg bound this time. A few hours after the above x-ray was taken, she passed the egg with no problems and a second egg came 3 days later!