How to Diagnose Encephalitis in an Emu

Spread by infected mosquitoes, encephalitis can have a deadly effect on a flock of emus. These large flightless birds in the ratite family are prone to many strains of encephalitis including Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). Because each causes swelling in the brain, diagnosing a sick bird is similar no matter which form of the neurological disorder they've contracted.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Take note of food intake. Like most animals, when an emu is sick, the first and most obvious sign is refusing to eat or drink. In cases of encephalitis, emus may show more severe signs rapidly before you've noticed a change in their eating habits.
2. View them during bowel movements. Diarrhea in an emu has many causes and encephalitis is among them. In these cases, however, diarrhea tends to be bloody and may accompany blood-tinged vomiting as well.
3. Know your flock. Illness often causes changes in an emu's personality. If you know your birds well, then you will notice things like sudden depression or listlessness, which may indicate they're suffering from encephalitis.
4. Watch for lack of muscle coordination. Because encephalitis causes swelling in the brain, neurological problems aren't uncommon. This may include birds that have a problem walking or remaining standing. If you notice emus lurching while walking, frequently stumbling or falling down often, one of the forms of encephalitis could be the cause.
5. Be on the lookout for advanced signs of illness. As encephalitis progresses, a severely ill emu becomes weakened and may eventually collapse and refuse to rise again. If you've missed the previous signs that a bird is potentially suffering from encephalitis, this symptom may indicate it's too late to save the bird. Although infected birds can survive encephalitis, mortality rates in unvaccinated flocks can rise significantly.
6. Diagnose post mortem. If you have a sudden death in your flock or have not already confirmed your birds are suffering from some form of encephalitis, a blood test may find telltale signs of these diseases. Labs can also perform blood tests on living animals to confirm disease in unvaccinated emus. Birds already deceased may also have their brain tissue tested to better confirm what form of encephalitis killed them.

Tips & Warnings

• Equine vaccines are currently available for EEE, WEE and WNV that farmers have used on emus. There's currently not a vaccine for SLE. Mortality rates are higher in unvaccinated birds, but in some cases, birds contract diseases despite vaccination.

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