Cats and Birds information on net.

I have two four-year-old female cockatiels. I know that they can lay eggs without having had contact with a male bird. One of ours did recently, but we can't tell which one. What should I do about this egg? Will they lay more?

Normally birds that are breeding will produce a few clutches (groups of eggs) to hatch per year, according to Tracey Ritzman, D.V.M., an avian and exotics specialist at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, a division of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Female birds can also produce eggs without a male bird for various reasons. These eggs are infertile and will not hatch.

Female cockatiels that constantly lay eggs during the year and are not paired for breeding are often termed "chronic egg layers." Excessive egg production can cause the bird to deplete her calcium stores, use extra energy, and predispose her to complications such as egg binding, a life-threatening condition in which the egg fails to move down the reproductive tract at a normal rate.

If your pet cockatiel is producing eggs throughout the year, she may be producing too many. Try changing her environment to help her reduce egg production.

Factors that influence egg production include the age of the bird, lighting, season, climate, and day length. Make sure light cycles are not too long, since longer cycles increase reproductive behavior. The presence of a nest box or interaction with another bird, a human, or even a toy that the bird bonds with may also stimulate egg production. Provide plenty of supervised time out of the cage when possible.

It's also important to prevent nutritional deficiencies that may lead to problems. Pet birds on seed-based diets often lack adequate levels of calcium and other vitamins and minerals important for normal egg production.

My six-year-old mixed-breed dog has had difficulty walking lately. Occasionally her leg will swing out to the side and seem stiff. Her vet said she has a luxating patella. What causes this, and can it be corrected?

The patella, or kneecap, is a floating bone within the tendon of the quadriceps muscle group. The large tendon runs over the end of the femur, or thighbone, and attaches to the front of the tibia, or shinbone. The quadriceps is a powerful muscle group that extends the knee joint when it contracts. The patella protects the tendon at the point where it connects to the end of the femur, and provides a greater gliding surface for the tendon.

# posted by Medical Information : 10:54 PM