DEAR JOAN: After enjoying your column about the crows being fed in a neighborhood, it reminded me of the same problem we have in our neighborhood, with crows flocking to eat cat food and peanuts, and the subsequent aftermath of white spots all over the sidewalks.
Now that the avian flu has come to Northern California, should we be worried about (the droppings) getting on our shoes and our dogs’ feet and bringing that into our homes? Will it make our animals sick also? I have seen a change in these crows. Their plumage has become motley, and there are white patches on their feathers. What is this?
I wish I could tell my neighbor not to feed these birds. I know she feels she has good intentions, but it seems she’s spreading a disease.
Ellen Harris, Oakland
DEAR ELLEN: Avian flu, which has now been detected in the Bay Area, is highly contagious, but is unlikely to spread to humans or pets like dogs or cats. We can, however, unwittingly be a vector for the disease, if we aren’t careful.
The birds greatest at risk are waterfowl and poultry. A flock of backyard chickens in Contra Costa recently was discovered with bird flu. Experts recommend that if you come in contact with birds, including walking through droppings, that you clean your shoes, wash your hands and change your clothes.
Birds infected with avian flu often exhibit symptoms such as breathing trouble, a clear runny discharge, lethargy, decreased food and water intake, swelling of the eyes, head, wattles or combs, and mobility issues, such as stumbling or falling.
The disheveled appearance of the crows is most likely because they are molting. Many of their feathers need to replaced once a year, usually at the end of nesting season.
DEAR JOAN: I moved just two miles from my old place. The neighborhood squirrels here have long tails without a lot of fur on them. Is this normal?
Steve Castain, Los Altos
DEAR STEVE: It’s sort of normal, but perhaps not in the way you might think.
The squirrels most likely were born with nice fluffy tails that only grew more magnificent as they got older. Then they ran into a little problem — either mange or a fungal disease.
Mange is a skin ailment caused by mites. It can affect both wild and domesticated animals with fur or hair. In squirrels, notoedric mange is generally the most common type, and is often seen among Western gray, Eastern gray and fox squirrels and more rarely in bobcats.
Squirrels with mange suffer hair loss and dry, flaky skin. It can be more severe in squirrels that are stressed and have weakened immune systems and poor nutrition. It is easily spread among squirrels living in close contact, which would explain why you’re seeing a few in your new neighborhood.
Most hair loss in squirrels is caused by fungal diseases, but those are more prevalent at wetter times of the year.
Neither of these conditions are fatal in otherwise healthy squirrels, although in severe cases during the winter, the animal can suffer hypothermia. If they become too weak to feed, they can die of starvation, and sick animals often are targeted by predators.
Contact Joan Morris at jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com