How is PDD diagnosed?
• Why can’t my vet tell me if my bird has PDD or not? • Are there any tests available to detect PDD? • How accurate are they? A presumptive diagnosis of PDD is based on historical information, clinical signs, and radiographic evidence of proventricular dilatation or dysfunction. Confirming that a living bird has PDD is difficult. Biopsy of the ventriculus or proventriculus can be used to diagnose the disease. However, obtaining a biopsy sample from these organs is invasive and dangerous. In some birds, biopsy of the crop can be used to diagnose the disease. – Dr Branson W. Ritchie, 2000 AAV presentation Veterinarians often rely on the evidence of symptoms to establish a suspicion of the presence of PDD, rather than its diagnosis. They may recommend testing that will help confirm clinical signs, but existing tests may not produce conclusive results. The only definitive test that is available on a living bird is a biopsy of the gastrointestinal tract usually via the crop. If tissue is ta
