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Meet Dr. Hugues Beaufrère

Published Jan 4, 2016

January 5 is National Bird Day, and we’re celebrating by sitting down with the Chief of the Avian and Exotic Service here at Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) to learn all about birds  
 

Hugues Beaufrère became interested in birds during his childhood. His father was a falconer in France, and encouraged his love of birds from a young age. Today, Beaufrère is the Chief of the Avian and Exotic Medicine Service at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and one of the only board-certified specialists in zoological medicine in Ontario.

PHOTO: Dr. Hugues Beaufrère with an Accipiter gentilis, or a Northern Goshawk, a bird of prey in the French countryside near Herisson, France.
 

The Avian and Exotic Service at OVC books more than 1,000 patient appointments per year. The service has a small team comprised of an intern, resident, registered veterinary technician and chief. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students also complete a two-week elective rotation on the service as part of their clinical program. Beaufrère’s resident, Dr. Delphine Laniesse, is currently conducting an OVC Pet Trust-funded project studying pain management in parrots. Laniesse is enrolled in one of only two avian veterinary specialty residences in Canada.

Forty per cent, approximately 400 annual visits, to the Avian and Exotic Service at OVC are birds; 80 to 90 per cent of bird visits belong to the parrot family – this includes the African Grey parrot, cockatoos, macaws, parakeets, cockatiels and many more.

There are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, far greater than the number of mammals, which is estimated at approximately 5,500 globally.

Beaufrère says the human-animal bond between owners and their birds is often strong. Depending on the species, some companion birds can live to more than 50 years of age. “Time together affects the human-animal bond, and it is understandable why owners can have a deep relationship with their parrot– I’ve treated birds that have been older than me, which is certainly a strange feeling,” Beaufrère jokes.

He believes benefits birds can provide to humans include communication, connection and care.

PHOTO: Dr. Delphine Laniesse with a green-winged macaw (Ara chloroptera). Some large parrots are anesthetized for nail and beak trimming when there is significant beak overgrowth. The beak is a well-innervated sensitive structure and beak trims may be painful for the bird. However, most health checks and grooming are conducted under conscious sedation only.
 
“Birds are highly intelligent creatures, and are able to communicate with their owners in a variety of different ways. They can also fulfill emotional needs for people,” Beaufrère says. “While they do require care, they do not require a lot of space, in comparison to a high-energy dog needing walks every day. Since birds can live in an apartment, urbanization has led to increased popularity of birds and pocket pets as well".
 
While the vast majority of patients are in the parrot family, OVC treats a variety of bird species – from a canary who weighs 20 grams, to a golden eagle weighing about four kilograms. It’s no wonder Beaufrère says that variety is one of his favourite parts of the job. Different types of birds contract different diseases and infections; differences in anatomy also means variation in treatments and procedure options.
 
The services sees birds in need of simple or routine health checks to more complicated cases that require surgical intervention.  Soft tissue and orthopedic surgery are the two main types of surgery in birds. Soft tissue surgeries performed regularly at OVC include tumour removals and reproductive procedures. Recently, Beaufrère fit a parrot with a temporary prosthesis for the upper beak.

 

“Most avian surgery is advanced and requires specialized, miniature equipment due to the fact that most birds are very small,” Beaufrère explains. “There is not a lot of working space in their abdomen, and it is possible to cause damage if you’re not extremely careful. Blood loss and tissue damage are very destructive risks of any surgical procedure on a bird.” For example, for certain types of birds, loss of blood during surgery can be extremely risky, and Beaufrère says for some species losing more than only a few drops can impact survival.
 
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PHOTO: An African Grey parrot visits the OVC 
 
Minimally invasive procedures (MIP) on birds is a relatively new area, but the service is able to train and practice with MIP equipment donated to OVC by Hagen Avicultural Research Institute (HARI) last year. Whenever a minimally invasive procedure is feasible it is considered, however the anatomy of the bird often determines treatment, Beaufrère explains.
 
Surgical precision is critical to achieving positive results, particularly in orthopedic surgeries involving a broken wing bone. When orthopedic surgery on a dog, cat or other animals may not have a perfect outcome, typically it may still be able to walk, perhaps with a limp. However, when birds break a wing, if surgical fixation is not 100 per cent flawless, they will usually not be able to fly at all. Small bones and the requirement of lighter metal materials so the bird can bear the weight of the fixation materials are added challenges.
 
While OVC Pet Trust has funded several studies to specifically help improve the health of companion birds, the service will also benefit from Pet Trust’s latest effort to raise $9-million to create new surgery and anesthesia facilities at OVC.  “We work closely with the surgical and anesthesia team whenever a bird in our care requires surgery,” says Beaufrère. “Our service operates within the hospital facilities; we wouldn’t be able to deliver the best medicine to our patients without the collaboration between our service and other veterinary specialists here at OVC. New facilities will help our avian patients as well as many others.”
 
To learn more about OVC’s Avian & Exotic Service, visit their website or Facebook page.
 
Read about OVC Pet Trust’s $9-million fundraising campaign at OVC here.
 
Get Social! Connect with OVC Pet Trust on Facebook and Twitter @OVCPetTrust