Liver Disease/Fatty Liver
From: AvianWeb.com
Liver disease is a slow, on-going progressive disease where the liver tissue is replaced with fat. When the liver disease has progressed, the bird may suddenly appear ill.
Females appear to be more affected than males; this may be linked to the hormonal activities in the reproductive hen. Also juvenile birds may be diagnosed with this disease. This usually happens in hand-feeding birds that are either continuously overfed or hand-fed long after they should have been weaned. Handfeeding formulas are calorie-dense and baby birds tend to be sedentary. Any extra calories tend to end up being stored as fat in the liver. This most often is seen in cockatoos as they tend to beg even after satiated.
Chlorophyll-rich foods: Wheat- or barley-grass juice powder, along with chlorella and spirulina, or wild blue-green algae have in numerous cases proven to be helpful in clearing up a sluggish liver.