Cloacal (Vent) Prolapse in Birds: A Vet’s 2025 Guide 🐦🩺

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc – avian veterinarian & founder of Ask A Vet 🩺🐾

Cloacal prolapse—where rectum, oviduct, or intestines protrude through the vent—is a medical emergency. Prompt veterinary care reduces trauma, infection, and long-term damage. This 2025 guide walks you through:

• 🚩 Signs to look for and early detection
• 🛟 Emergency first-aid and immediate veterinary steps
• 🔄 Manual reduction, suturing, and medical stabilization
• 🔍 Identifying root causes to prevent recurrence
• 🔧 Surgical solutions—ventplasty, cloacopexy, cloacoplasty
• 📆 Behavioral/hormonal management aftercare
• 📱 When to call Ask A Vet or visit your avian vet

1. 🚨 Recognizing Cloacal Prolapse

Birds may present with straining, blood-streaked droppings, discomfort, feather plucking around the vent, or visible protrusion of tissue—often intestines or reproductive organs ([turn0search0], [turn0search1], [turn0search3]‌).

2. 🔧 Emergency First-Aid & Veterinary Stabilization

• Keep the tissue moist with sterile saline or water-based lubricant—avoid dryness ([turn0search4]).
• Warm the bird and begin fluid therapy—many prolapse cases involve dehydration and hypothermia ([turn0search0]).
• Stabilize with antibiotics, pain relief, oxygen, and heat before attempting prolapse reduction ([turn0search0]).

3. 🩹 Reduction & Temporary Suturing

Under anesthesia and with lubricant, the prolapse is reversed anatomically (“like turning a sock inside-out”) ([turn0search4]). Then they apply simple interrupted or mattress sutures to keep tissue in place without blocking droppings ([turn0search4], [turn0search5]).

4. 🔍 Diagnosing & Treating Underlying Causes

Recurrence is common without addressing root factors. Investigation should include:

• Bloodwork and fecal exams—parasites, infections ([turn0search0], [turn0search2])
• Radiographs—look for eggs, tumors, cloacoliths ([turn0search0], [turn0search2])
• Behavior/reproductive review—for egg laying, hormonal straining ([turn0search2], [turn0search4])

5. 🧬 Hormonal & Behavioral Management

In chronic egg layers and hormonally driven birds, behavior modification is essential:

• Avoid excessive petting, head-down feeding, or nest cues ([turn0search2]).
• Use hormonal injections—leuprolide or HCG—to stop egg-laying cycles ([turn0search4]).
• Environmental changes: remove nesting materials and reduce daylight hours.

6. 🛠 Surgical Options for Chronic Cases

When prolapse recurs, surgical correction can provide lasting relief:

• Asymmetrical cloacoplasty: excise part of vent edge—shown effective for cockatoos and African greys ([turn0search6], [turn0search14]).
• Cloacopexy (percutaneous or internal): anchor the cloaca to body wall temporarily or permanently ([turn0search12], [turn0search14]).
• Ventplasty: surgically reduce vent size to prevent re-eversion ([turn0search12], [turn0search14]).
• Oviduct removal (salpingohysterectomy): last-resort for severe reproductive prolapse ([turn0search4]).

7. 🗓️ Aftercare & Prevention

• Sutures should stay at least 48 hours; avoid purse-string methods ([turn0search4]).
• Maintain antibiotics, NSAIDs (meloxicam 0.2–0.5 mg/kg), stool softeners (lactulose 200 mg/kg), and hydration ([turn0search4]).
• Follow-up imaging if masses or reproductive issues were suspected.
• Ensure no triggers—nutrition, behavior, or hormonal cycles—to prevent relapse ([turn0search2],[turn0search4]).

8. 🧠 Quick Reference Table

9. 📱 When to Use Ask A Vet

• Send real-time photos or video of the prolapse and bird’s behavior.
• Get guided advice on first-aid steps and whether to wait or seek emergency care.
• Review suture methods, medication dosing, and behavioral strategies.
• Coordinate follow-up testing, imaging, or surgical referrals.

🧡 Final Takeaways

• Cloacal prolapse is an urgent and potentially life-threatening condition.
• Immediate care—lubrication, stabilization, and reduction—is critical.
• Understanding the underlying cause is key to preventing recurrence.
• Advanced surgery offers long-term solutions for chronic cases.
• Careful aftercare and behavior adjustments improve outcomes.
• Ask A Vet provides rapid support for crisis, diagnostics, and treatment plans.

If your bird shows straining, vent protrusion, or blood in droppings, seek help immediately. Contact your avian vet or use the Ask A Vet app for fast support. Early intervention makes all the difference—here’s to healthier vents and happier birds in 2025! 🐾