Zebra Finch

Clinical context for zebra finch dosing

Avian metabolism differs sharply from mammals — most antibiotic and analgesic doses are extrapolated from psittaciform PK studies, scaled by metabolic body weight rather than linear weight. Renal portal anatomy makes IM dosing in pelvic-limb muscles unreliable for some classes; pectoral injection is the convention. Watch for species-specific toxicities (e.g. doxycycline in some passerines, fluoroquinolone-induced arthropathy in juveniles).