Meds for Breathing Problems help???

When I was given Zilla September 24th she came with some medication they said I would only need if I ignored her and she got upset about not getting enough attention.

DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE 10MG/ML SUSPENTION

I was told to watch her, but if I didn't ignore her she wouldn't need the meds.

She gets tons of attention! I am home all day everyday and she is out with me 80% of the day and really only locked in her cage at night while I'm sleeping or if I have to leave.

She is acting fine, eating normally, and sleeping her normal amount of time throughout the day, chattering, calling me when I'm out of sight, etc.

About an hour ago I noticed her tail is "bobbing" and her chest is moving a lot when she is breathing.

I got her in a towel and gave her the meds (I think I got most of it in her) but so far they don't seem to be helping.

She is still eating and chattering at me, but her tail is still "bobbing" and her chest is still "heaving"

The only thing she had today that she hasn't had before is beet root and the manu mineral block.

The only avian vet is closed already! Should I give another dose of the meds or wait and watch her longer?

Amanda, this is one of those proverbial rocks & hard-places that we sometimes find ourselves under.....I don't know if there are any vet techs in the membership (there used to be), but even then, they might refrain from offering any suggestions because of the liability potential.....

Do you know exactly what the medication was prescribed for...some are OK to double up on, while others are not.....

I know you're a recently returned parront & probably don't have a familiar rapport with your avian vet & that you are playing catch-up on Zilla's condition.....I think I might be inclined to try contacting Zilla's medicating veterinarian (if that's not the one you're using) and discuss your current concerns, although that vet may not really have a history on Zilla.....

I'm sorry I don't have any better answers for you.....

Weco,

I have left messages for the vet I took her to and for the prescribing vet, but as they are closed for the night I doubt I will hear back until tomorrow morning.

I was told by the previous owners that she will do this occasionally if she is feeling "neglected" or "ignored" and I should give her the meds as prescribed on the bottle and she will "snap" out of it.

She should not be feeling either of those things! I just had 2 days off that I spent all of about 3 hours with her. I am home all day, my office is about 4 feet from her cage and we "chat" all day and eat at least 2 meals together every day. I make sure I let her have "her" time and let her nap when she wants, but she is hardly ever alone.

I googled the medication and it says it's an antibiotic prescribed for infections!

I gave it to her at approx. 7pm and it's now 8:45pm and she has gotten no better, possibly even gotten a tiny bit worse.

At this point all I can do is watch her closely and hope she gets better. If she gets any worse I will be forced to take her to a 24 hour emergency vet and hope they have someone who knows about birds. I'm not overly confident about a 24 hour vet who doesn't specialize in birds.

Amanda_Bennett said:

Weco,

I have left messages for the vet I took her to and for the prescribing vet, but as they are closed for the night I doubt I will hear back until tomorrow morning.

I was told by the previous owners that she will do this occasionally if she is feeling "neglected" or "ignored" and I should give her the meds as prescribed on the bottle and she will "snap" out of it.

She should not be feeling either of those things! I just had 2 days off that I spent all of about 3 hours with her. I am home all day, my office is about 4 feet from her cage and we "chat" all day and eat at least 2 meals together every day. I make sure I let her have "her" time and let her nap when she wants, but she is hardly ever alone.

I googled the medication and it says it's an antibiotic prescribed for infections!

I gave it to her at approx. 7pm and it's now 8:45pm and she has gotten no better, possibly even gotten a tiny bit worse.

At this point all I can do is watch her closely and hope she gets better. If she gets any worse I will be forced to take her to a 24 hour emergency vet and hope they have someone who knows about birds. I'm not overly confident about a 24 hour vet who doesn't specialize in birds.

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Yep, that stuff is on par with tetracycline, but sounds like Zilla's having respiratory problems & if that's the case emotional/attention problems don't sound right and what you were told about an administration cycle sure doesn't sound right.....just my thoughts, but yes, weekends & after hours are the pits when you need answers ASAP.....

Offhand it sounds like the prescribed medication was not originally finished & the original owner(s) just were not interested in Zilla anymore...I really don't think the neglect/ignored information is the right story here, though I could be wrong.....

Did you mention to the examing vet that she had meds? If so, I am surprised he/she did not give you more info on the drugs or tell you to continue or stop if Zilla was healthy. I have never heard of a bird getting drugs for emotional issues. I am surprised as well that your vet does not have somebody on call or an answering service in case of emergencies after hours.

I hope all goes well for the both of you because I think there is more to Zilla's history than you were told.

How is Zilla this morning, Amanda???

I spent all night watching her and calling every vet I could get a number for who said they were a 24 hour emergency vet. The avian vet has a "backup" vet and I called them. I was told they didn't have anyone on duty who sees birds last night. How is that a backup for after hours emergencies???

It was the same thing everywhere I called. No one on duty who sees birds! I live on the outskirts of the biggest city in Oregon, how can there be no emergency bird vet on duty??? It's not like I live in a tiny town far away from everything.

They all told me to just cover her cage and keep the house warm and get her in as soon as I can this morning.

She started "squeaking" and her chest was really heaving hard most of the night.

She seems better this morning. No "squeaking" and less chest heaving. She is eating, even begged for her breakfast.

If I had had the meds when I took her to the vet I would have brought them with me. They weren't given to me until 3 days after I had been given her and I had her at the vet the day after I got her. So the vet didn't know she had been on meds at the time we were there.

I'm so beyond mad, upset and scared right now! How could someone not care at least enough to make sure the person they gave her to had all the information and medications they would need to take care of Zilla? I would have still taken her, even if they had told me she was on meds.

I can't stop crying, I'm so scared for her. I may have only had her for a short time, but I love her like I've had her forever.

I will be calling the vet at 9am the minute they open and I hope she is working today. I know the office is open, but she only works every other Saturday. I hope today is one she is working.

Bless your heart, Amanda! Please know that you are doing everything you can possibly do! It is SO very obvious how much you love your gorgeous Zilla.

I'm relieved to read she's breathing better, and hopeful that whatever she has can now be treated properly when you get her to the vet.

You and Zilla are in my thoughts, please keep us posted, ok?

HUGS to you....take a deep breath.

I asked the questions not knowing when you received them. If you mentioned it on a different thread I apologize for missing it. I hope Zilla gets the proper diagnosis.

Thanks JerseyWendy.

I'm just so scared and frustrated. I know she hasn't had the best life and I am trying to do what I can to give her a better one.

I'm so glad she stopped the "squeaking" but she is still having a hard time breathing.

I think it's a good sign she is eating well, even begging for her breakfast. She has also been drinking a little water. Her poo looks like it always does, so that hasn't changed. Her vent is clean, eyes are clear and bright, cere is clear as far as I can tell. She is sneezing more and harder, but still no discharge. And she is still interacting with me and chattering with me like she always does in the mornings.

She does "eyeball" my hands to make sure I don't have a towel in one everytime I go close to her cage. I think after having to give her the meds last night I broke the trust we were building. That breaks my heart as much as her being sick.

It's only 6:55am here so I still have a couple hours until I can call and get her in. I just hope they can do something and she will get better so I can make her a happy birdie again.

I will keep you posted about her and what the vet says. I also might just have to give her original owners a piece of my mind! They did sell a B&G a couple weeks before they gave Zilla away. I found out they had tried to sell Zilla but had no takers so they gave her to the person who gave her to me. And I know they still have 4 cockatiels they said they are going to keep.

Aw, I hope Zilla is ok! I'm sure she will be- Zons are hearty birds and very resilient! And know, it is NOTHING you are doing. Antibiotics do not treat behavior problems like "feeling ignored" (nor do vets typically prescribe them to give to a bird "whenever").

Curious if whatever she has was exacerbated by all the temperature fluctuations in the past week? So annoying, it was all rainy and chilly the first part of the week, and yesterday, it was HOT again. Thats a lot of variance for a birdie to take! Heck, even I've been feeling off! Kiwi always gets slightly more lethargic than usual when the seasons change (he did in AZ too) before he adjusts (and bounces back).

I have talked extensively with the vet techs at the avian vet hospital and given them all the info I have on her and how she was acting last night and what has changed since then. They have been super nice and have gone out of their way to help me as much as they can over the phone.

They won't have a vet in until 8pm tonight who can see her and we are of the mind if I am going to take her to someone it should be someone who deals with birds and their health issues and not just some vet who says they see birds.

I made contact with the vet who has seen her previously (the one who prescribed the meds and they were very snotty and uncooperative if I do say so) They won't release any of her information without a consent form from the previous owners!

So far this morning Zilla is being almost like herself. She is bright and active, eating and drinking, preening herself. Just a lot of chest movement and her tail is still pointing strait down and "bobbing" a lot when she breaths, and sneezing is getting louder and more frequent, but still no discharge.

I am keeping the living room super warm, like 82 or 83 degrees and sweating my butt off, but she seems to like it and the vet techs said it would be good for her to have it warm like this. She doesn't like her cage being covered during the day and won't eat or drink if I cover it even partially so I have the cover off, but I think it's warm enough she should be OK. She is doing a LOT more itching and feather adjusting than she normally does, maybe because of the warmth of the room?

What kind of heater do you have? Is it by chance blowing out some dust that may make her sneeze? Dry sneezes are often allergies (obviously, she still needs to see a vet). Just a thought!

The heater in the living room is a "Cadet" heater. Just a box in the wall that blows air across a heating element.

Just got a call through to the original owners of Zilla and they said they told the guy they gave her to that she has a history of respiratory infections and tends to get one every year! That is NOT what he told me at all.

They wrote out a release for me to get her medical records from all 4 vets they have taken her to over the last 6 years that they had her. None of which were "avian" vets.

Also found out she was originally owned by a guy who was in and out of prison/jail and Zilla was being "bounced" around her whole life. The most stable home she ever had was with them for the last 6 years! The guy who gave her to me hadn't even told them he had given her away!

I'm going to try to get the most recent vet she went to to give me her records today before I take her in this evening so my vet will have some sort of history to go by.