Back from the Vet Again!!!

Because Zilla had hardly eaten much all day and her poo wasn't getting any better the vet wanted to see her this afternoon, or I would rather be safe than sorry.

By the time we got there and got into a room she was acting totally fine. Not stressed out, just wanted out of the carrier and to have her head scratched!

While she was playing at shredding some paper towels on the steel table (we were waiting for a fresh poo sample) she had another episode like she had the other day (the one we all chocked up to her regurgitating for Simon and laughed off) Thank God the vet was still in the room to see it for herself!

The vet thinks she is having little mini seizures!!!! She had about 5 of them in the span of about 8 minutes or so, she never lost her balance or consciousness, but it was super scary as soon as the vet told me what she thought was happening! And then she was super sleepy and even fell asleep right there on the table on my finger.

As soon as they thought she was going to be OK they drew blood for some tests and sent us home. Said to watch her close and keep her warm. Didn't want to start any new meds until we know what is in the blood work. We just had blood work done last week and there was nothing wrong (except the infection we were already treating), I had blood work done the day after I got her and they found nothing. So this is the 3rd time since Sept 24th we are doing blood work! I know we are testing for different things, but it seems like a lot of blood for a 350 gram bird to be losing in such a short time.

I'm taking her to the only licensed avian vet in the state. I have heard nothing but good things about her.

Dr. didn't sugar coat anything for me, she gave it to me strait, but with compassion. It could be any number of several things. It could be treatable with meds or diet, or it could be something we can't do anything about except keep her as happy as possible for as long as possible and then have to put her to sleep.

When we got home she ate a good meal and played for about 20 minutes and put herself to bed! The last 2 nights she has been putting herself to bed by about 6:20 or so. She used to wait until about 8:15 to 8:30 before going to bed. I told the Dr. this and she didn't have an answer unless she is having more mini seizures than I have seen, if that's the case then she would be more tired than normal.

I'm so scared for her and worried she will have more seizures and I won't be able to help her.

Cross your fingers & toes, pray, whatever it is we all do to send good vibes Zilla's way. She needs all the help she can get right now. (I could use a couple too, I'm a basket case right now)

O no I hope the vet is just overreacting. I think Zilla will be fine. Hopefully it's just something minor.

I'm sorry Amanda I hope the blood tests can help to give an idea as to what is causing the seizures! Best wishes and prayers your way

Our pug Chug has seizures. His started late last year, they last for 2 - 5 minutes, he doesn't loose conscience but his whole body tightens up and he struggles to gain control. I recorded his seizure and took it to the vet when I took Chug and I timed it to give that to the vet too. From watching Chug, his seem to come on with stress like getting excited to go somewhere, running after my, it's mostly excitement for him. When he starts to seize I talk to him calmly, pet him gently saying positive things like "you are a good boy" and keep the same tone, even talking to others like husband but in the same, calm tone.

The vet gave Chug meds but for the most part, doing what I described works for Chug and he is very lethargic after a seizure so I have a pet bed in each room, Chug likes being close to me so he will go to the nearest bed and lay down, typically go to sleep. In my words seizures are unique to every creature and human. We have a nephew who was diagnosed in January of this year. His seem to trigger with excitement and nervousness so we try to keep stimulus low for him. I do the same for Chug.

Listen to your vet but if you see Zilla seizing, try talking softly and stay close. If he'll let you touch him, do what he likes, like rub his head or scratch. Also think back to when these were first noticed and think of things he may have been in contact with like metals, foods, water, air, like a new A/C filter etc. take those to your vet so they can evaluate, sounds like you have a good one. I hope everything works out.

Prayers.....for you and zilla :-( what does she do that looks like a seizure?

Amanda, I'm so sorry you and Zilla are going through this. It sounds like Zilla's vet is being extremely thorough and that's always good. Hopefully the blood tests will give you an exact cause of the mini seizures and it will be temporary and treatable. Big hugs, best wishes, and all kinds of good vibes for you and Sweet Zilla.

She is fine this morning. She dived into breakfast with her usual "gusto" and made all her happy birdie sounds while eating all the "goodies" she found in her dish! She slept fine all night, me on the other hand slept very little. I tried going to my own bed (opposite end of an 1100 square foot apartment) and ended up startling awake every time I dozed off, so I grabbed a blanket and slept (dozed) in my recliner by her cage. All I could have done is talk to her and scratch her head/neck since she isn't a huggie/snugglie bird, but I would have done that all night if it helped her.

The vet is testing for metal poisoning, since her old cage was so old and super rusty. I got her out of it as soon as I could, but she may have ingested some of the rust while climbing around in it before I got her new cage. Also doing some research to see of this may be a side effect of the meds she has been on, but the usual side effects are diarrhea and yeast infections. We agreed to stop the meds since she only had 3 doses left. She is testing for other things too, but I was so upset I don't remember what.

To best describe what she is doing while having these "mini seizures" is... squatting down on both feet (almost looks like she is going to poo), tensing up her whole body and kind of shaking/shivering, putting her head down by her feet at a weird angle kind of upside down but turned up a little bit, and her eyes pin and flash, then she makes a very weird noise I can't even describe, then stands up shakes and fluffs and is fine. She seems to do this 5 or 6 times in about 7 or 8 minutes and they only last about 2 to 4 seconds each. She did this about 3 days ago to a lesser extent, and then last night. Neither time did she seem stressed or excited. 3 days ago when it happened she had been just doing her normal "chattering" in the late afternoon, yesterday late afternoon (at the vets office) she was playing with paper towels and my fingers, didn't seem the least bit fazed that we were even at the vets again.

I just feel so inadequate and helpless Like she deserves a better mommy who knows more than I do and can do more for her than I can.

Amanda, I think you are the perfect Mommy for Zilla. You are doing absolutely everything you can for her, and you love her. Please don't be so hard on yourself, she is lucky to have you
I am sending healing wishes and prayers that this is going to be something simple, and fixable. No matter what, I am glad that she has you there with her to face whatever happens.

No you are an excellent mommy to Zilla! Please remember that . You are doing everything you can. There is no one who could do any better in this circumstance.

Hoping the tests will find the root to the seizures. Hang in there Amanda, I know it's really hard to do!

Amanda, let me join everyone else to say, you are the best possible mommy for Zilla. Please try hard not to doubt yourself, you are doing everything possible to help her. I know how scary it is, but Zilla needs you to be strong to help her through this. The vet had to tell you the worst possibilities, but there's still an excellent chance that she can be treated and recover completely. We're here for you and with you no matter what the future holds.

You are doing what you can. Being there, being trusted and soothing are some of the greatest comforts and biggest "medicine".