Not Good News for Zilla at the Vets Yesterday!

I was so hoping yesterdays check up would be a good one, but it was horrible! Thank God my Mom drove us yesterday cause I cried all the way home!

She has 3 lumps (large enough to be felt during palpation of her abdomen) in her right secondary air sac! It a fungus! The vet explained it like if you have seen the mold on bread, that's what it's like. All the antibiotics she has been on have been for bacterial infections since she has had respiratory infections and they helped a little during the time she was on them, but did nothing to kill it. She has so much scar tissue in her air sacs the older scans weren't picking up this "mold" until yesterday when comparing the older scans to the new ones taken yesterday. And being off all antibiotics for awhile has given the mold spores time to grow.

She is now an a fungicide for a 90 day treatment regimen. 10 days on 20 days off for 90 days. I gave it to her last night with dinner and she is already feeling icky!

Then to add to her problems her kidneys are not working properly!!! She is now on a "healthy" kidney diet for the 90 days.

The Dr. says the kidney issue is more than likely due to her previous owners allowing her coffee, soda, and lots of sugary snacks. Birds don't process this stuff like we do and it basically "kills" their kidneys.

Dr. says there is no way I could have caused any of this in the short month I have had her, but I still feel like I should have known, should have done more, something.

I feel horrible for her and I can't stop crying. She is "whining" and sticking to me like Velcro, Dr. warned me this medication would make her feel icky, but I didn't expect her to feel this bad!

Poor Zilla At least it has been identified and is being treated now. You have been such a good mommy to her, and are obviously doing everything you can. I'm sure Zilla recognizes and appreciates it too! I hope her treatment goes well and that her kidneys have a chance to recover a bit on the new diet. I have to argue that those foods/drinks probably damage our kidneys too, we just have a bigger organ to damage than a tiny little parrot. Good thing she's learning to love fruit and veg now

Kiwibird said:

Poor Zilla At least it has been identified and is being treated now. You have been such a good mommy to her, and are obviously doing everything you can. I'm sure Zilla recognizes and appreciates it too! I hope her treatment goes well and that her kidneys have a chance to recover a bit on the new diet. I have to argue that those foods/drinks probably damage our kidneys too, we just have a bigger organ to damage than a tiny little parrot. Good thing she's learning to love fruit and veg now

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I think she thinks I am the meanest mommy EVER right now. The kidney diet has taken away all her favorite foods! No protein (she loves chicken & scrambled eggs) no citrus fruits (she loves oranges & grapefruits) No dark leafy greens (she loves kale & romaine) Even her pellets had to go away (the dye and protein is bad for her kidneys)

And to top it off she has to shower 3 to 4 times week and get soaking wet! She hates getting soaked! And she hates the blow dryer but I have to blow her dry!

Amanda, I am so sorry to hear this But you have been a fantastic Mom to Zilla, and are doing everything possible to get her through this. I am so thrilled that she has you in her corner. Sending prayers and best wishes that she comes through this well, and adjusts soon to her new diet. You both are in my thoughts.

You are such a good mommy.

I try so hard to be a good mommy, but I feel like the more I try to do good the more bad happens!

It's like taking 2 steps forward and then 3 steps back. Everytime I think we are getting things figured out I get more bad news and then there is more vet visits and more medications.

She has become Velcro bird since the vets office yesterday! If I leave her sight she screams for me. I am trying not to cave, I don't want to teach her bad habits, but I just want to hold and "squish" her. I know this medication is making her feel icky, the vet warned me it would, and I just want to make it all better for her, but all I can do is scratch her head and talk to her and keep shoving the icky meds down her.

I'm sorry Amanda. I'm glad that the root of the problem has been identified, and is now being treated (yay!). Your vet is right, there was nothing you could have done to cause anything in a month. Of course not. You're a good bird mom . I know she'll be okay in the end.

RavensGryf said:

I'm sorry Amanda. I'm glad that the root of the problem has been identified, and is now being treated (yay!). Your vet is right, there was nothing you could have done to cause anything in a month. Of course not. You're a good bird mom . I know she'll be okay in the end.

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I try so hard, maybe too hard sometimes, but I hope you are right and she gets through this and gets to be a happy healthy bird again.

That's all I want for her, just to be happy and healthy (well, and to love her mommy! of course)

I know... all we want is to be able to love them and have things be trouble free. I don't talk about it much, but Robin ad Raven have expensive and ongoing long term treatments too. I could not have done anything different I don't think to avoid it. Raven's long term ongoing sinus infection and subsequent problems are from a nare injury accident at the breeder. We thought it was all healed and fine when he was shipped.... Good part of a year later, nope. Got a second opinion in April and we are on to making things better finally, but takes time and will be ongoing. I can imagine what you're going through. Hang in there!

Was she having some sort of symptoms [What were they?}

so she has asper in he lungs? Poor zilla. Keeping her in my thoughts

Pinkbirdy said:

Was she having some sort of symptoms [What were they?}

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She has been having "issues" since before I got her a month ago (only they never told me anything about any health problems until after I had her for 10 days and was rushing to the emergency vet). Mainly breathing problems that were diagnosed as respiratory infections, and she would be better for several days then start having breathing issues again.

In the month I have had her we have had 2 emergency vet visits and 4 regular vet visits, and various (numerous) tests.

If you go read some of my other posts about her there are several about her "issues" and some of her new cage and office antics.

Just look at it this way, you have Zilla on the RIGHT path now and are getting her treatment. Some things just take a while to identify, but now that you have, things can only go better from here. And seeing as Zilla has a good 30+ years with you, a few weeks on meds that make her feel bad to finally get this ongoing problem under control is nothing in the grand scheme of things. At the end of it, she will feel SO much better than she has in a very long time (by the sound of it) and then the fun can really begin Zilla is SO lucky she got you as her mommy

Kiwibird said:

Just look at it this way, you have Zilla on the RIGHT path now and are getting her treatment. Some things just take a while to identify, but now that you have, things can only go better from here. And seeing as Zilla has a good 30+ years with you, a few weeks on meds that make her feel bad to finally get this ongoing problem under control is nothing in the grand scheme of things. At the end of it, she will feel SO much better than she has in a very long time (by the sound of it) and then the fun can really begin Zilla is SO lucky she got you as her mommy

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You sure have a way of helping me see the bright side of things Kiwi!

She has been so loving today! I think she knows I am trying to help her (or she is just trying to be a good girl so I don't take her to the vet again)

She has let me pet her all the way down her back anytime I wanted today, and she used to only allow it once then back away with her "no no" noise.

I'm so sorry that your poor baby is going through this What I'm absolutely ecstatic about is that she has a wonderful, loving mommy dedicated to bringing her back to her 100% Amazon-self! It's heart breaking to see any animal we love suffer, but as April (Kiwibird) said, Zilla is definitely on the right path to recovery and has many, many years to come of being loved and living fully.

I can't wait to see how her personality unfolds even more as she recovers and feels completely herself again! Keep us updated with her progress I'll be thinking of both of you as you two undergo this recovery period.

Amanda, hang in there with Zilla! My female Goffin was stricken with aspergillosis about 10 years ago and fully recovered. She was wild-caught 30+ years ago and has always been sweet, but the intensive anti-fungal regimen really tamed her; she won't perch on my hand but I can approach her and readily grasp her into my chest where she will cuddle for long periods.

It seems you caught this early and are supporting her very well nutritionally.

Scott said:

Amanda, hang in there with Zilla! My female Goffin was stricken with aspergillosis about 10 years ago and fully recovered. She was wild-caught 30+ years ago and has always been sweet, but the intensive anti-fungal regimen really tamed her; she won't perch on my hand but I can approach her and readily grasp her into my chest where she will cuddle for long periods.

It seems you caught this early and are supporting her very well nutritionally.

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Zilla was also wild caught approx. 28 years ago. I'm glad I have access to her previous owners (even though it really p*@#%^* me off how they treated and fed her) at least I know what vets she went to, what was done, meds given, and what her diet was, so I know what to tell my vet about her previous life.

The main issue right now is getting her kidneys working properly again. As the vet said we can treat the aspergillosis, but the meds are really strong and could further damage her already damaged kidneys.

I hope everyone knows I don't post about her on here just so people can tell me I'm doing a good job, that's always nice to hear and does wonders for my peace of mind (has helped me have a few moments of dry eyes in the last couple days), but I want people to know what she has gone through (and is now going through), what has caused her health issues (at least what I and the vet know and/or think) and to think twice before just caving in to their fids and letting them have the things that are bad for them! Everything in moderation, I agree they need treats and they want more than anything else to have what we have, but it HAS to be in moderation and with good common sense.

According to my A-Vet her kidney problems are caused by not just a poor parakeet seed & people food diet, but the caffeine in the coffee she drank every morning, the Pepsi she drank every afternoon, the Oreo cookies, nutter butter cookies, cheese nips, goldfish crackers, and such that she got EVERY day. She had a HORRIBLE diet, a super small galvanized steel cage, no toys, and ate whatever was on her humans plate with no regard to her health or safety! (caffeine, artificial sweeteners, dyes and preservatives are the number 1 kidney killers in birds according to my vet)

If this saves ONE fid from going through what Zilla and I are going through it's worth telling here for you all to read!

I understand.

I went through this same issue with my BFA, who passed away at age 38... my most bonded bird EVER!

Many positive thoughts for you and Zilla. I hope the treatments help her! Stay strong!!

I'm so sorry! But i'll bet she does NOT think you are the meanest mommy ever. They have a strange way of knowing we are trying to help and I think they do appreciate it and bond more deeply with us through the bad experience.