Old Orange Wing with chronic sinus clogging/bleeding

Hello Everyone,

At some point I will fill in my profile and introduce myself, but right now I have a somewhat urgent situation.

I have a 51 year old Orange Wing with a chronic sinus condition. He is a rescue, who we have had only about 18 months.

He has been treated for this for almost a year.

He has been flushed several times. I've set up a humidifier with peppermint and lemon EOs that run all day.

Several times he's had episodes of bleeding from behind the sinuses...large clots coming thru underneath the sinuses and out his mouth. The last was just a little while ago. The clots come out and then it stops.

He did this a little over a week ago, and we took him back to the vet, who put him on systemic antibiotics, which he is still on. At that time his left cheek was swollen with pus....as the infection had ruptured thru. Other times his cheek was swollen...it was just air. But that was the earlier symptoms that started this whole treatment almost a year ago.

That sinus continually clogs. My husband has been cleaning it twice a day, flushing through some colloidal silver (that stuff is usually a miracle worker), and we still are getting a small amount of stuff via a syringe out of that cheek that swells up once a week or so.

We feel that perhaps after his med applications he starts sneezing and triggers the bleeding...but that's just a guess.

He's eating only organic pellets/fruits w/supplemental hemp seeds. He's also getting organic fresh frozen berries and veggies. The vet did feel that his previous owners probably had him on a crappy diet that we are now having to fight against, as well.

We're at the end of our rope. I'm beginning to wonder if he's got some kind of tumor, or head trauma we're unaware of.

He is very rickety due to arthritis, and age. We've made changes to his living environment so he can move around easier, and has less chance of falling. And the vet did suggest giving him a bit of plain aspirin mixed in with water at night to ease any pain...arthritic, or otherwise, which we have also been doing.

I would appreciate any helpful suggestions that any of you who have had old aged rescues or parrots with chronic sinus problems.

I would appreciate it if you would refrain from telling me to take him back to the vet, or to try new vets. His vet is good, and we feel he is doing the best that anyone can do. More visits are not going to help at this point.

Thank you in advance from Fred:

I don't have any helpful ideas, but my love to Fred! It sounds like you are taking very thorough care of him.

Thank you...I appreciate that!

The vet keeps telling us that, too!

I don't have any advice either, just wanted to say Thanks for giving an older bird a nice home and taking care of him!

I have a female OWA that is 28 and came to me about 3 months ago with a respiratory infection and aspergilliosis. Luckily she is doing much better and almost finished with her medications.

Thank you!

Yes...I walked into the rescue and said I only want to look at older birds.

I also have a White Fronted female named Phoebe. She's 20 this year. We've had her since she was a baby, tho. Back then I had no idea the homeless bird situation would get as bad...or even worse (here in AZ it seems like it is worse) than the homeless dog/cat situation.

But the funny thing is...Fred is way sweeter than Phoebe...go figure.

I think it is wonderful that you took in Fred, and he could not be in better hands. I also have no advice since it sounds like you are doing everything possible for him.
I took in a DYH last Feb. who is between 50 and 60, but she doesn't really have any pressing issues right now, thank goodness.
I would love to see pictures of Fred and Phoebe, and thank you for what you are doing

This is Fred...let's see if it uploads. I usually have the worse luck uploading pics to forums...

Yay! It worked!

His environment is different than this now...safer for him.

Also, the forum wouldn't accept the pic I have of Phoebes. I'll try to manipulate it...

Ok...here's Phoebe. She's actually half the size of Fred.

Fred loves her, but she hates him. LOL...isn't that always the way!

Amanda_Bennett said:

I don't have any advice either, just wanted to say Thanks for giving an older bird a nice home and taking care of him!

I have a female OWA that is 28 and came to me about 3 months ago with a respiratory infection and aspergilliosis. Luckily she is doing much better and almost finished with her medications.

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I meant to ask you Amanda; what are the symptoms of aspergilliosis?

When her previous owners had her she was treated multiple times for upper respiratory infections, and 10 days after I got her she presented with respiratory issues (heavy labored breathing, squeaking, wheezing, etc...) so I rushed her to the emergency vet and she was diagnosed with another upper respiratory infection. She did better on the antibiotics for awhile, then another "breathing" issue so off the the regular avian vet.

My vet diagnosed it after a couple different scans taken several weeks apart and looking at them side by side. We just knew it had to be something more than a respiratory infection since it kept coming back so fast.

The way my vet explained it is that asper is an actual "mold" or "fungus" so regular antibiotics will help it, but not kill it. Anti fungal medications are needed to actually kill it. Vet put Zilla on a 90 day regimen of "Sporinox" she takes it for 10 days, then 20 without, then 10 on. She will start her 3rd and hopefully last round of it on Christmas day.

It's my understanding that the "mold" grows and grows in the air sacs until the bird just can't breath anymore and suffocates. Zilla has scar tissue in her air sacs from where there used to be mold that was killed from the antibiotics and she will have more scar tissue from killing it with the anti fungal. My vet also said once a bird has had asper it will always be more susceptible to getting it than a bird that has never had it.

So to answer your question... It seems like a respiratory infection or breathing problem of some sort and my vet diagnosed with scans, but I have been told it can be diagnosed other ways (not sure what those ways are)

Wow...I wonder if Fred had or has that. The vet said that he definitely has scar tissue bc of the problem being chronic.

The fact that he seems to trigger the bleeding himself by sneezing is frustrating, too.

Do you live in a dry climate?

Here in AZ virtually everyone has sinus problems. My husband and I both wake up every morning clogged up. It's terrible.

I'm in Oregon, wet, wet, wet here. I do run a humidifier on occasion when I hear Zilla sneezing more than the occasional one or two. Winters here are a bit chilly so I do run the heat which dries out the air inside and the humidifier seems to do the trick if I run it for a couple hours in the same room she lives in.

You might try a humidifier in his room (or wherever he lives) just to see if he does better with the moisture in the air. Just run it with plain water, nothing medicated or scented in it.

You might also have more scans done to see if the scar tissue has grown or changed. That's how my vet caught it to take a second look and figure it out.

He has a humidifier going everyday. The EOs in it are for both lungs and infection.

The thing is tho...he doesn't have any breathing problems...no change in his voice either. He's very vocal in fact...and at regular intervals.

His appetite and exercise tolerance is more difficult to ascertain since he is so old and has arthritis.

Just like any old person; some days he eats a lot and moves around a lot and other days he doesn't.

Welcome to the forums. Wish I could help but I am not competent to offer you sound medical advice on this one.

Arthritis in a bird that age is normal. One of my DYH fosters was over 60, and had arthritis and cataracts...

The biggest thing with a zon who's having breathing problems is to make sure they get vitamin A foods. (Like sweet potato!) Their air sacs need it to produce the secretion that helps them breathe...

This however, sounds like some sort of ongoing chronic sinus/infection issue.

Thank you...yes.

He eats papaya and mango in his "birdie" fruits...also loaded with Vit A.

Plus he gets his berries; blue, rasb. and black.

Also, his pellets are loaded with alfalfa...another strong Vit A food.

I just gave him some cooked sweet potato.

Hey Mikey! He likes it!

I hear MOST bird love it.

Zilla doesn't! She will only eat one or two bites off my plate if I am eating it.

If I put it in her dish she flings it at her cat!

traveldogs said:

I just gave him some cooked sweet potato.

Hey Mikey! He likes it!

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My zons don't even bother to chew! They just get a beak full, put their head straight back and start swallowing as fast as they can. It's a universal around here.

Mine get this almost every day... (Cook 1 large potato during the week, and cube it, it feeds five parrots for the whole week. Zap it for 10-15 seconds in the microwave, and watch it magically disappear!)

I just did a lay person search on this and using a humidifier and increasing vitamin A foods is the only thing I found... Everything else requires vet advice and care.

Well he's going to town on it!

Gnawing on the skins and everything.

Phoebe's like; Meh...whatever!

Amanda_Bennett said:

I hear MOST bird love it.

Zilla doesn't! She will only eat one or two bites off my plate if I am eating it.

If I put it in her dish she flings it at her cat!

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LOL!

My dogs LOVE it when food gets flung at them!