Kakariki right eye blind (maybe infected) - seeking advice

kermit

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Jul 14, 2014
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Hi, I have a red crowned male kakariki called Kermit who is a year and nine months old. His female companion (about a year old) recently passed away due to an accident and the following day he hit his head on the door while frantically trying to look for her. His right eye was swollen and so we immediately took him to a local bird vet and he was treated the same day. This was on June 24th. They kept him in an incubator. The doctor gave us eye drop antibiotics and oral anti-inflammatory. Kermit's eye and behavior got considerably better and we stopped the medication on the fifth day. He did not like being given medication and fully resisted. He could tell in advance and went to a corner of the cage hard to reach.

About a week ago I saw he wouldn't notice my hand passing over his right eye. It looked fine but he has been scratching it lately (about a few days). Sometimes he rubs it against the cage and other things and sometimes he uses his feet. He squints his right eye and keeps it closed if I look at it from his right side. Yesterday it looked a little watery. At the same time he is eating and talking and moving around.

To my questions now: what can I do here at home to comfort his itching eye and relieve infection if any? Should I request a second appointment with the vet? He misses his companion a lot and we are ready for a new kakariki but I don't want the new companion to catch an infection if that is what he has. Is it possible that when he hit his head he lost vision in the right eye? I have a picture of his right eye attached.

Thank you very much for your help.
 

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Phlox

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Jun 16, 2014
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I would take him back to the vet. It sounds like he maybe scratched his cornea and those take a LONG time to heal and can effect vision. (Happened to my cat, same type of symptoms)
 

Allee

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Oct 27, 2013
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U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Hello and welcome to the forum. Sorry Kermit is having problems. I agree, I would take him back to an Av Vet. There is no way we can tell you wether or not Kermit has an infection or has lost vision in his eye, only a qualified vet can answer that. The quicker you get him seen, the better, it could save his sight. I wouldn't bring in a new bird until Kermit's issues are resolved. Good luck, and please let us know how Kermit is doing.
 
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kermit

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Jul 14, 2014
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Thanks for both of your replies. I took him to the same vet today and he examined Kermit's eye. The vet's diagnosis was that Kermit does not have an infection. An infection usually has some redness in the eye but he didn't see anything. He suspects that his eye lens may have been damaged when he hit his head against the door and recommended an eye vet.

The vet said he may be scratching it because of pain and discomfort and gave anti-inflammatory for his eye called metacam. We hope the pain and discomfort will eventually settle into a stable state. He's not responding if we bring our finger close to his right eye but immediately responds if the same is done to the left eye.

Maybe he has permanently lost his vision in the right eye. The doctor said it's not uncommon for birds to damage their eyes after banging it. Not sure what to do at this point except to give him love, good food, and the metacam. I didn't realize that kakarikis can be so fragile.
 

Allee

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Oct 27, 2013
16,852
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Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Awww, I'm so sorry to hear that. I was really hoping for a better outcome. Hopefully the pain and discomfort is only temporary. I've seen several parrots that have lost vision in one or both eyes and it's amazing how well they adjust. Sometimes we are reminded just how fragile our parrots are. I'm glad Kermit has you to give him the loving care he needs. My thoughts are with you, please keep us updated.
 

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