Aloe detox? Seriously ill female ekkie

Wondering if any of you use or have used aloe detox on your birds. I have an 18 year old female. I have owned her for 15 years and other than occasionally having an upper respiratory infection, she has been in good health. She has had a good diet and good care since living with me. Last Sunday she became ill. I took her to the vet, not my normal vet. They took X-rays and gave her doxycycline injection. She seemed a little better Monday but Tuesday I took her to my regular vet as I was concerned she was not improving. Liver enzymes elevated, they are tube feeding her as she will not eat now. I have been reading about the aloe detox and success with the liver issues. I went and bought a bottle. I figure at this point I don't have much to lose. They really aren't sure of the cause. She is still perching which is the only positive I see and her other blood work is normal. Any advice ?

I have read great things about it. I give it to my zon and he is doing great.

Hang in there! Keep us posted.

I have not used this personally nor dealt with a sick bird.

Aloe Vera on the other hand is a part of their natural habitat. As they eat it in the wild when sick as part of an instinct I do not see how it could hurt if in moderation.

Milk thistle seeds-
Milk thistle seed protects liver cells from toxic chemicals and drugs. It also seems to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Many thousands of bodybuilders taking steroids take milk thistle seeds to stop the steroids wrecking their liver completely.
Because it grows on a plant and can't be patented, pharmaceutical companies do state that it isn't proven effective by their research.
Milk thistle is used most often for liver disorders, including liver damage caused by chemicals, Amanita phalloides mushroom poisoning, jaundice, chronic inflammatory liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and chronic hepatitis. Milk thistle is also used for loss of appetite, heartburn (dyspepsia), and gallbladder complaints.

"Silymarin is the active constituent of the milk thistle plant. It protects the liver by inhibiting factors responsible for liver cell damage. Silymarin can also alter the structure of the outer walls of liver cells so poisons can't penetrate. Silymarin stimulates protein synthesis of the liver cells, and inhibits depletion of glutathione. It is a powerful antioxidant and lipotropic agent and has been shown to stimulate the growth of new liver cells. According to Dr. David McCluggage DVM, "Milk thistle protects the liver and heals liver cells. Milk thistle is one of the best herbs for liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, acute toxicosis of the liver and fatty liver disease. It is also beneficial for the bile duct inflammation and is a potent anti-oxidant."
Read this article if you haven't already:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds


It sounds like it might be your best chance at this point. They have a very very strong, slightly pleasant odour and look like brown sunflower seeds. So far all of the birds I have fed them to have eaten them without much hesitation. Hopefully the smell might entice her to eat them. I recommend buying organic seeds from healthcare shop, you wouldn't know what could end up on them, every tiny amount of toxin would be dangerous at this point. The liver is excellent at recovering so stay strong. Good luck

I definetly wouldn't give her aloe at this time unless its a very small amount.
Limited scientific evidence also exists for the use of aloe to treat any disease. Moreover, the National Institutes of Health is concerned that chronic high-dose ingestion of aloe vera may induce liver inflammation.
There have been a few case reports of acute hepatitis(liver inflamation) from aloe vera taken orally. However, the evidence is not definitive:
In a 2005 article in the "World Journal of Gastroenterology," German researchers reported on a 57-year-old woman who presented with severe acute hepatitis(severely inflamed liver) after taking aloe vera capsules for four weeks. Her symptoms resolved after discontinuing the supplement.A similar case occurred in the U.S., as described in 2007 in the "Annals of Pharmacotherapy." Acute hepatitis symptoms abated after a 73-year-old woman discontinued aloe vera supplementation. "Journal of Korean Medical Science," in 2008, also published a case report. When a 62-year-old woman stopped taking aloe extract, her severe hepatitis resolved.

And a section of the Liver disease article that might be helpful in case you can't read it all.
"It is not advisable to 'fast' obese birds with liver disease because the liver will be forced to overwork by transforming fat to glucose and then have to deal with the metabolic waste products. A reduced calorie, reduced carbohydrate diet is preferred.

Liver cleansing therapies typically emphasize the consumption of simple diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and free of processed foods, artificial food additives, preservatives and dyes.They should also be as free from pesticides and pollutants as possible."

Yes i have, and i have had wonderful results with it...

I had a rescued bfa that had liver values where my vet questioned why the bird was even alive. "she should be dead."

i got as much vitamin a foods, and aloe detox in her as i could, and two months later her liver values were within normal limits...

I swear by milk thistle, and tell anyone who is taking any prescription medications on a regular basis to get on milk thistle. In two years my liver is completely back to normal, I don't see why it wouldn't do the same for a bird.

SoCalWendy said:

I swear by milk thistle, and tell anyone who is taking any prescription medications on a regular basis to get on milk thistle. In two years my liver is completely back to normal, I don't see why it wouldn't do the same for a bird.

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Aloe detox has milk thistle in it! It's not just aloe.

And we do not know if it's the aloe, or the milk thistle, or the dandylion root, or some combination of all of them.

All I know is this product saved my bird's life!

In the proper diet in a eclectus should of have high beta carotene and vitamin A within their diet. What were you feeding your ekkie???

My girl eats mostly fresh veggies in the morning along with a small piece of bird bread, a small amount of fruit, and a bit of sprouted seed and an almond or two (soaked). In the evening I feed her a small amount of seed (1tbs) and some of Harrison's and TOP pellets-less of the Harrison's lately after reading about the artificial vitamins and soy. She tends to be a layer so I am trying to stay away from that. She eats mostly fresh stuff. I do cook my birds a whole grain/bean/legume mixture, I also give them small amounts of egg maybe twice a week.

She usually is an excellent eater. I have never seen her like this. She did lay an egg at the vet. They think it took longer than normal to lay which may have aggravated whatever else she has going on.

I did speak with the vet today and he feels the milk thistle would be beneficial. He isn't totally sold on the aloe detox. So I am on the fence about it. He feels like she will recover on her own but the milk thistle may be helpful. She did look more alert and grumpy today (her normal behavior). I am going to pick her up tomorrow and see if bringing her home helps to perk her up.

If I do go milk thistle only route, anyone use an alcohol free version? I hate to do any un needed damage.

For you that have done the aloe detox, how do you feed it to your birds? Do they avoid it or enjoy?

I do make sure my Remy gets plenty of vitamin a.

Thanks for all the input.

I mixed it with apple juice in a treat cup, and gave this to my sick bird multiple times a day. Got as much into her as I possibly could...

I heard about it from Land of VOS... The woman that owns land of VOS had a critically ill Eckie Hen, and essentially was told the bird was going to die. Take it home and give it comfort measures.

Instead, she shoved as much Aloe Detox as she could down the bird, and the next vet exam, THE BIRD HAD NORMAL LIVER VALUES...

Upon hearing that, I went out and did the same thing, and had the same results.

I am convinced it saved my bird's life. She was critically ill when I got her... and all we did was give her two vitamin A shots, changed her diet, and got as much aloe detox into her as possible! Two months later NORMAL LIVER VALUES!!! From DEAD...

Here's your chance to astonish your vet, and maybe they will take notice.

Mine did!

I know it sounds like snake oil sales... and too good to be true, but it's not expensive, it's not toxic, and it could reverse the liver problem, so honestly what have you got to lose by trying it?!

Chico has been on Aloe Detox for the last two months since his last a-vet visit. Apparently he has fatty liver disease. One week on half and half in place of his water and three weeks off. He is also on a low fat low carb diet. Read the information found in the holistic link above. I plan to have his labs done again this January. I will let you all know the results. One of the simptoms of Lipidosis is poor feathering. I just thought I was over handling Chico and rubbing off the pigment from his feathers. In addition his feathers were not well formed. After two months I have seen great improvement in this area.

Good luck with your girl. Keep us informed.

Well the vet thinks it's some sort of hepatitis aggravated by slow transit of the egg she laid in the hospital. I am bringing her home today to see how she does. Hope she eats!
Thanks for all the info!

Sorry but what alchohol in milk thistle are you talking about?
It is only the seed you give them and they eat them just like they would a sunflower seed.
I don't think any other parts of the plant are safe for parrots.

Birdman I doubt the aloe was the part that helped your birds liver, Vitamin A deficiency can cause hepatitis and the shots would of sorted that out.

Same with you Ipolliard, I would be giving the change of diet credit for your birds improvement. I could be wrong with both cases, that's just my opinion from what I have read so far. Just please don't think the diet as less of a healing factor than the aloe as it really is priority.

jakrob4 said:

Same with you Ipolliard, I would be giving the change of diet credit for your birds improvement. I could be wrong with both cases, that's just my opinion from what I have read so far. Just please don't think the diet as less of a healing factor than the aloe as it really is priority.

Click to expand...

Ya, I am not all in on the holistic cures that is why I also changed his diet. That and his cholesterol levels were crazy. On the other hand trying them sounded like it couldn't hurt. I will keep and eye out for some milk thistle seed as an added supplement.

Definitely purchase alcohol-free supplements! This is what I have. Given orally, straight into the mouth. My bird who gets it doesn't like it....

Nature's Answer - Milk Thistle Seed - 1oz


I first got it through my a-vet, but here's the last place I bought it from!

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Answer-Milk-Thistle-1-Ounce/dp/B000IRLF68/]Amazon.com: Nature's Answer Milk Thistle Seed, 1-Ounce: Health & Personal Care[/ame]




Likewise, you could purchase one made "for birds" (rather than geared towards humans), although I have yet to try this product.

Milk Thistle/Dandelion Herbal Extract 1 oz - SUPPLEMENTS/HEALTH AIDS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE / Milk Thistle/Dandelion Herbal Extract 2 oz - SUPPLEMENTS/HEALTH AIDS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE



You could probably try a milk thistle/dandelion mix by another manufacturer, just make sure it's AF (Alcohol-Free).



It shouldn't hurt to try the aloe detox either.... but I, too, swear by the milk thistle!!!!



PS, I wouldn't consider my a-vet a holistic avian vet, but a vet willing to try anything that works! Which includes Bicom Bioresonance Therapy! (aka electromagnetic therapy)

I did get alcohol free milk thistle supplement. My bird doesn't like it either. I tried it and its terrible. I can see why...
I will check out the milk thistle/dandelion combo. I have read the dandelion is beneficial as well.
I still have her at home, but she is still not eating as I would like. Her poop does look better. No more loose stools and yellow tinged urates. So that's good, but I am watching her like a hawk!

Lpolliard what diet are you feeding your boy specifically? I do feel I give my Remy a good diet. However, they did give me some roudybush AL at the vet. I hate to go this route when she gets her appetite back as I don't want to over do the vitamins-website says it has high levels of vitamins.
She really isn't eating very healthy right now. But the vet said to encourage her to eat right now and then work on getting her back to her normal feedings. I am still giving her her regular diet just with some extra of hers faves in it. So far, she is mostly into birdie bread and some veggies. She has always had a hearty appetite so it's disturbing to see her off her routine.
I imagine this will take some time to heal though. She is madder than a hornets nest at me for the medicating though so that's good. Oh, and she wanted to bathe this morning. Usually does that everyday. So very excited about that!