OMG :( She has an infected gland

Brittany741

New member
Feb 9, 2015
384
0
Atlanta, GA
Parrots
SI Eclectus (Ruby) - 11 / Eclectus (Wrangler) - 7 / Eclectus (Pinto) - 6 /
Red Sided Eclectus (Oliver) - 4 mos. /
White Bellied Caique (Dan) - 2 /
Foster Congo African Grey (Molly) - 6
I was giving her a bath today and noticed her gland by her tail was puffed up and showing obvious signs of infection.

After washing my hands with chlorhexidine surgical scrub, she let me express nearly 100% of the infection. Going to get her started on antibiotics. I suspect this is a major contributing factor to her plucking. Her feathers are dull and brittle feeling- of course- without her having access to the gland for proper preening.

My daughter took video (she's 8) and it's a little long but at least you can see how it went. My sweet baby bird didn't protest or object whatsoever. I can only imagine the relief she felt from the pressure.

[ame="http://youtu.be/uu1HpzGtjms"]Rescue Eclectus has an infected gland. She let me express the abscess. - YouTube[/ame]
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    191.6 KB · Views: 2,004

Christinenc2000

New member
Oct 8, 2014
3,320
4
North Carolina
Parrots
Big Bird _ Blue & Gold Macaw
Poor baby. She stayed so still i was amazed. What I could watch of it lol. Glad you knew what to do . Hope she is better soon
 

Piasa

Member
Jan 12, 2016
569
15
USA Nomad
Parrots
Beau 20 year old male Green Cheek || Jimmy Bullet 17 year old female white cap pionus parrot
Thank you for sharing this and the photo. Very helpful to know to be on the lookout for such things. I hope she is feeling better soon!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
What a good girl to sit so still. Probably felt good for her afterwards to have all that nastiness out. She seemed to know you were helping her. I hope the abscess doesn't come back and that now her plumage can improve.
 
OP
Brittany741

Brittany741

New member
Feb 9, 2015
384
0
Atlanta, GA
Parrots
SI Eclectus (Ruby) - 11 / Eclectus (Wrangler) - 7 / Eclectus (Pinto) - 6 /
Red Sided Eclectus (Oliver) - 4 mos. /
White Bellied Caique (Dan) - 2 /
Foster Congo African Grey (Molly) - 6
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Me too! It explains her very dry and separated feathers. They almost have a brittle feeling to them.

I was also finally able to examine her wing feathers, as I was uncertain if the previous owners (ugh) simply butchered them or if she had plucked them. All signs point to her severing them at the very base of the shaft, near the skin.

Poor sweetheart. Every time we interact, the rage and sadness inside me grows. I'm not a crying type but I'll be damned if the anger I feel towards them hasn't gotten to me a few times. Every time she is gentle, every time she is loving, and I just cannot understand HOW anyone could put such an amazing creature in a prison for FIVE YEARS and leave them there. Bird is a jerk? Sure, I understand limited physical interaction. But a bird like this? It's only been a handful of days and she is so sweet and friendly? How dare they. How dare they. Shaking my head in disgust...
 

plumsmum2005

New member
Nov 18, 2015
5,330
94
England, UK
Parrots
Lou, Ruby, and Sonu.
Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
Oh Brittany what a darling, she sure is fantastic.

Concentrate on loving her, anger is a wasted emotion IMO. Go forward.

Thanks for letting us see some more of her and her wonderful temperament and wishing she is well again quickly.

I'm sure she will be the beauty she deserves very soon.
 
Last edited:

JerseyWendy

New member
Jul 20, 2012
20,995
24
GULP!!! OMG, you have nerves of steel, Brittany! :11: I would have never dared to extract that myself. Your hand was so steady! Have you dealt with this before??

What kind of antibiotics did the vet give you for her? I sure hope she never has to go through that again. What a trooper!! :)

And yes, the folks that had her before certainly did NOT deserve her one single bit! KUDOS to you!!
 

Anansi

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Dec 18, 2013
22,301
4,211
Somerset,NJ
Parrots
Maya (Female Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Jolly (Male Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Bixby (Male, red-sided eclectus. RIP), Suzie (Male cockatiel. RIP)
Wow. I'm impressed by you and her both!

She is a complete sweetheart! I can't believe she remained so still through the procedure! And you have some impressively steady hands!

Also, thank you very much for thinking to take video of the process. I'd actually never gotten an up close look at that gland, before. And I was also rather impressed with your tiny camerawoman! And I loved listening to the interaction between you. Such eagerness to learn is a beautiful thing in a child that age.

Thanks again for sharing!
 
OP
Brittany741

Brittany741

New member
Feb 9, 2015
384
0
Atlanta, GA
Parrots
SI Eclectus (Ruby) - 11 / Eclectus (Wrangler) - 7 / Eclectus (Pinto) - 6 /
Red Sided Eclectus (Oliver) - 4 mos. /
White Bellied Caique (Dan) - 2 /
Foster Congo African Grey (Molly) - 6
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
GULP!!! OMG, you have nerves of steel, Brittany! :11: I would have never dared to extract that myself. Your hand was so steady! Have you dealt with this before??

What kind of antibiotics did the vet give you for her? I sure hope she never has to go through that again. What a trooper!! :)

And yes, the folks that had her before certainly did NOT deserve her one single bit! KUDOS to you!!

I've dealt with quite a few acute injuries and illnesses in my own and foster animals over the years. I've always been of the mind that most things can be researched, as the only person who will advocate for our animals is ourselves. We've had vets almost kill our pets with carelessness, and at the same time have finally found an exceptional vet who sits down and discusses and debates complex medical Issues with us.

I suffered a spinal cord injury three years ago and I've had 8 surgeries. Not much scares me anymore.

Our vet has mentioned many times I should have been a doctor but I hated pre-med and went back to playing music.

Truthfully, before embarking on anything, whether that is trimming nails, beaks, wings, or even this gland expression, the most important factor is evaluating the temperament and stress level of the bird. These guys go from 0-100 and fast, and losing a bird over impatience or finances is absurd. The only reason this happened so well was her temperament and willingness to let Mommy help. Had she shown any discomfort or fought me, like so many others I've had even for a simple wing clip, we would have taken her in.

I've seen many posts about having a bird first aid kit but they really aren't comprehensive. Knowing animal first aid and basic lifesaving measures is vital. I've had to use CPR on a bird and a puppy before. Maybe it's that I used to chase bad guys or that I love fast cars and guns, but not much rattles me anymore.

She's feeling a LOT better today. After comparing the material to many resources I found, I believe it was simply a plugged gland opening. There were no typical signs of infection- smell, other systemic symptoms such as fever, lethargy, and the material itself was similar to a sebaceous cyst, where it's not a pus-type liquid but rather a paste. In her case it was an oily paste, which makes sense since the pyrogial gland is for oil production.

I washed the wick very well and glad to report it is now FLOOFY!

Now if we could just come up with a name!
 

DexMom

New member
Jul 18, 2015
429
0
New Jersey
Parrots
Dexter, SI Eclectus
Floofy is the name, silly! You said it yourself - FLOOFY!

I'm so glad that she has found you and been fortunate enough to be in your care after such a terrible situation. Her suffering has earned her a lifetime of excellent FLOOFYness :)
 
OP
Brittany741

Brittany741

New member
Feb 9, 2015
384
0
Atlanta, GA
Parrots
SI Eclectus (Ruby) - 11 / Eclectus (Wrangler) - 7 / Eclectus (Pinto) - 6 /
Red Sided Eclectus (Oliver) - 4 mos. /
White Bellied Caique (Dan) - 2 /
Foster Congo African Grey (Molly) - 6
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #11
I had a Goffin's named froufrou and it's simply too close for my comfort. I am trying to think of names but they just aren't working yet ��
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top