Medical cause for plucking

Hope was at the vet yesterday for other reasons, and while the vet was looking at her poor plucked belly, she offered to sample a couple of blood feathers and run a test for yeast. I said, sure, as long as we're here -- we might as well rule out a medical cause for her plucking. I was 99% sure it was behavioral, because Ekkies.

Silly me. I got a call from the vet today saying that they found a lot of yeast in her blood feathers. Surprise!

So now that she's off the antibiotics, she'll start a course of antifungals. Maybe we'll have an easy answer to this after all...

I guess the moral of the story is, get yer pluckers vet-checked. (I'm sure most of you have already!)

Great News. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to have a plucker

I'm monitoring a study underway within the AAV World, which is likely driving your Avian Vet's interest in that testing. The study is well underway and there has been several presentation within the AAV World based on that study. Please understand that it is not finished, but the results have been so stunning that you are very likely to see an increase of Avian Vets in testing of parrots that are plucking!

Great news for Hope...so glad the vet did that test.

That's AWESOME! Medical causes can be easier to fix, provided she hasn't gotten addicted to the rush of plucking.

How much was the feather test? It might be worth asking next time we go for Ruby, but as of right now, she's got enough new growth I think it was diet related (SEED IS BAD! Parrot "food" is bad! Evil!)

I think it was $90. Of course, this is at Boston's premiere animal hospital (Angell), so your mileage may vary.

That is good news. I have a tiel with no medical reason for her plucking.
I feel so bad not being able to help her.
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SailBoat said:

I'm monitoring a study underway within the AAV World, which is likely driving your Avian Vet's interest in that testing. The study is well underway and there has been several presentation within the AAV World based on that study. Please understand that it is not finished, but the results have been so stunning that you are very likely to see an increase of Avian Vets in testing of parrots that are plucking!

Click to expand...

Do you have any references for this study? I understand it's underway but is there a centralized location the elaborates on it?

Sorry, but the test subjects are 'client' parrots. As a results, access is unusually limited. Your Certified Avail Vet that had attended this later Winter's AAV meeting will likely have more information than I do.

Thank you for sharing the info about Hope, Jtidwell. That might prove very helpful to a number of our members taking care of pluckers.

SailBoat, in lieu of access to the particulars of this study, would you be able to tell us the general hypothesis/hypotheses involved and the early findings?

Yeah.

Generally you rule out the physical causes first (HEAVY METALS IS A USUAL SUSPECT. YEAST IN THIS CASE.)

THEN deal with the psychological aspects if you don't find a physical cause.

Physical caused plucking GOES AWAY... when the underlying problem is solved. That's the good news.

I have signed a document that will allow me access to the presentation, but not the study. There will be content distribution limitations. I have seen several PowerPoint slides and on the same laptop, non-client sections of the study itself.

Once I have read the presentation, I will likely have a discussion with Christinenc2000 regarding handling of that information based on the signed document's requirements.

Fair enough. Reckon I'll wait to hear from Christine.

I have made several attempts at providing at least a statement regarding the founding Hypothesis / Hypotheses of the Study. But it wasn't even make any sense to me with all the blocked words.

Our rehomed DYH Amazon is a three time, post surgery scab picker, now plucker of the rump and then on to the tail feathers. His picking lead to the two additional surgeries after he re-opened the sight. At the present moment, it looks like we have a small success happening, maybe.... , cross feathers, etc... He was tested, but was not included. This is what has allowed me the look-see at the study, and now, access to the presentation.

It is also why I tend to be a little too sensitive about people who want instant results when working with their parrot's behavioral 'issues.' Found a long time ago that if you start from the position that it is never the Parrot's Fault! It is always the Fault of the Human. By doing so, one simply needs to look at what 'I' am doing and need to change.