My Female Eclectus Died Suddenly and Looking for Answers

Ewright6

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Feb 3, 2021
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Hello everyone!

I am new to the forum but am confused and grieving. I was hoping someone might have information. My Female Eclectus that was 23.5 that I have had since she was basically 6 months old just passed away. She was acting lethargic and not interested in food on Sunday, so I took her to the emergency vet. She was monitored by a vet tech without me (with Covid we were not allowed back) for about 6 or so hours. The vet finally called and said she was trying to die. I was in the parking lot and by the time I got to the er room, she was gone. He said she had fluids in her lungs. He asked if I cooked with teflon, and I said no. We don't have any in the house. He said she probably had cancer... But she had full work done less than a year ago. Does anyone know about this? I expected her to live at least 7 more years. She was my first friend when I was 13 and I loved her. I am so confused and what to know if I missed something.

Thank you

Erin
 

Laurasea

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Its heart breaking..
I hate that birds hide when things are wrong with them ..
Teflon whatever ever that chemicals are, can be found in air fryers, instipots, on ironing boards, some space heaters, there are a lot of sneaky places its used these days.
 

chris-md

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Hello Erin,

I'm so sorry your first post on the forum is under these circumstances, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Did the vet give you the option for a necropsy? That should give you the answers you seek. WE aren't vets here, so diagnosing a cause of deal is nearly impossible. But when I hear fluid on the lungs, my though goes either to respiratory infection or end-stage congestive heart failure. At 23/24, she WAS middle aged and within spitting distance of the end of her natural lifespan, it is entirely possible this was natural causes. Some individuals unfortunately just don't live naturally as long as others.

But without a necropsy unfortunately i don't think you'll be able to get concrete, absolute answers.
 
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cneuhauser

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Hello Erin,

I'm so sorry your first post on the forum is under these circumstances, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Did the vet give you the option for a necropsy? That should give you the answers you seek. WE aren't vets here, so diagnosing a cause of deal is nearly impossible. But when I hear fluid on the lungs, my though goes either to respiratory infection or end-stage cardiac arrest. At 23/24, she WAS middle aged and within spitting distance of the end of her natural lifespan, it is entirely possible this was natural causes. Some individuals unfortunately just don't live naturally as long as others.

But without a necropsy unfortunately i don't think you'll be able to get concrete, absolute answers.

Firstly... sorry for your loss, I can't imagine losing my closest feathered friend.

Secondly, and I apologize for somewhat hijacking your post, but I'm hoping that Dr. Chris can maybe elaborate on items that might cause respiratory disease, if that's what it is; I mean, besides the usual subjects like chemicals in the air etc. Would sand, or other natural born toxins do this? Would a particularly "dry" climate cause this? I understand you may not be able to give a definitive answer... just curious if you know some circumstances where rare pathogens are introduced into the environment; cologne, perfumes, smell of toothpaste/mouthwash etc.

Edit: Back to the subject at hand... you sound like an amazing "parront" hopefully you decide to have another feather child.
 
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wrench13

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So very sorry for the loss of your friend, it hurts very much to even read about it. She vey obviously was well loved by you.
 

Lisa999

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I am very sorry for your loss, it’s very hard and it’s very hard to know what could be wrong. You did everything you could. I just recently lost my 8 month-old conure and decided to do a necropsy to determine the cause of death. It didn’t give a definitive answer - I still don’t know why my conure got sick but I was able to get some answers and i knew what diseases to research. If you decide to do a necropsy, it needs to be done ASAP. My vet told me where I can do a necropsy without being charged via the vet’s office because it would cost more but she helped me to interpret the results. I also was able to talk to the pathologist who performed the necropsy.
 

chris-md

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cneuhauser, I'm not sure. I'm not a vet nor pathologist so I can't speak directly or intelligently to major causes of avian respiratory illness. All I know is fluid = pneumonia. But in advanced age, congestive heart failure can do that too.

Thats all I know.
 
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Ewright6

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Thank you everyone for your kind words. It has been a devastating week and this has been really heartwarming to read the posts of people who understand. Unfortunately, I did not have a necropsy done, so I do not have any answers. In hindsight maybe I should have. She was one of a kind. Funny, sweet, bratty (at times), and adventurous. She definitely was the queen of the house. I do want another parrot but am unsure how. My heart aches for the bird I thought was going to be my lifelong companion.
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
My deepest condolences, Erin, for the loss of your Eclectus. May her beautiful memories comfort you, they will eventually provide more joy than sadness and despondency.

Keep your mind and heart open, but for now allow yourself to grieve a painful loss. Many of us know similar, we are here for you.
 

Laurasea

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Thank you everyone for your kind words. It has been a devastating week and this has been really heartwarming to read the posts of people who understand. Unfortunately, I did not have a necropsy done, so I do not have any answers. In hindsight maybe I should have. She was one of a kind. Funny, sweet, bratty (at times), and adventurous. She definitely was the queen of the house. I do want another parrot but am unsure how. My heart aches for the bird I thought was going to be my lifelong companion.

There us nothing like the love of a parrot.
Your grief will have you all over the place. Give yourself a little time. I know there us a parrot out there that needs a special person like you.
So many parrots are rehomed on Craigslist, I consider them rescues tho the people are selling them. But many people who need to re home don't know what else to do other than list i
On Craigslist. Caution and common sense. My parrot love of my life i found on Craigslist.
 
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Ewright6

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Thankfully the only thing is an iron and ironing board. Both are in our bedroom on the opposite corner and upstairs from our Birdie Girl. Thank you for your reply. It has been a sad week. I wish I would have taken the opportunity for the necropsy by at 4am after being anxious and crying for hours, I just was not thinking straight. Though it was nice to spend time with her and wrap her in a blanket with some of her favorite things before burring her. I don't know that I have experienced this type of loss or grief before.
 

Alembic772

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I’m sorry for your loss.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ellie777Australia

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Erin, thank you for reaching out in your desperate time of grief. My heart aches for you. Knowing that the average life span of an Eclectus is 30, and that your beloved gal was with you for 23 1/2 blessed years, I reckon she was very well cared for to reach that age. You have so much to share to help us keep our lovelies for such a long life. If you are able to stick around and assist us with your wealth of knowledge then we would be forever grateful.
 

Anansi

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I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I've been there. For now, I'd say to just let yourself grieve. Only you will know when it's time to let another bird into your heart. But in the meantime, we're here for you. Just know many of us know all too well the heartache of losing one of our feathered children, and you have the collective shoulder of this entire community for as long as you need it.
 

wrench13

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Its important to pick away at the possible causes for Birdie Girl passing. The fluid in the lungs and air sacs points to SOME contaminate in the air. The list of teflon and PTFE or PFOA containing devices and products grows daily! Did yo know they put teflon on waterproof or water repellant cloth? Its in almost every singe household appliance that uses heat, as they coat the heating elements to prevent corrosion. So toasters, bread makers, rice cookers, Air fryers, George Forman grilles, all can have this. Self cleaning ovens - using that self cleaning cycle of your oven seriously overheats the teflon coating inside it, and overheating is the primary way the fumes are released.
 

cneuhauser

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Thank you everyone for your kind words. It has been a devastating week and this has been really heartwarming to read the posts of people who understand. Unfortunately, I did not have a necropsy done, so I do not have any answers. In hindsight maybe I should have. She was one of a kind. Funny, sweet, bratty (at times), and adventurous. She definitely was the queen of the house. I do want another parrot but am unsure how. My heart aches for the bird I thought was going to be my lifelong companion.

It took me a few years after my first parrot, to develop a place in my life/heart for a new one. They're life companions for most of us... so we go through the normal 'humane' steps of mourning and loss. I can say it was "painful" for me at first to walk into a pet store and see any birds.

For myself, eventually the pain subsided, then I began to "miss" the screeches, then I began missing the food tossing, and the poops all over... (yeah I'm a strange one). That's when I knew it was time again, when I had a few moments to think about it... then a few years of serious research to get back on the cutting edge of birdie health care.

Anyways... I digress, I say all of this just to let you know you have people here on the forums to talk with, mourn with, etc. You may feel alone, but there are a lot of good people on here. Feel free to chat my ear off, would love to see more pics of your departed Ekkie... seriously, I can't get enough... pics of Ekkies are like an addiction for me!
 
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Ewright6

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That is what is so hard with it. None of those items apply. Her cage isn't by the kitchen, we never use self cleaning on the oven (because we knew that), we have stainless steel pans, we do have a toaster but no grill or anything like that. The avian vets best guess was kidney failure. It was a quicker death but not instant. In total, it was almost 8 hours while at the emergency vet. Earlier in the day she was sitting by her water dish. I thought she was going to take a "bath" but the avian vet said it being by water is another clue for kidney failure. She was a heavy egg layer and she said that that can really be hard on them. I am just sad. She was too young.

Its important to pick away at the possible causes for Birdie Girl passing. The fluid in the lungs and air sacs points to SOME contaminate in the air. The list of teflon and PTFE or PFOA containing devices and products grows daily! Did yo know they put teflon on waterproof or water repellant cloth? Its in almost every singe household appliance that uses heat, as they coat the heating elements to prevent corrosion. So toasters, bread makers, rice cookers, Air fryers, George Forman grilles, all can have this. Self cleaning ovens - using that self cleaning cycle of your oven seriously overheats the teflon coating inside it, and overheating is the primary way the fumes are released.
 

fiddlejen

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I am so sorry for your loss.

Reading this thread - obviously I do not have any knowledge to back this up - but just from what I'm reading here, I'm convinced your vet is correct, she died from something like kidney failure with congestive heart failure. That is, I am convinced that just as some people can die young from natural causes, unfortunately so has your beloved companion. (This is just a gut-feeling, I have nothing to back it up.)

I am so sorry for your loss. Please allow yourself time to grieve, to care for yourself and for your emotions.
 

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