Aspergillosis or other Fungal infection

Hi Guys,

I've posted some threads about my caique who we thought initially had a bacterial infection. Now it turns out it is fungal. We don't have an actual culture but the fact that his White count jumped form 18 to 26k with 2 courses of antibiotics and improved to 15k after 2 weeks of anti fungal highly suggest it is fungal. I'm assuming it is probably asper.

He never showed any symptoms (eats great, plays, poop is normal and no breathing issues). The only thing I've noticed is that compared to his younger brother, he's not growing as well. His feathers are all messy and he's very slow to molt.

We just repeated another blood work after anti fungal for 2 week daily then 2 week every other day and then 2 week with out medication, now his white count is back to 19k. The vet now wants to restart the antifungal treatment and go for a 2 month course.

I feel so bummed/depressed. I'm so worried about my poor Pollo. Does anybody have any experience with their babies infected with asper? Any advice is appreciated!

Just as an aside, I brought him to the vet and found he was sick 1 week after getting him home from the breeder, do you guys think he was infected before he came to me? I'm debating whether to email my breeder about this or not. My intention isn't really to get a refund. I've already spent 4-5x on vet bills than the price I paid for Pollo and at this point I really just want him to be better. If it was from the breeder, at least I want her to be aware.

Thanks! Any opinion or experience or advice is appreciated.

When I got Zilla a year ago she had asper, a sever case where it was down into her 3rd air sacs and she was having a hard time breathing and was wheezing a lot. I spent several nights in my recliner beside her cage and just knew each breath was going to be her last. I was so super scared for her. She also had several other issues, like her liver and kidneys weren't working very well, she was on a seed and whatever was on her owners dinner plate diet, and she didn't seem to have had a bath in a long time.

Long story short after 3 months of anti fungal treatments and aloe detox daily (several times a day) and a major diet change, she has been perfectly fine and healthy for about 9 months now (vet pronounced her "cured" of the asper on Jan. 22nd)

My advice would be to follow your vets advice with the medication and make sure he is eating a nutritious diet and love him as much as you can. I believe the love we give them does just as much as the medications.

I would agree that you should contact the breeder and let them know. However, it would be difficult to say for sure that the parrot was sick before he came to your home. Having said that, it is also possible and a good breeder would want to know.

There is a common thread in responses as part of the Parrot Forums to have new parrots seen and tested by a qualified Vet and kept separate from those birds in the home. We have always set the pick-up date base on a pre-scheduled Vet visit. Your Thread provides strong support for this forum's position.

Best wishes for the continued healthy improvement of your parrot and thank-you for your commitment.

My Pionus Raven had it. He has a permanent deformity in his nares/sinus area from an accident caused by a sibling at the breeder's. I don't believe it was the breeder's fault, and she has a well deserved good reputation. Freak accident. She told me as soon as it happened and took him to the vet immediately. Anyway, I learned later, that this accident essentially 'did away' with his operculum (flap behind nostril that keeps debris out). The nare and sinus structure is now compromised, and vets have told me early on, that Raven will be much more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections than a normal bird for the rest of his life, regardless of his environment. It was then that I had a talk with the breeder, and she had refunded half his purchase price. Fair from a business standpoint, since I didn't return him she wasn't going to refund 100% of course. I took him thinking things will be fine later, but honestly I might not have gotten him if I had known this will be a long term stressful thing to deal with. I've spent many thousands on vet bills so far....

I thought that the bacterial infection (initially caused by the accident) was over, and wondered why he was still experiencing wet nostrils and a little audible breathing at times. At about 2 years old (had him since 4 months old), Raven was x-rayed and diagnosed with "mild" fungal infection. The oral treatment I used for 2 months. The x-ray showed it was nearly gone and said it should go away at that point. The vet showed me x-ray examples of others with a more severe case, and said they had taken many more months, and sometimes close to a year to resolve. Fungal infections take time to erradicate with the medication.

The vet had suspected that this infection had been in him for quite a while, and that it stayed at a low level because of Raven's good diet which has kept his immune system up, and a clean environment. Still, since his operculum is gone on one side and deformed on the other side, he is unfortunately susceptible to illness nonetheless, regardless of how clean his environment, since microscopic fungal spores are in the air everywhere. He has 2 avian vets, and they seem to think that if he is showing a very low level of symptoms, to monitor it but don't keep bringing him in to get treated constantly, and to let his immune system work on keeping it at bay. These type of infections aren't contagious, and his best friend has not gotten it.
It has been very much a burden on me financially as well as emotionally, but it's like having a child born with a chronic illness and I love him and care for him all the same.

My female Goffin had Asper about 10 years ago. I noticed breathing abnormalities and immediately took her to the vet. She recovered completely with a month or more of antifungal treatments. Peanut was wild-caught, and a consequence of toweling her for treatment for a long duration is she became quite tame!

I hope Pollo recovers well, and kudos for accepting the responsibility for treatment regardless of cause!

thanks guys for your advice and support.

makes me feel more reassured that other people has gone through the same and their babies have recovered.

we'll see how it goes with 2 month of treatment! Will update you guys after.

=)

I also would suggest sanitizing everything, and possibly changing the food completely on the off chance it's contaminated. If you can, take the cage outside, wash with bleach and then hose it down. A steam cleaner is excellent to have too. Clean the cage often and change the paper and wash the grate/tray. Stick to paper towels or other white liner to make sure you can see the droppings.

You want to minimize the risk of it hiding out somewhere and causing it to reappear. As long as your bird stays relatively healthy and is eating and maintaining his weight, you should have no issue resolving the infection, it's very common in all types of birds.