Won't Swallow Medicine!

Okay, I've been giving Ria medicine since...at least March 20th, but I've finally come to the conclusion that she isn't swallowing enough! RAWR! I hold her, and Dad squirts the antibiotics in her mouth. No problem there. But, she just sits there in my hand, beak slightly open, and won't swallow the stuff! I can see it just sitting there in her beak, but she doesn't swallow! Legit, I can hold her in my hand for 3 minutes, but she won't swallow!

After becoming bored just hanging out in my closed hand with medicine in her beak, she'll start breaking me, dripping all the medicine onto my finger. Then I get my dad to fill up the syringe and try again. This time, she might swallow. Sometimes, she doesn't, and she just smears the medicine all over me again (she's deliberately not swallowing it). So I have Dad get more medicine to put in her mouth. Hopefully, third time's the charm, but if it isn't, I just give up and put her back in the cage. Honestly, she's really stubborn, so even if I was able to hold her for ten minutes without her biting me and thus leaking all the medicine onto my hand, at the end of the ten minutes, she'd probably still just be holding the medicine in her beak, waiting for me to put her down so she can spit it out. Thank you, Ria! :35:

I'm not upset with her or anything. I was a stubborn child, and if I didn't want to do something, you couldn't make me. Hahh, so, do I buy some organic mango juice and suck it up in the syringe along with the medicine? Seriously, how does everyone else do it? I think I might make another appointment with Dr. Morris, and just ask him to teach me to do injections if adding juice doesn't encourage her to swallow.

If she's not swallowing the medicine, its not doing anything for her. And doing 3 times, well now you have no idea how much or little she is getting. Injections are no big deal, the needle is itty bitty, 2 seconds and it is over.

Yeah, I just hope the small amounts of antibiotics she did ingest didn't make the infection more resistant >_<.

I honestly don't have any issues giving her injections, if that's what it takes. Honestly, I think giving a bird injections is a way better method than begging them to swallow. Assuming I don't puncture an organ. We'll pick up juice tomorrow, and if she doesn't swallow it, I'll take her to the vet and ask him to show me how to give her injections. My gosh, it's easier clipping our dogs' nails.

Could always try soaking the medicine in something she likes. I haven't had to give Lincoln any medicine yet but for my rats I've always found it useful to soak medicine into (plain) cheerios, bread, or Gerber baby puffs (not very absorbent but they really liked them) or mixing it in with apple sauce or another fruit/veggie mush I know they'd eat.

Thanks for the suggestion, Owlet. If I were trying to medicate Noah or the budgies, your suggestions would work really well! Unfortunately, the kākāriki will only eat sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and some nuts. I can only imagine how she'd react to soggy sunflower seeds ! When I get new birds, my problem isn't that they'll only eat junk food (sunflower seeds, nuts, chips, toast, sweets, etc.)—it's that they'll only eat maybe three different kinds of seeds (millet, canary grass, sunflower seeds). For the most part, I don't have too much trouble getting new guys to try different seeds, eat sprouts, or nibble on some lettuce. The kākāriki are a whole different story. They came to me emaciated, only eating peanuts (aspergillus!), roasted soybeans (eww), chickpeas, cracked corn (...), sunflower seeds, and some other garbage. I guess I'll have to try harder. Please, just try the sprouts! Even neurotic little Alice ate the sprouts!

I'd go the injection route. It'll be much less traumatic for all involved given what you've described.

Are you putting the medication in the side of her mouth so it will slide down without a swallow? Just a side not I have read and experienced birds actually spitting medication out after having been on it long enough to learn how to do this. Have you discussed this with the vet that is prescribing?

mix the meds with a SMALL amount of fruit juice or other liquid you know the parrot likes. Just enough to fool the bird into thinking its the real deal, and squirt into the side of the mouth ( left I believe). if this doent work, go with the injection, which is done inot the muscle of the breast, The needle is tiny, like 1/8" long , so not much chance of puncturing an organ, but have your Vet show you exactly how to do it. Thats my opinion, and I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I have found mixing the meds in cooked cereal like oatmeal or oat bran is more appetizing. Please first check with the vet to ensure combining with a substrate is acceptable.

If the meds are available as injectable, do consider! It is not difficult, especially for short-term therapies. Insulin needles are often used, and they are extremely short and easy to use.

You didn't hear this from me, but melted ice cream....can't resist .... even Baytril goes down the hatch.

Hmm, ice cream you don't say... I've got some delicious vegan, salted caramel ice cream made from cashew cream. Just avoid the chocolate clusters (they're easy to scoop around), bypass the parts with a lot of salted caramel (shouldn't be too hard), and we've got a naturally flavoured, sweet, fattening treat! I checked the ingredients, and I only need to be careful with the salt and chocolate. Unlike most ice cream, it isn't highly processed and doesn't have a ton of chemicals in it. Ria's really underweight, so as long as she doesn't eat too much salt or the chocolate covered cashews, it should work well. They use cane sugar in it! Can you believe it? By the way, it's called "So Delicious Salted Caramel Cluster." I like it way more than dairy ice cream. It's richer, creamier, and much more flavourful.

Man, I can't believe I'm actually thinking about giving her ice cream! Considering I only feed my guys organic, human-grade, salt- and sugar-free, unprocessed foods, I'm sure she'll be fine. It isn't like I go around feeding my guys deep-fried fish and chips, soda, beer, or candy. Man, I hate reading about humans letting their birds get drunk.

If melted ice cream doesn't work, I'll be taking her to the vet to pick up some needles. I'll also have to tell my dad to squirt the medicine in the left side of her beak. Easier said than done.

Well, apparently she likes ice cream. Unfortunately, I didn't do a good job of mixing it with the medicine, but we'll do better tomorrow.

My vet has also recommended ice cream when all else fails! Just want to make sure the drug is not invalidated by dairy!

First thing... ya don't squirt it in there mouths. They can strangle on it. Secondly... taste the meds yourself. If it taste like crap to you it does to your bird. If so..ask your vet to about a dif option. Vets commonly give "baytril" as an oral antibiotic.. but its also used for injection. Its VILE tasting. They do make on that is specially formulated for oral admin that does not have the nasty flavor. Also..prior to loading the meds in syringe load a small amount of corn syrup...so they get the sweet treat on the "back end" and it encourages them to swallow. I've taught my birds to take meds from a syringe willingly.. in fact Booger my SC will run to me when I have a syringe in my hand.
Food for thought.. everyone should teach their birds to take meds.. by starting early on dosing with corn syrup. Once they think they are getting a treat its no longer a chore.
Another option can be mixing the meds with almond butter... but unless they eat it all they aint getting the right dose.. Good luck
oops...
Another option... get your vet to call in the proper antibiotic to a local compounding pharmacy.. they can concentrate the dose so you don't need to give much.. and flavor the meds to make em go down easier.