Cockatoo (pooping issue)

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
So, I am home from work due to weather...
Noodle's (11 year old female Umbrella Cockatoo) is acting odd (but she has odd days)...
Anyway, her feathers have been a bit shaggy will all of the stress of travel/vet visits etc, so it could be that I am just better able to see what is going on under them since they are a bit thin in some areas currently....

I noticed today that when she pooped, I could see a very minuscule area of pink around her vent that kind of stuck out quickly when she went (almost like a human butt-hole--ew/ lol). I just looked at her vent (post poop) and everything is nicely tucked back in etc (no visible pink on the outside, nothing hanging or protruding).


If you have an Umbrella Cockatoo, could you watch yours poop from a slightly lower angle and tell me if you notice any sort of pinkish skin around the vent during the act of pooping?

I am freaking myself out and I need to know if she has always done this or not (I don't recall noticing, but I am super tuned into her every move as she has been on antibiotics).


Thanks!
 

ParrotGenie

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2 umbrella Cockatoos One male named Cooper and female named Baby 1 Little Corella male named Frankie and have 5 Cockatiels three named Male named Pepper, Fiesco for the female and female named Wylie.
Vent area could be swollen. It happened to my male U2 Cooper once, but after yeast and other infection treated and was gone. He Vent area went back to normal a couple weeks later, I had x-rays done and had a specialized look up his butt and turn out was just swollen from previous infection he had. It could be something else considering she a female. Get her to a vet to get check out. May, or may not be serious, you sure not be able to see pink as she poo, so not normal?
 
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noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
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She was just there saturday and they felt her belly etc---I didn't ask about it then because I hand't noticed it yet...I called the vet and am waiting for her to call me back.
 

ChristaNL

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Sunny a female B&G macaw;
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All are rescues- had to leave their previous homes for 'reasons', are still in contact with them :)
I always thought that was normal for pooping- the vent area protrudes, opens up, the load gets released and then it closes up and retracts back to "normal" (sphincter clenching a few times for good measure)
 

ParrotGenie

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2 umbrella Cockatoos One male named Cooper and female named Baby 1 Little Corella male named Frankie and have 5 Cockatiels three named Male named Pepper, Fiesco for the female and female named Wylie.
I always thought that was normal for pooping- the vent area protrudes, opens up, the load gets released and then it closes up and retracts back to "normal" (sphincter clenching a few times for good measure)

Directly under you see it, but sure not see really see pink protruding from above, or side, as feathers usually cover it up. When you see it that extended, it could be swollen. My Cooper has that issue, thankfully once infection was clear up, a couple weeks later when back to normal.
 
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noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
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We went back to the vet again and she examined her vent area (pushed around etc) and did an x-ray.
Everything looks really good in that department and she was really good for the x-ray (no sedatives or anything needed) :)
Vet said to stop antibiotics for 24 hours and then continue them again to give her system a short break and see if that isn't causing irritation.. I was like "woah...stop them etc etc" (vet assured me that 24 hours would be fine in this case, as long as we continued after).
We go back the Saturday after next for a new swab test (throat...erm...whatever the technical name is).
If issues are still ongoing, we may do another CBC since her last was in July.


POSITIVE THOUGHTS APPRECIATED :) LOL...so dang sick of being a regular at the vet...
 

HEEDLESS

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Nov 9, 2018
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Sorry for being LATE getting here... I'm glad things went well after all.
I hope all go well after stopping the Antibiotic for 24hrs.
Sending red feathers' love your way.


**CHUUUUUUUUUUU*
 

ParrotGenie

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Jan 10, 2019
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2 umbrella Cockatoos One male named Cooper and female named Baby 1 Little Corella male named Frankie and have 5 Cockatiels three named Male named Pepper, Fiesco for the female and female named Wylie.
Hopefully all is well with her.
 

EllenD

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Does she take a daily Avian Probiotic? She should get one at the very least when she's on an antibiotic and for a good week after she finishes them, but giving her one daily on a regular basis will help to keep her feeling good and her system regular... It's EXTREMELY common for pet/captive parrots to not have an adequate amount of healthy, normal Flora throughout their GI Tract, and this often causes a ton of serious health issues, one of them being chronic prolapse of the Cloaca...We had a B&G Macaw at the Rescue once that was constantly prolapsing, and finally our then CAV (different than the great one we have now) was willing to look at the Fecal Smear I had made, which showed ZERO healthy bacteria in her feces... Probiotics daily weren't helping it was so bad, so he did a Fecal-Transplant from another healthy Macaw that had been surrendered (we had to wait for one to be surrendered)...This made all the difference in the world and her prolapses stopped, though he did also put two sutures in...Then I saw this same thing happen on Dr. K's show to a Greenwing Macaw, as well as an Amazon...

A little protrusion of the Cloaca tissue during or right after a bowel movement is no big deal and can be normal for some birds depending on their anatomy. But if it ever prolapses then that's your indication that he may be developing a chronic problem (Or if you see any blood in his droppings, or if he ever strains to go)... I highly recommend giving him a regular, daily Probiotic so that it doesn't become a regular issue in the first place, and it will also protect against GI yeast/fungal infections, help him digest his food, and just keep him healthy overall...Either Qwiko Avian Probiotics or Benebac would be my choices, I use Qwiko every single day for all of my guys and have once daily for the last 2 years, and not one of them has had any infections or issues at all (they just injur themselves constantly, lol)...
 
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noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
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I am glad you chimed in, as I know you have a decent grasp of this stuff.

She has been on a daily probiotic for about 6 months now (ever since she had a gram-stain of no good or bad bacteria EEK/lol?)
I am giving it to her daily still (even though the antibiotic is likely cancelling it out).


I really feel like Baytril is messing with her. I started it up again this morning, and within 4 hours of her dose, she is oddly quiet/sedate (no tail-bobbing or anything major, but just clearly not herself)...Poop looks fine- urates are white.


Again, she has been fully checked for everything (pretty much), so I am wondering if it isn't just upsetting her stomach or something...she is eating still...
 

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