Sick Senegal?

Hi, new user here and I have a 20 year old Senegal that may be ill.


This afternoon I noticed her poop a lot, approx 4 times in half an hour. It was very watery. The green part of it looked fine, but whats normally white was translucent like water and very runny.


About an hour later I seen her doing what I assumed was regurgitating, which she does time to time. However she seemed to be almost trying to make herself vomit. It looked like a phlegm in her mouth that bubbled when she opened her beak.



I took her out of her cage and she came out as normal, but kept at her beak. I placed her on the kitchen sick and let her drink water from the tap as she likes to do and she happily drank some. After a few droplets she had cleared whatever was in her beak / mouth.



Anything I should be concerned about here and anything I should be keeping a look out for?


Her behavior is normal, still playful and talking and wanting to come out. Her diet likewise, still eating and drinking fine. Hasn't eaten anything out of ordinary either, same fresh fruit and veg she enjoys everyday a long with fresh seed.


I changed the newspapers in her cage again after I noticed the watery poop so I can monitor it this evening.


Vets is out of the question for now. Wont be open again until Monday and its a 3hr drive away. Plus shes easily stressed and I dont want to have to put her through that again if I dont have to.



Thanks.

Well, how long have you had her?
Does the poop smell?
Without a vet, it's super hard to know, as birds hide illness....If she has some sort of infection, you will need to run testing.
When was the last time she went and has she had blood-work done etc? The vomiting part is more concerning. Have you ever seen her regurgitate for non-illness reasons?

If you have had her for a long time and this has never happened, then that is concerning. That having been said, a bird's poop can sometimes look odd for other (innocent) reasons. You are smart to watch it though, because it is often one of the first indicators of disease.
Any new fruit/veg?
Any changes to environment?
Any sneezing etc?

noodles123 said:

Well, how long have you had her?
Does the poop smell?
Without a vet, it's super hard to know, as birds hide illness....If she has some sort of infection, you will need to run testing.
When was the last time she went and has she had blood-work done etc? The vomiting part is more concerning. Have you ever seen her regurgitate for non-illness reasons?

If you have had her for a long time and this has never happened, then that is concerning. That having been said, a bird's poop can sometimes look odd for other (innocent) reasons. You are smart to watch it though, because it is often one of the first indicators of disease.
Any new fruit/veg?
Any changes to environment?
Any sneezing etc?

Click to expand...

Hi, many thanks for the reply.


We have had her since she was approx 12 weeks old! So practically her whole life.


Theres no smell from her poop, well, no more than usual.


She hasnt been to a vet in some time. The one and only time she went she was extremely stressed. Flapping about in her cage for the whole car journey, damaging her wing in the process and plucking out feathers. She wasnt right for a few days/weeks after it. At her age now, I dont want to put her through it again if it can be avoided. As I said, its 3hrs away and I dont think she can handle it. Not to mention being handled by the vet was even more traumatizing for her.



Shes never had bloods done I believe. The last time was just for a check up as I thought she was sneezing a lot but the vet said it was just her dander when she was molting and she appears healthy. They just suggest we give her vitamins as she looked like she might benefit from them. She wouldnt touch them tho


As for the regurgitating. Shes always done it, like daily. Just not like what I saw yesterday tho. She hasnt done it since however. I might have been too quick to think it was vomit but i'll continue to keep an eye on it.


Her diet hasnt changed much at all, if any in 20 years. Shes very picky to try anything new. She mostly eats a mix of fresh Apples, Carrots and Grapes from her bowl and throughout the day we will give pieces of banana at breakfast, tomato at lunch, broccoli at dinner etc... when we ourselves eat as she likes to eat with us. She also had her seed.


Treats wise, shes given small quantities of cereal, crackers, toasts, pasta, yogurt etc.. maybe one a day or every second day. Again, nothing she hasnt had in her 20 years.


Been no changes to her enviorment and no sneezing.


Monitoring her these 24hrs she hasnt 'vomited' again and she hasnt pooped as much as yesterday. Nor is as watery as yesterday, but still watery.

I've added attachments of her poop of yesterday and today. What do people think?

Well, that is good that it hasn't happened since. Birds so hide illness, so vet check ups are a good idea. I know it's 3 hours away and a source of stress, but again, it's hard to say. Is there a vet that handles exotics closer to you that could at least look at a poop sample and do a gram-stain? That would cause 0 stress to your bird, as she wouldn't have to leave the house.
The urates (white part) of that poop look okay (which is good) but you know your bird, and it does sound like something weird definitely was going on. If were you, I would try to make an appointment (even though she is doing better)---just because there were 2 odd events in relatively close proximity.

I understand the dilemma you’re in right now. My mom has senior birds who would not make the 2 hour drive to the nearest avian vet. She uses a local exotic vet who is familiar enough with birds he can run tests if needed and consult with an avian vet. This may be the best option for your bird, a local vet who can run some tests and consult an avian vet regarding the results or necessary courses of treatment.

Also, I’m NOT a vet but those poops look very similar to the ones my bird made when he had a kidney infection. It would have eventually been fatal had it not been treated, and also was extremely uncomfortable for him. As is, he has a damaged kidney now from it and developed food sensitivities as a result too. Please start looking for a vet locally who is willing to go the extra mile to help your bird.

Just in case you can make use of this resource...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.
Good luck!

I too own a Senegal, since he was 13 weeks old, he's only 2 now though...He too regurgitates when he's on my shoulder from time to time...But what you described almost sounds like he might have the start of either a fungal/yeast infection or a bacterial infection...Sounds more like yeast to me though, combined with her droppings...

I understand worrying about "stressing" your bird with a 3-hour drive to the Avian Vet (the drive is worth it if that's the closest Certified Avian Vet or Avian Specialist)...However, as Noodles mentioned, birds hide illnesses so well for so long that by the time you notice something is wrong, it's often too late to help them/save them. That's why taking your bird to a CAV or Avian Specialist Vet at least once every year for a full Wellness-Exam that must include both Fecal Testing (you bring a fresh sample with you) and full, routine Blood-Work (no big deal at all for a CAV/Avian Specialist, and no sedation/anesthesia should ever be necessary). That's the best way to avoid losing your bird an staying on top of her Liver and Kidney health, which is what you need to worry about for sure with a Senegal Parrot that age.

So "stressing" your Senegal with the 3-hour drive to the Avian Vet right now is very much worth it, because if she does in-fact have a Fungal or Bacterial Infection somewhere in her GI Tract (probably throughout it from what you describe, from her Crop where it probably started down through to her intestinal tract), it's not going to go away on it's own, they need to do a Fecal and Blood-Work to properly diagnose what it is and what medication will successfully treat it...Otherwise, if you don't take her and she does have an infection, you typically won't be able to really tell until she's very, very sick...You don't want to ever wait until a bird starts "Acting Abnormally", like being lethargic, sleeping a lot, not eating or drinking, etc., because that's when you lose them...So the runny, loose droppings and the excess mucous in her mouth/throat (probably from her Crop) are your signal that something is wrong, and she needs help from a CAV...

Setting up an appointment may take a few days, use the time to do a couple fun exploration drives?

Probiotics are always a good start, sold at pet stores sprinkle on food. Or a small amount like a spoonful of plain yogurt with live active cultures. I think a vet visit is a good idea, as is taking practice drives with lots of positive treats. Maybe let someone drive you while you comfort your bird. I hope things improve. So hard to have a sick baby even if the real age is senior .