Urgent help needed! Ill lovebird

Hi,

We've recently had an issue with one of our lovebirds - he hurt his leg while flying and we took him to the vet as he was limping. He said he stretched his ligament and gave him 2 injections (1 day away of each other) with a mix of anti-inflamatory, pain killer & vitamins. His leg looked better immediately. While giving him the second injection, we also asked the vet to give them some anti-parasite treatment, because they were scratching very often. He gave them Ivermectin (applied to the back of their heads), but he dropped a little too much on the lovebird with the leg issue (about 2 drops). We think he developed an allergic reaction to it, because the other lovebird kept cleaning him on the area where Ivermectin was applied and he kept shaking and standing still/not active and chatty as usual. 3-4 days have passed, he looks ok now (eating, chirping, playing - he didn't use to do it a lot in the first couple of days) but we've noticed him heavy breathing sometimes (not continuously, but when he does the beak is open and the tail bobbing). I'm scared and not sure what to do - I've already seen 2 vets (the one that gave them Ivermectin and another one) and they did more harm than better... the vet with the Ivermectin said I shouldn't be worried, that the bird is just stressed, but I'm not buying it.. The other one gave me pills to put in their water. Any advice?

Thanks!

I use Ivermectin as a regiment, and a precaution in my aviary,due to owning many canaries which are susceptible to mites. I am extremely careful when administering it.
your poor bird does not sound well. I have posted symptoms of toxicity with Ivermectin.

If he is displaying any of these signs or symptoms then I would guess the above.

However if he's panting, and tail bobbing, it's more than likely he has air sac mites.
the Ivermectin will kill the adults within 24 hours, but not the nymphs that have been laid.
they grow within 6-7 days to adult size, and he will require another treatment then, 7-10 days after the initial treatment.
then one more treatment is required in case anything is missed.(three dosages in total, 7-10 days apart)

here is a list of symptoms:
Toxicity can occur from a one-time injection or from daily dosing.

This is what you need to watch for:

Acute clinical signs of toxicity often develop within 4 to 12 hours of drug exposure. Subacute signs will often occur with in 48 to 96 hours of exposure.

Lethargic
Vomiting
Tremors
Disorientation(unable to fly with co-ordination)
Weakness
Unable to stand
Blindness
Nonresponsiveness
not eating

Once the Ivermectin is given, it begins to kill the adults, which can & will clog the airways.

your other bird MUST be treated as well, mites are highly contagious and will infect any bird within the surrounding area.

good luck and please keep us updated, mites are not to be taken lightly and can cause death.

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply! This is SO strange! Don't know what to think of this...

He started shaking heavily at about 3-4h after the invermictin treatment. Then he got better. He is now just lathergic, not so noisy as usual, but eating, drinking and playing normally. The droppings seemed a bit abnormal yesterday - rather brownish, but now they look ok.

How could he get mites? I am extra-careful with hygiene with them - I thoroughly clean the cage on a weekly basis, the water gets changed every day and they just get quality, fresh food.

He now shakes, breathes quickly - and very strange - separates his wings from the body (not fully stretching them, just detaching them from the body).

How can I tell for sure if it's mites? I'm afraid to go back to the vet and ask for an extra dose of Ivermectin when maybe that's what harmed him?

We care for him a lot and want him to get well. Also, his pair got treated with Ivermectin and she's perfectly healthy. Does that mean anything?

Thanks in advance!

is he okay?