New York Macaw owner looking for support

[PikaP]

Hello All,

I joined this forum because I am looking for realistic options for me and my parrot. I have had her since I was 15 years old and she is not 19. My Pikachu is the most loving well mannered parrot I have ever met. She is not much of a talker but super loving and great with other animals. She has lived with dogs and cats her whole life. Recently I found out my mother developed a severe bird allergy. She was diagnosed with Hyper sensitivity Pheumonitis. I took the bird to live with me but the dander continues to be a concern. Does any one have any advice on how to eliminate the dander.

I am trying to avoid rehoming my sweet bird. She has only ever known my family and I worry what the future will bring for her if I cant keep her with me. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Kind regards

Vanessa

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome, so sorry you are having trouble with this dander issue.

I'm a bit confused here as I read. You said you took her to live with you, but your mother is still having a dander problem at her house? In this case, why would you have to rehome her? I'm just confused on why she would have to be rehomed if she no longer is in the home your mother lives in.

 

[israel_gcc]

Ouch, that sounds like a serious pain.

If I understand correctly, your and your bird live together in one home, while your mother lives apart from you somewhere else. Is your concern about dander remaining at your mother's house, or about dander being in your home when your mother comes to visit, or about dander carried on your clothes/hair when you encounter your mother?

The way of dealing with the problem would differ depending on which of the allergen delivery methods you're trying to address.

 

[Owlet]

Itzjbean, I think the problem more relates to when they visit each other. Mother can no longer go to herhouse because of the bird and I'm not sure if any dander on the OP would cause a flare up. It is a tricky situation, you can get an air purifier but that'd only do so much. Regular baths would help. A lint roller might be a good idea if you plan to go out and visit your mom...

How allergic is she? Like would she have to carry around an epipen? Does she burst into hives?

 

[PikaP]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I have had Pikachu live with me for the past two years. My mom and I live very close to each other and are in contact almost every day as she helps me watch my son. I have three heavy duty air purifiers and she has air purifiers in her home as well. She developed hypersensitivity pneumonitis which became a much more serious fibrosis issue. We don't have a clear answer if they were directly related but the doctor has said she is now affected by the bird dander and droppings.
As it stands my mom cannot visit me but we have been reluctant to rehome Pikachu because she is a member of the family. I wanted to see if I could foster my bird and see if my mom does better before deciding to rehome Pikachu. I really do not want to do so but I have to think of what may help my mother. Thank you for your attention and any ideas on how to handle this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Vanessa

 

[israel_gcc]

IMO, determining how many of your mom's health problems really are directly related to Pikachu is the first step, before you can make any real decisions. As an alternative to fostering, maybe your mom could avoid meeting you physically for a week or two, and see if that makes a positive difference?

I also hope in addition to air purifiers, she's had every single scrap of fabric in her house thoroughly cleaned of allergens: clothes, curtains, upholstery, carpets... sometimes it's even necessary to completely replace hard-to-clean like mattresses or couches. It's not an easy process to get diagnosed with this kind of thing.

Is her not being able to visit your place something you're willing to accept in the long term?

If the conclusion is that you and/or your son are carrying allergens to your mother, there are still things you can try: changing your clothes and washing/covering your hair before seeing her, for example.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wow.
Just following with interest, and hoping for the best...

 

[Flboy]

IMO, determining how many of your mom's health problems really are directly related to Pikachu is the first step, before you can make any real decisions. As an alternative to fostering, maybe your mom could avoid meeting you physically for a week or two, and see if that makes a positive difference?

I also hope in addition to air purifiers, she's had every single scrap of fabric in her house thoroughly cleaned of allergens: clothes, curtains, upholstery, carpets... sometimes it's even necessary to completely replace hard-to-clean like mattresses or couches. It's not an easy process to get diagnosed with this kind of thing. .....

A very frustrating part of working your way through this is how the target keeps changing! In homeopathic's, as you reduce the pathogen, it's effects actually increase! And results, as you clean your environment you become more and more sensitive! The key is to try to figure out why you were suddenly becoming sensitive and to work on the underlying causes!

 

[wrench13]

Flboy has something there. Her Dr needs to determine what set this off initially. He should be working closely with a real Certified Avian vet to double check symptoms and causes. My vet here in Suffolk Cty is such a vrt and I;m sure she would help in this case. I would take your B&G for a few weeks , if that becomes a part of the investigation, I/m in Suffolk cty, exit 56 on the LIE, but lets see what the above query yields. I will Pm you her name and contact info and make a preliminary call to her, it you want. PM me on the side please.

 

[PikaP]

Thank you all for your ideas. My mom originally went for shortness of breath. Her father passed away a few years ago from Fibrosis of the lungs. He did not have parrots but he did keep chickens, but they were out doors. My mom had a lung biopsy and they determined she had fibrosis of the lung but it was not progressing. They did a blood allergy test and determined that she was allergic to bird droppings and feathers.
Because this happened to my grandfather and my mom there are concerns there is a genetic component. I have already gone for allergy testing and it turned out negative for me thankfully. I am moving to a new apartment and considered fostering my bird with a friend but it did not work out. The fostering was to determine if there was any difference in health for my mom, since I would be in a new space that would be free of dander. Since it did not work out I am considering bringer her with me and I want to reduce or ideally find a way to keep the dander and feather as controlled as possible.

My mom lived with the bird for 17 years we don't know when she became affected exactly.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums Vanessa, thanks for joining. You have a heartbreaking conundrum, hope there are some answers to manage your Mom's medical situation and keep Pikachu with you.

Seems you have taken the logical first step with efficient purifiers, but this may not be sufficient. Frequent bathing and misting of Pikachu will help, but more than likely your Mom's hypersensitivity will cause a reaction to abundant dander. Whether or not it can be reduced to an acceptable level is a very difficult question.

Has your Mom had consultation with a pulmonologist, a lung specialist? More than likely any ideas reside with a deep understanding of her condition and an effort to reduce dander to the absolute minimum.

I wish you much luck and salute your deep devotion to both your Mom and Pikachu!

 

[PikaP]

Hi Scott, Thank you for your message. Its quite unfortunate but my mom has been seeing a pulomonologist for about 2 years now. He is currently advising me to rehome my bird because my mother seems to be having some new flare ups. I am really sad but I have to make a decision that will help me keep my mom a little longer. I actually posted to put her up for adoption today hoping to find some one willing to allow me to visit.
I know even Pikachu wouldn't want my mom to suffer because of her allergy. Thank you for the support and I hope to some how keep my connection with my Pika.

Thanks

Vanessa

 

[Scott]

I am so sorry, Vanessa. Truly a sad choice, but you are making the only rational decision. Hopefully you will have time to find Pikachu the very best home. Do you have any family members or friends willing to adopt Pikachu? That would be the best possible way to ensure visitation.

 

[PikaP]

I have tried friends and family but most people are aware of my mother's condition so they fear its going to happen to them. I have lived with Pikachu 19 years and I am fine but I can understand their fear. It's a very terrible condition but I have done a lot of research and it only affects 2 percent of the population. And of that 2 % about 12% are bird owners. The hypersensitivity can also be caused my certain farm or construction activities.
Unfortunately for my family my mother is the 2nd person in our family. The first was my grandfather and he passed away about 12 years ago. He never had contact with my bird but its possible he was allergic to something different. The family is aware of all this so they are reluctant to volunteer to care for my Pika.

 

[Scott]

I can understand the reluctance of family members to adopt Pikachu, but there is some comfort in the statistics. Probably a long shot, but if you have relatives seriously interested, might they be willing to have the genetic testing necessary to establish their susceptibility to lung fibrosis?

Barring a trusted relative or friend, might a sanctuary be willing to care for Pikachu for an indeterminate period of time? At some time in the future you would be reunited. Please note I post this fully mindful of the ramifications, but am just trying to think out of the box.

 

[PikaP]

Hi Scott, I went to a local rescue and they would be willing to house her. They were really nice people who clearly love birds but, there was so many birds there, with various back grounds so some were loud or a little more aggressive and I don't think that would be a good environment for Pikachu. She is really quiet and super friendly. She likes close contact and does not like loud noise. She grew up with many animals, dogs, cats, parakeets. I think she would become anxious or depressed. I would rather see her live with one family than have to make her suffer because I want to hold on to her. She deserves more.