A little worried... Need some thoughts!

[clark_conure]

if you take pic with smart cell phone you often have to put it on computer, open it, do something to it like crop out 1mm or whatever and resave....then it will save in the windows or whatever filetype correctly. been there.

 

[Laurasea]

I agree, I think the vet school would be best. In your pictures of feathers they look fine, just unzipped, she might not be preening as she should.
She is very beautiful. And I think she will be fine today, until you can get her to vet school. But I would take all your birds in. I know that can be expensive, but they all need to be tested and have blood work done. Especially after what you have been through. I hope for a nice easy explanation.

 

[YUMgrinder]

I just shot this, I can't tell if she's puffy or not. Does she look like the puffy sleeping sick bird to you?

Appt made! 10am tomorrow

 

[YUMgrinder]

if you take pic with smart cell phone you often have to put it on computer, open it, do something to it like crop out 1mm or whatever and resave....then it will save in the windows or whatever filetype correctly. been there.

Sometimes they post just fine though. It's so dumb. I have the best phone on the market and I can't post right side up photos online reliably lol SMH

 

[YUMgrinder]

I agree, I think the vet school would be best. In your pictures of feathers they look fine, just unzipped, she might not be preening as she should.
She is very beautiful. And I think she will be fine today, until you can get her to vet school. But I would take all your birds in. I know that can be expensive, but they all need to be tested and have blood work done. Especially after what you have been through. I hope for a nice easy explanation.

But the tests I'm told are extremely unreliable for pdd. So how do I reconcile that?

 

[clark_conure]

if you take pic with smart cell phone you often have to put it on computer, open it, do something to it like crop out 1mm or whatever and resave....then it will save in the windows or whatever filetype correctly. been there.

Sometimes they post just fine though. It's so dumb. I have the best phone on the market and I can't post right side up photos online reliably lol SMH

yeah I have a samsung note 9 and still it's 50-50 if it orients right...so by default i put it on laptop first.


In pic i dunno looks like normal fluffing but.....I dunno man.

 

[EllenD]

I would say get Chessie tested for not only PDD, but also ABV and PBFD...And if ANY of those come back as positive, then you definitely have to get the rest of your birds tested as well, because then you have an issue for sure...But Laura is right, you know for sure that Cheddar was positive for PDD, I don't know about ABV or not or if they even tested her, but they are all viruses that are contagious and that they shed regularly, so you just don't know...

The thing that frightens me about Chessie is that her symptoms as you described them are only that her ability to fly has been slowly getting worse and worse over the past few weeks, and that's it...Otherwise she's acting normally...And knowing birds, they hide the signs/symptoms that they can hide, like being lethargic, not wanting to eat, being uncomfortable and in pain, etc., but her ability to fly slowly deteriorating is a sign/symptom that she can't hide if it's due to a neurological issue. That's why it's scary. Usually they won't stop eating, become very lethargic, etc. until it's very advanced, but the neurological symptoms like not being able to control her flying or being able to land, and then not being able to fly at all are things she can't hide..

Again, it could very well be a severe inner-ear/sinus infection, so be sure you talk to the vet about that, they may want to do a regular x-ray just to make sure if they can't tell by looking in their ears, usually it's tough to look in a bird's ears. Keep us posted, and keep a close eye on her, make sure she's eating normally, she's not falling-off of perches, etc.

 

[Laurasea]

I would do CBC and chemistry and all your birds, as well as fecal exam gram stain and culture, as this is something that needs to be done every few years, if not yearly anyway. Then I would have the conversation with the vet telling them your past history with Cheeder and ask what tests they think you need to do...maybe at least test your girl for the virus. You have a lot of birds, and psitticouses is a common bacterial infection found in birds, can be subclinical (not showing symptoms) then become active. It is treatable. With so many birds I wouldn't be surprised if someone was a carrier. As for your picture she does looked fluffed to me, sometimes fluffy while sleeping is normal, but if she is sleeping More that can be a symptom. My GCC was sleeping more, but not fluffy when sick with a yeast infection. When she was treated her activitie level went through the roof and she gained four grams. Ate you tracking weights of your birds?

 

[noodles123]

I agree, I think the vet school would be best. In your pictures of feathers they look fine, just unzipped, she might not be preening as she should.
She is very beautiful. And I think she will be fine today, until you can get her to vet school. But I would take all your birds in. I know that can be expensive, but they all need to be tested and have blood work done. Especially after what you have been through. I hope for a nice easy explanation.

But the tests I'm told are extremely unreliable for pdd. So how do I reconcile that?

To be certain, you often have to test more than once, and you have to do blood tests. If she is symptomatic, it is likely that she is shedding the virus currently. The results are less accurate for seemingly healthy birds who often carry/transmit the virus without showing symptoms (So if she tests positive and your other birds test negative, don't take that as law, due to the viral shedding, incubation times etc). False positives are VERY unlikely unless they do a feather test and the feather gets contaminated elsewhere...or if the bird's immune system permanently fights it off (which is rare but has occasionally happens with certain diseases). False negatives are the bigger concern/issue.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

YUM...BB sleeps like that at times too..fluffy looking. He is also stripping and getting his new set of clothes on also and has been SUPER lovey with me lately.
He is my first cockatiel so I don't know a lot about them but I do know even with short sleeves and a rudder or two missing he is an excellent zoomer.
He goes to see his doc Saturday about his poo problem AGAIN
How old is your little girl?"?? Beebs was hatched around this time three years ago.

Amy and BB and I are saying prayers for Chessie and for you! I hope you get some definitive answers tomorrow my6 friend!



Jim

 

[EllenD]

I will say that last night I noticed that all 8 of my Budgies have started molting pretty aggressively, I hadn't really noticed but last night I let them out of the aviary and I was like "Wow, you guys all look like crap!"...They're all ratty looking and their are little feathers all over their cage...So I checked on the rest of the flock, and Kane is starting as well...So it definitely is the season for molting...So that means that if Chessie is positive for PDD/PBFD etc., she's definitely shedding it right now, so it is very important to get the rest of your flock checked just to be safe...But as Noodles already said, false-negatives are a problem...I've not EVER heard of a false-positive for PDD or PBFD, or ABV now that I think about it...But false-negatives yes, that's a common occurrence...

I'm just hoping for a bad inner-ear infection/Sinus issue...I'm assuming that your Vet will just automatically do normal Blood-Work/Chemistry, like a CBC, Chem7, Coag Panel, and Liver/Kidney Panels, and then they will just add the individual Viral-tests onto the regular blood-work/chemistry. They should get the CBC back right away while you're there (assuming they have the equipment to run the basic blood-work right there in their office and don't need to send-out a CBC)...So if her WBC-count is elevated, then I would want a regular x-ray to be done...i don't know if your Vet is one who puts the bird under short-term sedation to do a blood-draw, they shouldn't if the blood-draw is the only thing they are doing, but it might be prudent at this point to just have them use a whiff of IsoFlurene Gas to put her out momentarily, and then first do an x-ray and then take the blood all at the same time, so it's just all done at one time in a matter of about 10 minutes and then she's awake and it's over. And you'll know for sure whether or not she's got an inner-ear/sinus problem, and if it is that, how bad it is, whether the bones have started remodeling, etc.

I hadn't really thought about Psittacosis Chlamydia until Laura mentioned it, I don't think that's it just simply because the usual presentation of that is first Conjunctivitis in both eyes coupled with some coughing/wheezing/sneezing and even open-mouthed breathing...Any neurological symptoms of Psittacosis typically don't appear until well-after the Conjunctivitis and the Upper-Respiratory symptoms have been apparent....But you never know. The gradual loss of coordination and the ability to fly as the sole symptom doesn't ring any bells with me as pointing to one particular disease or condition except a middle/inner ear infection...So fingers-crossed it's that simple.

 

[YUMgrinder]

Well, we are at the vet. Waiting on doc. I know they don't have any good machinery to do tests, they will have to send it off. There is very little local parrot support even though I live in a capital city lol it's just the whole state of Wyoming has less population than the CITY of Denver or Nashville.

I do not know her age, she was a shelter bird, apparently found living outside. She has a band though so she came from someone.

Chessie is perched on my shoulder. Taking in all the sights and sounds. I'll let you know how the visit with the vet goes.

 

[YUMgrinder]

He's not worried about her but we are doing wellness bloodwork. She's 117 grams so she's a fatty. He said birds don't get ear infections except on rare cases and they don't do fecal smears cause they've been debunked. He also said he can't test for pdd. I feel like I got no answers other than she's a piggy. I had to leave her with him and I gotta say I'm so nervous I can't shake the feeling she will die ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He did say if she was sick she would be losing weight like crazy and I tend to agree with that...

 

[dhraiden]

You're doing good by Chess getting the run-down at the CAV. Let us know how it goes. Remember your birds need you to be calm and dependable for them, don't allow the anxiety to take over your thoughts.

 

[EllenD]

He's not worried about her but we are doing wellness bloodwork. She's 117 grams so she's a fatty. He said birds don't get ear infections except on rare cases and they don't do fecal smears cause they've been debunked. He also said he can't test for pdd. I feel like I got no answers other than she's a piggy. I had to leave her with him and I gotta say I'm so nervous I can't shake the feeling she will die ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He did say if she was sick she would be losing weight like crazy and I tend to agree with that...

Oh YumGrinder, I'm sorry...That's a mess...Birds DO get inner ear infections all the time, badly...both middle and inner ear infections...And I'm not going to even comment on "they don't do fecal smears because they've been debunked", and that they can't test for PDD...

Did you challenge him on any of this? This isn't the University is it? I'm totally confused...But a simple Google search for "Parrot ear infection" will produce thousands of examples of them and how one of the first signs is loss of flight/control while flying...And of course they can test for PDD...And fecal smears? Are you serious? "Debunked"? What does that even mean? Debunked...Fecal Smears show, oh, why am I even arguing...

I'm so sorry...I don't like this at all...Is this the same vet you took Cheddar to that diagnosed PDD? I'm really confused...

 

[EllenD]

And why would she lose weight when she hasn't stopped eating yet? Does he know that sick birds hide all outward signs of illness for as long as they possibly can? A sick bird won't start losing weight until they stop eating, and by the time a sick bird stops eating it's usually too late to help them because at that point they've been seriously ill for quite a long, long time...I feel like calling this guy myself...

 

[Scott]

He's not worried about her but we are doing wellness bloodwork. She's 117 grams so she's a fatty. He said birds don't get ear infections except on rare cases and they don't do fecal smears cause they've been debunked. He also said he can't test for pdd. I feel like I got no answers other than she's a piggy. I had to leave her with him and I gotta say I'm so nervous I can't shake the feeling she will die ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He did say if she was sick she would be losing weight like crazy and I tend to agree with that...

I hope this is the local vet and not the uni staff. In any case, you'll get some info from the wellness bloodwork. Hope the visit went well and you and Chess are home!

 

[Laurasea]

Ellen tis so right!
Fecal gram stain can show the following pathology, yeast infection, mega bacteria, clostridium bacteria, cysts from giardia , a shift in gram positive or gram negative bacteria, bacterial over growth on more! Go get your bird don't leave for blood work, I don't trust this vet, should have drawn blood in front of you. And he should listen to your concerns, and tell you after blood work comes back we will have more ideas what's going on....

 

[YUMgrinder]

Yes this is all very confusing. I couldn't push on the subjects cause I'm not an expert. I've never heard the things he told me. Yes it is the same vet from Cheddar's situation. I don't know what to do.

Blahh

 

[Laurasea]

Aww, I would get your bird, and go to the vet school when you can. Or if he has already drawn blood wait for the results and see what shows up.
In my experience , I would not feel comfortable with this vet....