Amazon Plucking

[Amethyst]

The vet I go to is the one I've been using for 11-12 years. The first time he got sick I took him to an emergency pet hospital - but they had no avian specialist on site and didn't seem to know what to do. Another vet closer to where I live that cares for dogs, cats and birds, said nothing serious is wrong with him. It is the original vet who we know for 11-12 years, who is working with me to find out what is wrong. He's had virtually almost every test except for an x-ray and skin biopsy which I would rather not do - except as a last resort - don't want to put him under any more stress. He has been eating Harrison's coarse since for 11 years. I do give him occasional pieces of fruit - but he's picky - only likes the really sweet kind (banana, mango, etc.) He turns his nose up at string beans and healthy veggies. Seems to have a sweet tooth and likes sweet veggies only. The good thing is his appetite is still in check. But he is back on an anti-inflammatory and an anti-fungal. While these meds keep his plucking and tapping to a minimum, as our vet said, it isn't curing whatever it is that he has. All his feathers grew back where he plucked and then the first time he went off the meds, he re-plucked them out in the same spots and then twitches and shakes/taps his foot. I'm calling the vet back tomorrow for another update. I welcome any ideas or suggestions.

 

[SandyBee]

I hope you can find an answer.
Typical causes of plucking/twitching

Boredom/stress- doesn't seem to be what your dealing with

Liver disease - Blood tests should show liver values

Dry Skin - Humidity and more frequent bathing/more fat to diet

Allergies - typically food related, try changing to different pellets rice based to confirm or rule out

Toe tapping in electuses have been linked to to many (overload of vitamins) suspected that sometimes they get too much vitamins. Have never heard of this being true for Amazons but something to keep in mind if you are considering diet changes.

 

[Girl4Jesus83]

Golly what an enigma! I really hope that there isn't a relapse! I keep thinking he had a really itchy spot, maybe from pin feathers under the skin. One might have been driving him crazy, kinda like when someone has a bug bite and scratches the whole area raw. Wonder if there is some sort or way to moisten the area, like mineral oil (I have no idea if that is dangerous if ingested) or some other natural oil? I remember my mom doing that for our dog who couldn't stop chewing at the base of her tail and it worked.

Like I said I really hope this was just a quirk! Happy to hear both of you are much happier .

 

[RockysMom]

if he is still plucking you can give him aloe baths, I have a grey that plucks and aloe baths do help , get some Aloe Juice you can get it at walmarts or you can buy George's Aloe online that's good to , I use a sock buddy on Smokey he has no feathers on his chest but he has a ton of fuzz , he is recently starting to grow some feathers back , cross my fingers and hoping he grows them all back , heres the link for the sock buddy , my avator is Smokey with a fresh sock buddy on
heres the link for the Georges
George's Always Active® Aloe Vera -- 32 fl oz - Vitacost
Home

heres another Link I tried her remedy but Smokey barely touches any pine cones now , he did for awhile , you can decided
Feather Plucking, Feather Plucking Remedies, Feather Destructive Behavior, Pine Cones, Exotic Bird Food, Pinecones, Bird Toys, Feather Picking Solutions and Refeathering

hope any of these links helps

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks everyone....I also bought a bottle of "Rain" from the vet in a spray bottle which has aloe in it. He's also changing his meds again. Trying to keep positive...

 

[Amethyst]

I've been giving him Celebrex 8 drops a day, once a day. Worked for 2 - 3 weeks. This weekend, he started plucking and twitching again. Whatever he has, it seemed to come back with a vengeance. Looking closer, in certain areas, he has plucked and it seems there are little red dots, like he is plucking to almost bleeding. Vet closed today so I will be calling tomorrow. Don't know if there are any other options that will work. Seems that the Celebrex is no longer working. Poor thing is so irritated. I know this is definitely NOT a behavioral issue (such as boredom). His feathers were almost all grown back and this irritation/inflammation has returned. I don't know what other tests can possibly be done to figure out what is wrong and bothering my little guy.

 

[henpecked]

I've been keeping up with your thread. IMO it might be something internal, liver issue maybe. I've heard of amazons plucking at their legs and back when suffering from VitA deficiency and liver issues. can your vet do consults with other AVs ? I'd suggest Helen Lightfoot at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Tampa,Fla.

 

[Amethyst]

I've been keeping up with your thread. IMO it might be something internal, liver issue maybe. I've heard of amazons plucking at their legs and back when suffering from VitA deficiency and liver issues. can your vet do consults with other AVs ? I'd suggest Helen Lightfoot at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Tampa,Fla.

I tried to PM you but was unable....I'm not in the FL area..

 

[JerseyWendy]

Make one more post, and you'll be able to contact our Capt (henpecked).

And I truly and whole-heartedly wish you the best of luck with your baby.

 

[Amethyst]

Thank you!

Update again: now vet just said to increase Celebrex to 8 drops TWICE a day. My guess is, that if the once a day (8 drops) eventually stopped working, so will the increased dosage and then what? I'm not giving up on my little guy. I will do what I can to help him. His spirits are good in spite of his discomfort. He still chews his toys and calls out for us by name.

He hates being restrained in a towel to take his drops, so last night I tried to get him to take them willingly, and I held the dropper under his beak and like a little child he just turned his head away in the other direction. He made me laugh when he did that. Just like a human child.

Also, I gave him a few baths this weekend - twice with lukewarm water and once with the "Rain" aloe spray. It temporarily stopped the irritation. But I don't want him to hang around wet all day so I just do it when I am home and the sun is streaming through the window.

 

[Amethyst]

This is horrible for him. He is freaking out in his own skin. He is whining and growling because he is so uncomfortable. The last time he was like this when it happened the first time we rushed him to a 24 hour animal hospital and they did nothing for him but put a collar on his neck which made him unable to eat and lose weight. I took it off. The vet said to increase his medicine to 8 drops twice a day which I started tonight but he is going crazy. I don't know how much longer he can last like this.

 

[Kiwibird]

I am so sorry to hear this has started worsening I do have a suspicion it's either a deficiency in his diet, or an allergy either to a food or an environmental factor (such as an air freshener spray or cleaning chemical). I really hope he improves soon.

 

[BoomBoom]

I'm so sorry this is happening! I can only imagine how difficult this ordeal is

I have no advice but maybe try to get a second opinion. Not doubting your vet but sometimes it helps to see it from a different perspective. I will be hoping for the best for your bird.

 

[Guacamole]

I know how hard this is and I'm sorry you are going through this.
Guacamole, my 30 year old yellow naped zon suffers from necrotic foot syndrome. My Mom struggled with this many times with her. I have had Guac about a year and a half, and this is the second time for me. It happened almost one year ago, and started again recently. It isn't that she plucks so much, she chews on her ankles! It is heartbreaking to hear her squalk when she does this. Currently she is wearing a clear plastic collar, but last year that wasn't enough and we had to put a disk on also. She hated it and had a hard time getting around the cage.
She is on liquid baytril and meloxicam. I think the meloxicam might be helping her.

I don't know much about this, and apparently neither does anybody else. It has been suggested that it is hormonal, seasonal or medical. It could be that they feel pins and needles in their feet/legs and pick or pluck to relieve the pain. Guac is no spring chicken, so it could be arthritis.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I thought I'd share.
Best of luck, I know this is so difficult!
Laurie

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks - I appreciate any and all suggestions and comments....

His vet is just as puzzled as to what's wrong with him. Right now, it's been a couple days he is on Celebrex increased dosage (twice a day, 8 drops each time). My concern is that I have a feeling that this will eventually not work either, just as the initial once a day 8 drops did.

The current options now to find out what this is are:

x-ray (I am nervous about him being sedated for this)
Bile acid test
Zinc poisoning test
Giardia test

The vet said he hasn't seen a case of giardia in 20 some odd years. Do you think all these tests are necessary ? He has tested negative for Borna Virus previously. The other night he was so irritated he was growling and whining in his cage. The Celebrex is suppressing what he has, not curing it.

I don't know if I'm ever going to find out what he has and if it can be cured. What are thoughts about the above tests? I am nervous about him being sedated for x-rays but if that shows he swallowed something or has something...I don't know. I don't want to put him through any unnecessary stress. But I also need to help him feel better somehow...

 

[Amethyst]

Re: Amazon Plucking & Twitching

Guacamole --- when your bird taps or twitches its foot, it is really quick as though he/she is trying to shake something loose?

I'm more-so concerned with his twitching and tapping than the plucking. These two symptoms coupled together make whatever he has seem worse than I can imagine.

I know how hard this is and I'm sorry you are going through this.
Guacamole, my 30 year old yellow naped zon suffers from necrotic foot syndrome. My Mom struggled with this many times with her. I have had Guac about a year and a half, and this is the second time for me. It happened almost one year ago, and started again recently. It isn't that she plucks so much, she chews on her ankles! It is heartbreaking to hear her squalk when she does this. Currently she is wearing a clear plastic collar, but last year that wasn't enough and we had to put a disk on also. She hated it and had a hard time getting around the cage.
She is on liquid baytril and meloxicam. I think the meloxicam might be helping her.

I don't know much about this, and apparently neither does anybody else. It has been suggested that it is hormonal, seasonal or medical. It could be that they feel pins and needles in their feet/legs and pick or pluck to relieve the pain. Guac is no spring chicken, so it could be arthritis.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I thought I'd share.
Best of luck, I know this is so difficult!
Laurie

 

[Amethyst]

Saturday: took him back to vet again this time for X-ray, and more blood work to test for zinc poisoning, & bile acid test and the vet put some ointment on his inflamed skin where he plucks. I was very worried about him being sedated but he seemed to tolerate it well. His droppings have looked normal up until this morning - seemed a little watery this morning then firmed up later. I'm wondering if the sedation drug caused that. He is still twitching his foot and plucking like mad - growls at whatever it is that's irritating him. I skipped his morning dose of anti inflammatory yesterday since he was being sedated. When we came home he was quiet - he likely was wondering what happened. Later in the day and today he's back to plucking but it looks like it's turning into self mutilation now. I picked him up at one point and he chomped on my finger so hard. I know he didn't mean it; he feels like crap; but darn that hurt and brought tears to my eyes. Blood work results due this week. X-ray didn't show any ingested metal or anything. The only thing it did show was a 'slightly' small liver (not enlarged) but we will see what blood work says. My stomach is in constant knots.

 

[Amethyst]

Bile acid test came back NORMAL !!

Now waiting for results of zinc poisoning test. If that test also comes back normal, what other tests can I request that haven't been done already? A bile acid test is pretty reliable, right ?

Meanwhile, when I sprayed the "Rain" on his plucked areas, it seemed to bother him. Can anyone recommend another ointment I can use on him that is safe to alleviate his raw, red, plucked back and legs? It's causing him a lot of discomfort.

 

[MonicaMc]

You've had the following tests performed....

Bloodwork
Gram Stains (did this include crop? or just fecal?)
Borna Virus
X-Rays
Bile Acid Test
Zinc Poisoning


Have you done the giardia test yet? What about a skin biopsy? Although young, have you considered seeing if there is any tests for heart problems? Have you considered a diet change?


Maybe look into Vetri-DMG? (you can get it OTC)


If all else fails, you might even try looking into Bicom Resonance Therapy, and seeing if there is anyone in your area that has a Bicom machine. It's a different kind of treatment based on the electromagnetic fields/waves of the body. It might be thousands of dollars down the drain, but likewise, it might even help. My avian vet uses it and she has seen some fantastic results in her clients. Heck, she's even used it on humans! (I can't say that it's a valid treatment, since I haven't used it myself, so I haven't seen whether or not it's truly effective)

 

[Amethyst]

He had a vent and crop swab. and the zinc test I am waiting to receive results Friday. Haven't done giardia as his stools appear normal but I've decided to now do that one too. Haven't done any skin biopsies --- is this safe to do? Also, he has been eating Harrisons since I first got him 11 years ago. I don't overdo any treats either. No table food either. He gets an occasional almond. Last night I made him a tiny bit of oatmeal with water for the first time and he really liked it. I also gave him some sweet potato (boiled no butter - no salt - no seasoning). He loves sweet potatoes.

You've had the following tests performed....

Bloodwork
Gram Stains (did this include crop? or just fecal?)
Borna Virus
X-Rays
Bile Acid Test
Zinc Poisoning


Have you done the giardia test yet? What about a skin biopsy? Although young, have you considered seeing if there is any tests for heart problems? Have you considered a diet change?


Maybe look into Vetri-DMG? (you can get it OTC)


If all else fails, you might even try looking into Bicom Resonance Therapy, and seeing if there is anyone in your area that has a Bicom machine. It's a different kind of treatment based on the electromagnetic fields/waves of the body. It might be thousands of dollars down the drain, but likewise, it might even help. My avian vet uses it and she has seen some fantastic results in her clients. Heck, she's even used it on humans! (I can't say that it's a valid treatment, since I haven't used it myself, so I haven't seen whether or not it's truly effective)