Anyone had experience with a parrot post stroke?

[Laurasea]

Always watching

I know, one almost got my tiny puppy years ago....

I want to love all of the birds....but my quaker escaped in the summer and I have never been able to find him, so i can't look at hawks......

I want Gemma to recover and have a happy long life with you!

I'm not sure why more members aren't here cheering you on.....but I know we have so many sad stories that people just can't handle it... so they stay away

But I hope you can picture me there cheeerleading you all the way!! All sign are pointing that she is healing!!! She is fir sure a fighter!!! Warrior Princess!!

 

[noodles123]

So, I have not experienced a bird post-stroke (at least not one that I owned) BUT I have worked with a lot of people who have had strokes or brain injuries and it's AMAZING how well the brain can re-wire with the right persistence.
I'm sorry you are going through this and I have my fingers crossed for your baby!


I haven't had a chance to read this whole thread yet, so this may have been answered early on, but did they take blood work and do you have access to any avian certified vets within a few hours of your location? Again, sorry if this has already been answered.




I'd avoid mixing any meds with water, which is also why I asked about vets in your area.



You are doing great!!! So glad you care so much and are doing everything you can for your bird.

 

[clark_conure]

Wow,
1) Your parrot is a bad ass!!! I'm sure the recovery as it seems going well so far will continue! A fighter is a fighter!

2) You came to the right place for second advice.

3) Stay strong if you worry to much your parrot will pick up on it, stay positive and emotionally intact and your parrot will gain strength from that. Once you bond with a parrot they take all their cues from you.

I'll b monitoring this thread for more news.

 

[saxguy64]

Wow. Just. Wow! So sorry I missed this thread, but I'm all caught up now. No experience with anything even close to what poor Gemma has been through, but huge respect for your caring and effort so far. Gemma survived a hawk attack! That by itself is a miracle! That she's improving is a gift. She's obviously a fighter, but you get the credit for the rest. You're doing great! A sick or injured bird is tricky. Nutrition is so important, since it takes so much energy to heal, and by design, they don't have much storage capacity. So, the best foods right now are simply what she will eat. That changes as she gets stronger, but as you know, good food sitting in the bowl uneaten is worthless. You have good instincts on this, and again, you're doing great. Keep it up!

Prayers, healing vibes, hugs, and whatever else we can send are heading your way. You got this!

 

[CyrusLUVSGemma]

i figured out a way to give her all the meds... mix all the meds in Thick peanut butter, put it in the fridge so it gets even thicker, spoon feed her slowly she loves it. it all is ingested, none is left.

Im going to leave her in her cage, I think she wants to be there, Ileave extra paper and cloth on the bottom, its scarry because shes passing out and keeps waking up looks like she may fall but ILL keep an eye on her. I dont think she sleeps well with me and the tiny rescue cage is safe but I think upsets her since its tiny and she cant perch.

made her eat peas, and crushed pellet mix w apple sauce today. lots of peanut butter, for now as much as she wants, lots of crushed blueberry too.

 

[Laurasea]

Keep perches low. So glad you got more food in her! Great tip on peanut butter!

 

[noodles123]

Have you tried mashed bananas cooked with plain oatmeal and a bit of citrus--Noodles will literally eat this daily and it carried on many years after the medicine stopped lol! PB is fine in a situation like this -- just be cautious about the salt, sugar, fat etc--- when a bird is sick, they do need food though, for sure...so even if it's not ideal, something is often better than nothing unless it is toxic in some way. I fed Noodles PB last night when she wasn't wanting to eat much else (a small bit, but I was after the calories bc I was pretty sure she was laying an egg, and she was but she did it on her own! yayyyy )


I agree padding is a good idea (and this is like the only time I say that lol, as it can encourage nesting etc) BUT this is a serious exception.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh my goodness, a hawk attack would be such a traumatising thing for your parrot to experience! I am so sorry that you and she are experiencing all this but Gemma could not have a more dedicated and determined parront in you!

Another member here had a green cheeked conure who experienced a severe brain injury two years or so ago if you would like to read about her experience. It starts out a little heavy going as you'd expect but it has a happy ending if you'd like to skip ahead a bit But it may provide some inspiration and encouragement for you in your journey with Gemma.......

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/79385-severe-head-trauma-what-would-you-do.html

Lots of positivity and prayers coming your way - get better soon, Gemma!!

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Hi Cyrus??? Are you the one loving Gemma so much?? I’ve been away for awhile and just picked up on your thread. Lots of great advice from our friends above. How is Gemma now? How are you? If this precious fighter took on a hawk then I’m praying that she will continue to fight her way through this stroke. You mentioned a previously diagnosed enlarged heart precipitating this traumatic experience potentially eventuating in a stroke??



How old is Gemma? Scott mentioned considering other organ involvement causing an enlarged heart. This is very important. Has she been diagnosed with FLD (Fatty Liver Disease) in the past? Any kidney problems? All information is relevant, especially when considering an increase in protein within Gemma’s diet. If she is not able to appropriately metabolize the additional protein then I would suggest that you proceed with caution in adding protein in high doses. Looking forward to your updates and hoping the best for Gemma. Hang in their mate.

 

[CyrusLUVSGemma]

Hello Lamanuka,Noodle and Ellie thanks for your interest.

I only had her X rayed so at vet, I dont know about fatty liver, she used to eat alot of peanuts and just got sick of it one day and I began taking them out of her food before I even knew about FLD.
I forced her to eat Peas and crushed wet pellet 1st thing in the morning today, so shes upset with me now and wont even eat her peanut butter meds, sigh.,

The med report says shes got prominent vasculature on radiographs.



I took her out he cage at 2 am she was on her food perch instead , I think i got to train her a little more before I leave her alone overnight. She will fly to turn around to turn vs stepping around.

 

[CyrusLUVSGemma]

Is Blueberry fruit spread ok for now? She likes it apparently. it says 50 percent fruit.

 

[Laurasea]

She has a sweet tooth....its really easy for her to develop a yeast overgrowth with all these sugary foods. Hiw about a boiled egg, ir scrambled egg, cooked plain pasta, cooked grits ir oatmeal, fresh corn on the cob, hum baby food, cooked butternut squash cooked pumpkin, cooked sweet potatoes.

If that formula hasn't come can yiur go to the pet store and get Kaytee exact baby bird formula? Pet co does curb dude pick up.

Plain rice cooked is at lest slightly more complex sugars and burds like it

Whst foods are you eating? Many times we can share our meals

 

[CyrusLUVSGemma]

This is just for now since i need her to take 3 meds STAT!

in the future ill try to use something better long term for meds, She seems to like the jelly better and im having trouble with the Peanut butter meds today for some reason, but shes eating any jelly i give her.

she wont eat much solid, im going to try pasta later, which is her fav.

 

[noodles123]

IF you can, buy non-fortified pasta--she's sick and probably won't eat that much, but if she does, you need to be careful about the "enriched" nature of these foods. They sell some varieties without fortification/enrichment. You could also try rice, as long as you rinse it until the water runs clear-ish before cooking and consider cooking it a special way, as rice often contains arsenic-- here is a link to a way to reduce it if you are going to feed some rice https://scitechdaily.com/scientists...e-that-removes-arsenic-and-retains-nutrients/

 

[Laurasea]

This is just for now since i need her to take 3 meds STAT!

in the future ill try to use something better long term for meds, She seems to like the jelly better and im having trouble with the Peanut butter meds today for some reason, but shes eating any jelly i give her.

she wont eat much solid, im going to try pasta later, which is her fav.

I didn't realize thus was just fir giving medicine purposes. Sure what ever works for getting meds in!
I was just worried that she was only eating sugary foods for a week... she needs real nutrition to heal. Has you formula gotten there yet?

How's she doing?? Still cheering you on!

 

[saxguy64]

Does Gemma have any interest in toast? That has been my go-to for small amounts of meds. Mine love it, but I get it if she's not up for something more solid like that. Bread like stuff is usually pretty well tolerated.

Still cheering you on as well!

 

[Ellie777Australia]

This is just for now since i need her to take 3 meds STAT!

in the future ill try to use something better long term for meds, She seems to like the jelly better and im having trouble with the Peanut butter meds today for some reason, but shes eating any jelly i give her.

she wont eat much solid, im going to try pasta later, which is her fav.

How is Gemma now? I'm understanding that the 'jelly is medication delivery related' and Gemma is also on 'long term heart medication'??? Long time on added sugar not so good for Gemma. Now that she has a sweet tooth you have a bit of work to do to move off 'added sugar'. How about a naturally sweet fruit addition to a natural blueberry mashed up? Does she like apple or pear (sweet tasting fruit)? How about fresh apple or pear puree (no human type sugar added) and blended with fresh mashed blueberries for your med delivery and perhaps forever on if Gemma goes for it???

 

[CyrusLUVSGemma]

Guys Thanks for your concerns. its priceless, I feel like im going to have a breakdown to be honest and everything helps.

Seems like I have to let hunger set in then offer the Meds in jelly or PB. I force fed her 1st thing yesterday so shed have a base then she wouldn't eat at all till 3 when i gave up and forced the antibiotic down, later on at night she ate the PB meds, and lots of Jelly and crushed pellot, crushed blueberry too. So its 9 am and im just waiting till she will eat, meds in jelly, then jelly or sauce n crushed pellet.

the hole by her beak should be closed, i'm just putting antibiotic cream on a wound under her wing that may have broken the skin into her body.

Its almost 10 am now and she still barely eats anything her poop is dry, at what point do I force feed her again with sauce n crushed pellot? she hasnt eaten since last night.

 

[Laurasea]

you have got to get a baby burds complete nutrition formula. Then feed during nirmal awake hours every couple of hours . Start with 5ml and work up to my best guess on your bigger burd 14ml to 20ml at a feeding
What is stopping you from doing that?
Not snark , I swear, full me in on the problems

A new poop pic and a beak pic might help. I worry getting dehydration, but don't give straight water too easy to choke. Blend your pellets with water to a yogurt like consistency. A little more watery for first couple of feeding

 

[noodles123]

You could also try baby food puree too (just watch out for ones with salt/avocado and go easy if something contains added citric acid etc.



I have found that my bird has a strange color preference that I only recently discovered-- she loves magenta...I started to notice this because she always grabs the same color or drinking straw to play with when I hand her a bunch to choose from.


Think of your bir'ds favorite food and see if you can find something similar in color. I know it's a stretch, but mine just gobbled up the most food she's eaten in a long time because I put a little squirt of beet/guave/apple baby food on top of her breakfast, and guess what color it was? Magenta...


When giving meds in the past, I sometimes found that Noodles was more put-off by the change in a food's appearance (due to the added meds) than the actual flavor of the medicine.


If you haven't you can also experiment with steamed vs raw veg--maybe steam and mash up some apples or something?


You shouldn't give them citrus daily, but when my bird is sickly, she almost always will eat a little tangerine sliver (peeled etc)