Bloodwork concerns

[Roo1130]

I took My 4 year old male eclectus to the vet this morning as his feathers have been seeming ratty and dull to me over the last month or so. He’s definitely moulting but wanted to ensure all was well. Vet agreed that he seems unkempt featherwise and we did fecal analysis and full blood panel to check up on him.

Dr. Remarked all was pretty well with blood work but his potassium and sodium levels are high. Potassium is 5.4. (Normal range 3.5-4.3) sodium 150 ( normal range 130-145).

Dr gave omega supplements. Suggested some fruits and veggies and sent us on our way.

At the time I was thinking that the values were LOW not HIGH so the nutritional advice made since I guess but now in reading the discharge and that the values are high I’m just left a little puzzled.

anyone had experience with similar bloodwork? Any further thoughts/ personal experiences?

Just worried about my buddy.

 

[noodles123]

I am working currently (teacher---ugh!!! so much tech) but based on a skim of your post, did you test for PBFD? You might consider it if feather quality is a major issue because a normal panel won't detect it.

ALSO--- are you feeding him pellets? Their diets are tricky and it is highly recommended that you do NOT feed them pellets, as their digestive system is more efficient and will over-extract the vitamins from them (Ekkies, that is). They require a specific balance of fruit/veg...

 

[Roo1130]

Thanks so much for your reply. By all of the local bird folks (vet, bird specialty shop, etc) I have always been told to feed pellet as main diet. My online research always said to feed mostly fresh fruit and veggies. I have defaulted to following the local folks advice and fed Roudy Bush the first 2 years and last 2 years feeding zupreem because my nearby stores don’t carry the Roudy bush.
So I’m left feeling rather unconfident about diet and desperately wanting to do the right thing.

They didn’t even mention that test you mentioned. I will read more about it. And perhaps I need to let this molt run it’s course but I was surprised to see those “off” values in the bloodwork. I was thinking at first he was nutrient deprived but now it seems he’s too high in reality based on the potassium and sodium.

Feeling a little inadequate today ��

 

[chris-md]

Greetings and welcome! PLease don't feel inadequate, we're all just doing the best we can. And how many people int his world can actually say they'll take their bird to a vet for a check up? SO many birds go neglected, you clearly care very much for your Sully.

Pellets and eclectus don't mix. The vitamin/mineral supplementation and the colored dyes are very problematic. The eclectus diet should mainly be vegetables and grains, with some fruit thrown in occasionally (too much sugar in the diet triggers hormones). What pellets are you feeding your boy? You'll get different responses, but not all pellets are created equal. supplement- and dye-free pellets such as TOPs Organic and Goldenfeast Goldn'obles could arguably be a valuable addition to the fresh diet.

High sodium is odd. What sort of snacks do you give him?

 

[Roo1130]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. When I start realizing I’ve had his diet wrong this whole time a lot of guilt creeps in. The pellets I feed are dye free - Zupreem ekkie pellets and Roudy Bush. The only snack he gets is about 4 slivers of nut each day. It’s a mixed nut baggy and slivers are small.
Good to know about the limiting fruit due to hormonal issues! The vet didn’t mention that but I figured just like with humans veggies are better than too much sugary fruit.
If you don’t mind me asking, what does your typical daily meals for your ekkie look like?

 

[Roo1130]

Also he is 378 grams. That seems low from what I’m reading. Vet didn’t remark about it.

 

[chris-md]

Zupreme pellets are garbage, the whole lot of them all around. Roudybush - generally speaking - is ok, but not for eclectus. Both are supplemented with vitamins and minerals. HInt: just because there is an eclectus on the front doesnt' mean it's suitable for an eclectus.

The problem with eclectus and supplementation is that their digestive tract is longer than the average bird, so their body is used to extracting nutrients from somewhat nutrient poor foods. If you pump them full of vitamin supplemented food, this absorption superpower they have can cause them to take up TOO MUCH vitamins, which may result in hypervitaminosis - vitamin toxicity.

For Parker, i throw everything I can at him. I make a batch of chop that can last a few months - I freeze chop and thaw as needed - that makes up the base diet. A sample chop for me contains some whole grain base, like brown rice or wild rice, and expand from there. This recent chop I made looked something like this:

Brown rice
quinoa
riced cauliflower
shredded red cabbage
riced broccoli
bell peppers prepared a couple ways: diced, long slices, rings
chopped fennel
frozen assorted vegetables
whole grain pasta (not enriched)

I will top this chop off with some stuff like rolled instant oats, chia, flax seeds, assorted sprouts, to name a few.

You'll see a couple strategies: some people make 20 ingredient chop recipes in the name of ensuring full nutrition. Others, such as myself, make smaller batches, rotating ingredients to keep things interesting for the bird.

Parkers breakfast - to be honest - could be anything. The last few days we've given him Volkmans eclectus mix (with some trepidation), today we threw a bunch of sprouts in his bowl and called it a day. We've also just given him treats throughout the morning and afternoon (i.e. a celery stick and some flax seeds first thing; several seeds crackers later on, some apple after that). It doesn't sound like too much food - sounds like we starve him - but Parker is very hormonal right now, and often loses much his appetite during this time.

Parkers Dinner is usually chop as described above.

 

[chris-md]

Also he is 378 grams. That seems low from what I’m reading. Vet didn’t remark about it.

Not at all. It depends on what subspecies Sully is. Some of the more common subspecies in the pet trade like the Solomon Island ekkies are in the 300s, thereabout. Other common subspecies such as the red sided and the vosmaeri eclectus can easily shoot over 450g.

My boy is a mix of sorts, so hovers right around 450g.

Also: I'm fairly certain the high K and Na readings (which aren't alarmingly high, just a little elevated) are likely coming from the pellets. Eliminate those and the levels - I'll bet - will come down. Absorption super power and all!!

You'll find we have a vibrant eclectus community ont his forum, so you'll get all sorts of responses and experience. Stick around, as lots of questions, we are here and happy to help support you!