Hi all

[Treenam]

Hi, I am new to this forum. I am actually just seeking people who may have had the same experience I am going through right now. I woke up this morning to my blue front Amazon being very lethargic, her eyes are dull and she is just not herself. Her name is Kuda. She was not this way yesterday. I have also noticed that her poo is pretty much just clear liquid. She is eating and drinking. I did notice this morning that she had pooped in her water bowl. If she drank it, could that be making her sick? I have had her for 21 years abs she is 28 years old. This is the first time she has ever been sick. Sadly, where I live, there are no vets that can get her in today. I am thoroughly stressed. I’m afraid I am making myself sick with worry. I am running down to a vet that can hopefully see her tomorrow, that have something I can try to give her over the counter. From reading online, I know it could be many things. Again, just seeking anyone who may have had gone through this with their feather baby. Thanks for listening!!:

 

[noodles123]

Birds really do hide illness and this doesn't sound particularly good. I would get in ASAP. Is your bird a female and have you noticed any weight gain, bulges in the abdomen or straining to poop? Has she been eating less at all? I'm wondering if egg-binding is a possibility (among many others, of course).

They do hide illness, so I am not trying to stress you out, but if you can get in on emergency, I would just in case. If not, try to keep her warm (careful w/ space heaters, as they often contain teflon/ptfe/pfoas/pfcs). Is she still perching independently and eating/drinking? Not hanging out on the cage floor more than normal?

Any tail bobbing?

How soon after drinking the poopy water did you notice these symptoms?


Some members swear by a little bit of plain, organic, non-rbst yogurt. It's not totally backed by research but a lot of people have had luck with it...so you could try that and just see I guess? I've never tried it, but maybe 1x, but Laurasea (another member who just nursed her flock back from chlamydia) always says she has luck with this.



If she isn't eating enough, there are lots of foods that might be more appealing that members could suggest between now and the vet.

When did she have blood-work etc last and what kind of vet will you take her to? Do they have a solid background with parrots?


Is there anything she chews on a lot that could have caused some sort of blockage?

 

[Laurasea]

I am and did just go through this.
First no her poop in the water then drinking didn't make her sick.

If she got a chill, its do easy by those windows. Then something she was keeping in check can get out of hand.

By the time your bird isn't able to hide being sick, and you have symptoms , they are very sick.

Birds will fake eat. Tgey evolved to hide being sick or the flock will evict them, or be targeted by predators, that millions of years fir this to be hardwired into their DNA.

If no fecal matter in poop, then not eating enough. Or diarrhea.

If this bird has been on just seeds. Then tgey have low vitamin levels, especially vitamin A. That plays a big role in health.

Ok, you must get go an avain vet. Call see if they will co a video consultation and call meds into human pharmacy for you. If an avian vet will see you its worth paying their emergency fee. When burds presents like this they might not have much time.

Warmth is critical, warming the environment to 89-85 f . Transportation to vet have that car hot, bring a hot water bottle wrapped in towel.

You need a digital kitchen gram scale to start checking weights daily.

I'd recommend buying baby bird formula from pet store , I like ksytee exact. I had to feed my very sick girl by syringe, thankfully a lot of burds like it and take it well. And pick up egg food, molting food, millet, treat stix. Sick birds burn 2.5 the amount of calories they normally wood. Nutrition plays a big role in helping them get well. Sick birds need to be tempted.

Yes use Greek yogurt with live culture , no artificial sweetners. Half a teaspoon a day ir every other day while sick is fine. My livk it off my fingers.
Yiu might want to feed warm cooked oatmeal, eggs, ect.

But getting antibiotics into them fast if its an infection is critical!

 

[Laurasea]

I'm going to add links
https://www.littlecrittersvet.com/sick-birds.pml

https://emeraid.com/vet/emeraid-intensive-care-basic-use-guide/

This is the radiant heat panel I use for my sick birds
It can put off a lot of radiant heat so hold yiur hsbd in front sbd best judgment on how far bsck tobset from cage or if huge csge may set on cage
http://go.skimresources.com/?id=162...tz=240&xuuid=04ad97ccd31c575a1530d68364c5f3d7

My vet choose azithromyacin, because it's fast acting broad spectrum antibiotic. Of course depends what's going on. Egg, vs infection..vs chronic zinc or acute metal toxicity, heart disease, liver disease ect
. There are lots of great antibiotics if thats what's needed. But don't let them give yiu clavamox or amoxicillin because they suck as a treatment fir parrots! Tgey just don't work in parrots like they do mammals

Almost all burds can be carrying chlamydia and break with it years later if stressed or other things happen.

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/sickbirdcare.html


To quickly attach a poop pic click go advanced under text box, choose paperclip pic you pictures, hit upload on far right. Wait till upload then close window and post text.

 

[Laurasea]

this is from my thread so I share with you

I made the mistake, or fell into the trap, " but she was fine yesterday "
Birds hide being sick!!!
When she showed the most extreme sick bird signs I've ever seen, full stand out feather fluff, not eating, nit moving,, only sleeping, turning her head from my food offerings of her FAVORITES ! She was at deaths door !! We have all counsel other if this when they explain their birds simular symptoms. This is an emergency, if you find your bird like this it is an emergency !!! You call your vet and insist to be seen as an emergency! Do NOT wait till the next day! If they can't see you insist they refer you to another vet, even if its an hour away. Usually they will relent and work you in.
I fell into the same trap, the wait and see. I waited to call my vet till afternoon, abd didn't reach her till evening. She wanted me to go get the meds that night. But because she knows me, and my birds, abd I said I thought she perked up a little by evening, we waited. She insisted and waited fir my call at 730 tge next morning to update her.

When she was so sick the next morning, I called, she called the pharmacy a quarter to 9 when they open at 9, the pharmacy called me at 3 min after 9, I picked up meds at 930, abd git them in her by 10. When I picked her up to give the medicine she was ice cold. She was dieing, her system was shutting down. If any of you have taken care of creatures that are in the process of death, or in shock , you know what I mean. Their extremities are cold, their body temperature drops. Mind you its 80 degrees here, and I had a powerful radiant heat panel on her thst she was snugged upto. She was cold not from temperature, she was cold because she was near death. This is also confirmed by my vet.

I foolishly thought I knew best, I put heat on her on the 3oth , ( when this stsrted), heat is critical for sick birds, I started her on antibiotics not prescribed for her, ( yes safe sn appropriate dose,) and I fooled around trying to get her to eat, and to figure out what was going on.

What I should have done is realize I'm looking at a bird that is critical, and call my vet that first morning. I know , many of you know, when yiu see a bird at full fluff, not eating, they can be about to die! They coukd die on the way to the vet, or at the vets, or before tge treatment can take effect. That you must treat this as sn emergency. We have had many people come here seeking advice, we advise must go to vet ASAP, they reply tgey have an appointment fir the morning, only to come back and say the bird died before the next morning appointment!!! And I said to myself, the something many others say, but tgey were fine yesterday. Birds hide being sick!!! Some hide it till you find them dead! Maybe she was sick before, or maybe it was something that multiplying rapidly, whatever, by the time you see these signs they are extremely sick.

I had a lizard get in the house, I put it outside, shortly after thst Penny sat in the same spot. Lizards carry salmonella, maybe that was what made her sick. My dogs go out into my yard, that has armadillo, opossum, rats, other creatures, that pee and poop. Maybe the dogs brought in something. I'll never know.

I feel extremely lucky, that she is alive. Extremely. My vet feels she has enough improvement to feel these are the right antibiotics. But she us still a very sick bird. And I'm in close contact to see if we need to add ir change medicine.

I'm sharing this for all our guests and members. So you do not fall into the trap of waiting. So you act like this is an emergency, and see your vet the same day!!+

know birds hide being sick, until they can't. They aren't like dogs or cats or people . They are a prey species, that requires the safety of the flock, a flock that will drive them out to save the flock if signs of illness are shown. Birds evolved this way, it isn't a stiff upper lip, or being tough.. its encoded in their DNA!
They don't choose to hide illness, they have no choice.
Nearly once a week we are advising others if this.

I had a quiet voice in my head, say you have never seen a bird present this obviously sick. I feel many others also have their mind real when suddenly out of the blue their bird is sick . They doubt themselves, tgey come here seeking advice, because of course they love their burd. Often they are resistant when we all say you have to take your bird to the vet. There are always difficulties offered, time, distance, money, don't know of a veterinarian

. For all you readers, you need to work that out now! You rarely have much time! Establish yourself with an avain veterinarian, set aside emergency funds. Prepare yourself with how you will provide supplemental warmth and supporting care, and special foods.

Offer foods by hand, and get your parrot used to eating oatmeal, or baby foods, or something that you can hide meds if when needed. And a parrot who will take warm foods, will likely eat those when very sick. But not if they have never been exposed to them before @ And do reach out to our fabulous members, because your head will be spinning, and you won't think of everything, like foods. Like warm sweet potatoes, and peanut butter, baby food, ect...

I will add my link to an article on supporting care for sick birds . Warmth is critical supportive care for sick birds, and by warmth i mean 80-90 degrees, birds normal body temperature is close to 110 degrees i think. It takes a lot of energy to maintain that, energy a sick burd can't spare.

Birds are designed for flight as such they have kean body mass, and little fat stores. They have high metabolism, and are foragers " grazres" with a simplified digestive system in which foods pass quickly. And fighting an illness or injury, takes a lot of calories. For all of the above that's why warmth is so critical, as is supporting foods.

 

[wrench13]

You plead, beg, cajole or fight if need be, to get that vet appt tomorrow!

 

[Treenam]

Did you guys get my private messages?

 

[Treenam]

Will do, Wrench13

 

[LaManuka]

Hi Treenam, welcome to the Forums, although I am very sorry for the worrying circumstances.

Unfortunately, new members are unable to direct message until they have amassed 20 posts on the open forum. If you want to privately message another member you may pass the message on to a moderator (whose names appear in purple) and we will be happy to pass it along for you. Hope this helps!

 

[Laurasea]

I tried to give all the info I had.
I'm happy to help as much as I can on the supporting side. But the first step is vet care.
Quickly getting vet care is the most important. Even tho its hard I know with covid and scarcity of Avian vets.

Ask questions here. Or Lamanuka can pass them. No questions are silly when trying to save your bird. Many people helped me with things I couldn't think of as I was so stressed.

But to try to be calm for your burd. And keep her calm

 

[Treenam]

Ok, I sent private thank yous to laurasea and noodles123... they were both long, so just thank you very much!!
And thank you lamanuka. I will pay more attention.

I got Harrison’s Recovery from the vet. My only problem now is, I am having a hard time feeding to her with the syringe. I have never had to do this. She has enough fight to fight against me, but I am stressing her out. Any tips I can try? Thank you!!

 

[wrench13]

if you have never syringe fed or have experience feeding baby birds, I would not continue tonight. Its very easy to get the food down the wrong pipe, and have the parrot aspirate food - not good. If you have a small spoon, like a tea spoon you dont care about, bang the edges up to make a scoop like thing and try offering the food like that, arm upraised and the spoon tilted into the brds mouth. Parrots can retain their baby begging actions sometimes, and he will eat better then getting stressed out by force feeding. If not at least let him rest tonight and try again in the AM.

Thats what I would do.

Retaining that begging action is one reason I always suggest that parrots get fed a bit of formula occasionally, just to retain that. If you have to get meds or food into the parrot, its less stressfull than a syringe, and you can know he got the food or meds.

 

[Flboy]

Hi! Be aware, no one on here is a veterinarian! If there is, they are smart enough to keep it secret! Become obnoxious in trying to get a visit to the vet!

 

[Treenam]

Well, I have 2 choices. The vet said she would normally be able to see the birds organs in the exray, but she can’t see anything. Kuda is not doing good, and vet said I can either take her home with antibiotics and pain meds, as her stomach hurts her, or take her for emergency surgery, which the vet said she doesn’t see a good prognosis either way I go.
Just the 15 minute car ride to the vet stressed her out horribly and the emergency vet is over an hour, so I have decided to bring her home and hope and pray for the best.

 

[Laurasea]

oh no that's so awful to hear. Was this an avain vet? did they explain why surgery was needed? And why they couldn't see the organs?,
Oh poor Kuda, I hope she can relax and feel your love, and that pain meds help her feel comfortable. And the antibiotics help.

We all have to weigh choices like this at some point. Only yiu know what the right thing to do is. Even for humans there are times when providing comfort is all that can be done.

Sometimes when given support the body can heal, and do a miracle. We can hope for that, that the antibiotics make thst happen for you.

My heart is with you both.

 

[LaManuka]

Treenam I'm so sorry that the prognosis for Kuda is not better. Sending prayers and healing thoughts from across the globe. I'm sorry you are going through this and I do so hope your baby pulls through.

 

[Treenam]

Yes, the vet is a bird specialist. She didn’t know why she couldn’t see the organs, she said could be a number of things, maybe a yolk ruptured, bad infection around her intestinal area and maybe causing discolored fluid, or an internal bleed. She will hopefully know more when blood work gets back and hopefully that will be tomorrow. I’m just praying so hard.

 

[noodles123]

Oh no! That's so very stressful. I will be thinking of you guys. It's great that at least the vet specializes in birds, because that makes a big difference in knowing that the right choices are made etc,

 

[noodles123]

Ok, I sent private thank yous to laurasea and noodles123... they were both long, so just thank you very much!!
And thank you lamanuka. I will pay more attention.

I got Harrison’s Recovery from the vet. My only problem now is, I am having a hard time feeding to her with the syringe. I have never had to do this. She has enough fight to fight against me, but I am stressing her out. Any tips I can try? Thank you!!

I didn't get your message- did mods say they were able to forward them somehow (since you are new and probably don't have the number of posts needed to send PMs)?

 

[LaManuka]

I didn't get your message- did mods say they were able to forward them somehow (since you are new and probably don't have the number of posts needed to send PMs)?

Hey noodles, yes advice re PMs was given on the previous page