Need urgent help or suggestion

[ameya7214]

My alexendrine parakeet of 13 yrs she is having a serious breathing problem. We removed xray of chest. It turned out to be very bad news...she hardly had any lungs present in that xray...Avian told that she is suffering from fungal infection(fungal pneumonia)...she is currenlty on ketoconazole (NIZROL). Even avain told her condition is very serious.Sometimes she gets attach and then breathing problem starts in between. she starts gasping for air. during that time she keeps on scratching her nose with her nails, keeps on doing open mouth breathing with her tongue kept out and later after 15 mins she becomes alright..
can any1 help me its quite urgent....she is on ketoconazole since past 5 days.Rest of the time she is quite active... and yes sometimes she loses her voice and gains it back in a day or two.

 

[labell]

I really can help or give any suggestions, it sounds like your vet is working on getting your bird well I'm only posting to say I hope it all works out and your bird recovers soon!

 

[MonicaMc]

Can you ask your avian vet about doing nasal flushes and/or oxygen treatments?

 

[ameya7214]

i dont know if my vet will do that...he is just saying that lets keep her on medicine for 1 month n see..

 

[BEWolf]

It sounds to me as if she is not getting enough oxygen. I would check on acquiring one of those portable oxygen generators and at same time check with vet about giving her oxygen therapy, in addition to her present meds.

 

[ameya7214]

Can any avian tell that my parrot is suffering from fungal infection just by looking at the xray and the symptoms?
1. open mouth breathing
2. sneezing
3. gasping badly for air with yawn and tongue kept out followed by a little nasal discharge at the end making her nostril wet. ( It happens almost daily for 10 mins)
4. Her nostrils getting marginally wide and the skin besides the nose (called cere) coming out, now her cere is completely red.

 

[MonicaMc]

Maybe... maybe not.

A nasal flush would help to try and clear her sinuses up, then the resulting fluid that comes out could be tested to see if she has an infection in her sinuses, and this can then be treated with the appropriate meds.


If your vet wont, then find a vet that will.

 

[ameya7214]

Her throat swab and dropping have been taken by the vet on monday..but vet told it will take 10 days for the results to come...so i cant wait for so long...scpecially when symptoms are related to lung infection..

 

[sam4life]

I'm very sorry this is happening to you. Do you have another vet you can take her to? Alternatively, you might try e-mailing the x-rays to a specialist and ask them to take a look and consult with your vet.

In the meantime, I would stress to my vet that the respiratory issue is serious, and you don't feel comfortable taking a wait and see approach. It might be helpful to record one of these attacks and show your vet. Ask about the possibility of supplemental oxygen. If you aren't getting the proper treatment for this problem, it can set your bird up for long term, serious, problems.

 

[henpecked]

Find an AV that does their own lab work. The one you're using is sending the cultures out. The Av's here who do their own cultures usually have results in 5 days. Sensitivity test a few days more. Where are you located?

 

[ameya7214]

I went to all the avians in mumbai...this is my last hope...so no option besides to wait for more 8 days nw..

 

[goalerjones]

I would keep your bird in a stress free place. Low lighting, no noises. Keep her calm so she can survive on the oxygen she's getting right now. Make the food soft so she doesn't have to work hard to eat. Don't allow her to climb or work hard for anything.

 

[goalerjones]

Also, the vet is treating for what they believe the problem is. When the culture comes back he will know for sure. If it's not the right medicine he will change it then.

 

[goalerjones]

After looking at normal bird chest x rays the cloudy part is the problem. That represents what are called "infiltrates". Those are areas or active infection and swelling in the lungs.

 

[ameya7214]

Yes i approached new avian only on this monday she only carried out throat swab test(10 days for the reports)..she carefully looked at her and told that she is not having any fungal lung infection..if she would have had fungal lung she wouldn't have survived for 45 days..and would have suffered terrible weight loss...there was no weight loss in these 3 days. her weight is stable at 180g. she suggested nebulization by using clean water thrice a day...and another anti bacterial medicine.

my parrot is ill since 20th april (atleast i noticed she being ill as she lost her voice for the first time on 20th april)

then i almost changed 4 vets...

3rd vet, he is also avian he directly prescribed antifungal dose and said her state is too weak as her lungs are extremely weak..but she was not improving from past 10 days...

she even get attack sort of thing for 10-15mins...in which she continuously picks her noses and yawns by stretching her neck and breaths very fast..later she relaxes and comes back to normal...during this phase or attack(idk what it is called) she even tries to preen herself and eat then again starts yawning and all...

she loses and gains her voice everyday almost...today also she got that kind of attack might be because she traveled a lot today.i called my avain immediately she told me its not fungal infection at all..she is fine..if she would have had some fungal infection she would have been panting and gasping all the time..(which is not...just during that attack or phase she pants) but yes she yawns alot..now today vet has prescribed anti bacterial..i am hoping that it works...

 

[ameya7214]

Can anyone please explain me whats written in this report????

 

[sam4life]

I'm very sorry you are going through this, but it looks like the labs were inconclusive. (You may want to take down the picture of the lab report--there is a lot of identifying information on it)

I'm not a vet, so I don't want to speculate on what condition your parrot might have. I think you need to be assertive though; the signs you describe are *not* the signs of a healthy parrot. As I have learned with my own ill parrot, very sick birds can go up and down; seemingly fine one day, and very ill the next. The symptoms you describe are deeply troubling, and if your current vet is dismissive of them and says that your parrot is not ill, then you need to find a new vet. However, it may be the case that your vet is saying that your parrot is ill, but they don't know what is causing it. Unfortunately, there is a lot they don't know in avian medicine. You should stick with the vet who seems to take the parrot's condition seriously and is willing to try and help.

From what you've written, it sounds like they are putting your parrot on an antibiotic and doing some nasal flushes, is this right? If so, make sure to follow all the instructions on the antibiotic and keep your vet informed of any changes you notice.

Perhaps you could ask about medications that might make it easier for your parrot to breathe. My parrot was prescribed a bronchodilator at one point (though, to be honest, I don't think it did much good). Of course, you should not try this out on your own, but you could ask your vet if this is something that might be helpful. I would also ask my vet if she thought time in an oxygen chamber might help.

I would look into getting a HEPA air purifier for the room where you keep your bird, and try and keep your parrot as calm and comfortable as possible.

I'm very sorry you are going through this.

 

[ameya7214]

She has not got that severe attack from last thrusday which she used to get every alternate day...since thrusday she is on another antibiotic...still little open mouth breathing...but her condition is improving a little now slowly slowly she is speaking too but not in full swing...

 

[sam4life]

Good, it sounds like she is improving! So, keep up with this antibiotic, and hopefully the condition will resolve. But these attacks, even if infrequent, are not normal in healthy birds. Also, air pollution can directly affect parrots' respiratory health and can lead to other problems like infections. Please consider getting an air purifier.

 

[ameya7214]

Ya she was very ill...even now she has become too weak due to wrong medication...which was given to her earlier..vet told that she has anemia...

Ya climate over here is too hot and humid.In mumbai summers are gng on...so temperature is around 100 F...waiting for monsoon rains to bring some relief which is expected by this weekend..