Seizure

[thegars]

Our 5 year old CAG Debbie had a seizure at the vets today while there for a nail trim. We believe the seizure was caused by fear…the vet checked her out everything about her is fine…blood work, heart, etc. I am at a loss on how to overcome this kind of hazard when it comes time for her next nail trim…we have worked hard since she was 14 weeks old to ensure she would be used to having her feet messed with…she plainly hates it!

 

[StormyPica]

Our 5 year old CAG Debbie had a seizure at the vets today while there for a nail trim. We believe the seizure was caused by fear…the vet checked her out everything about her is fine…blood work, heart, etc. I am at a loss on how to overcome this kind of hazard when it comes time for her next nail trim…we have worked hard since she was 14 weeks old to ensure she would be used to having her feet messed with…she plainly hates it!

I'm so sorry, how is she doing now?

 

[thegars]

I'm so sorry, how is she doing now?

Quiet and calm….eating her favorite treat…seems tired…

 

[StormyPica]

Quiet and calm….eating her favorite treat…seems tired…

Aww, that's great! You should monitor her, though, to make sure she doesn't have another one.

 

[SailBoat]

Seizure have a fairly wide base of drivers that can cause them. Underlining illness being one of the largest groups!

That being true, being toweled /wrapped / restrained is another as it commonly drives-up core body temperature and heart rate. It is one of the reasons that it is always better to have a trained Avian Professional handle even something as simple as Nail trimming as they have the equipment to support your Parrot when a seizure occurs. Had this happened at a Pet Store this could have been a very different Thread.

It is important to know that our emotions are commonly locked into by our Parrots and as a result it is very important to relax ourselves when we are with them at a Vets clinic.

What to do next time. For you, Relax for the sake of your Parrot. Speak with your Vet regarding what happened last time and watch for a signs of your Grey breathing with greater difficulty, the towel not covering to large an area and generally speaking in softer tones to help comfort your Grey.

Knowing that your Grey is possibly prone to seizure, you should have a discussion regarding likely methods of relaxing your part as there is a high-likelihood that this will occur during other medical activities.

Remember that you are the biggest influencer regarding the emotional state of your Grey!

 

[Laurasea]

Scary....glad ok

post seizure and being sleepy are common. And it is best to keep them quiet for a couple of days.

Did they check calcium levels ?

 

[StormyPica]

Stormy is now happ and singing to a piece of PVC on his playstand.

 

[thegars]

Seizure have a fairly wide base of drivers that can cause them. Underlining illness being one of the largest groups!

That being true, being toweled /wrapped / restrained is another as it commonly drives-up core body temperature and heart rate. It is one of the reasons that it is always better to have a trained Avian Professional handle even something as simple as Nail trimming as they have the equipment to support your Parrot when a seizure occurs. Had this happened at a Pet Store this could have been a very different Thread.

It is important to know that our emotions are commonly locked into by our Parrots and as a result it is very important to relax ourselves when we are with them at a Vets clinic.

What to do next time. For you, Relax for the sake of your Parrot. Speak with your Vet regarding what happened last time and watch for a signs of your Grey breathing with greater difficulty, the towel not covering to large an area and generally speaking in softer tones to help comfort your Grey.

Knowing that your Grey is possibly prone to seizure, you should have a discussion regarding likely methods of relaxing your part as there is a high-likelihood that this will occur during other medical activities.

Remember that you are the biggest influencer regarding the emotional state of your Grey!

 

[thegars]

Keeping close watch on Debbie..she is as normal as always….I will keep vigilant…..while Debbie is fairly calm under most circumstances….she HATES being toweled or held captive …screams…growls and general panic…we have tried and tried…for 5 years…she is not going to accept that! She’s pretty good with everything else, typical Grey…startles easily…but calms right down under most circumstances.
She’s happily eating breakfast, asking if she can “come out now”…”did ya poop”….normal morning……she learned all that early…used to ask her those questions in the morning before we let her out…now she asks Us🤪

 

[Laurasea]

Because you have a grey, and it's well documented their low calcium tendencies, and their need for more sunlight. And that can cause seizure
I share this

Ornithology: Share and discuss scientific articles on parrots!

Yes I read that as well about urine. Absolutely, please share the you tube, or any articles you want. I'm fascinated by our birds friends! link to a Youtube video on UV Parakeet information.

www.parrotforums.com

 

[Icca]

So sorry to hear about yur girl! Just a point of view if it helps. I have epilepsy so I know what it feels like post seizure. I saw you are already letting her relax and decompress which is perfect! But Please don't underestimate the amount of time it takes to get fully back to "normal" if you do alot of training maybe let her take a break for a few extra days. She may get frustrated more easily. A seizure can literally make your brain feel scrambled. She should be her self again soon. O and if you can low lights think good sleeping conditions
Hope everything better today

 

[thegars]

Thank you all for information and caring comments….
Debbie is doing well today….actually quite noisy as usual in the morning….
Calcium, D3, sunlight….important, I know and try very hard to provide…full spectrum light above cage, out of cage and on her perch in the Florida room or lanai much of every day…as much natural sunlight as possible….food…Harrison’s pellets, mixture of high potency and adult lifetime, Zupreem fruit flavored pellets, broccoli, carrots, occasional fruit, some almonds for treats..

 

[thegars]

Btw….realizing that this occurred during a very stressful situation for Debbie has brought cause for concern….now we have to work even more at making her more at ease with nail trims….wish us luck.😎

 

[thegars]

Debbie has not had another seizure since the vet visit!! Of course she has had no reason to. I am convinced that she got overwhelmed, panicked and the result was the seizure. That being said, we have certainly added more calcium enriched foods, added vitamin D3 and calcium supplement 3 days a week..my problem is still her hatred, fear of capture….trying to desensitize her about towel, she actually sits on a particular towel on the dining room chair, tears it apart. Plan on using that towel for future capture since she is flighted and flies off if get close to her “travel cage”..btw keeping the travel cage close by to also desensitize her around that.
I really appreciate the input and suggestions, scared to death about any future nail trims!

 

[Terry57]

I'm so glad that Debbie has been doing well since her nail trim visit. Is there anyone near you who does mobile nail trims? I know my old vet would do that for existing patients if needed. It may help with her stress if it was at home rather than a strange place. It may be worth asking your vet about it.
Hopefully her nails won't need a trim for a long time

 

[thegars]

I'm so glad that Debbie has been doing well since her nail trim visit. Is there anyone near you who does mobile nail trims? I know my old vet would do that for existing patients if needed. It may help with her stress if it was at home rather than a strange place. It may be worth asking your vet about it.
Hopefully her nails won't need a trim for a long time

Unfortunately there seems to be no home care available around me, I can’t even find a pet sitter willing to tend to birds. The nearest CAV is 30 miles away! Your suggestion is very much appreciated.

 

[Terry57]

I feel your pain about how far the CAV is. It takes us over an hour to get to ours.

 

[thegars]

May was long ago and Debbie’s nails are way too long! Scared to capture her for a vet visit but it’s going to have to happen soon! She absolutely detests being caught…she’ll gladly all us to touch and hold her foot as long as there’s nothing in our hand…but we can’t get passed that as yet….she’s had no issues since the last vet visit, she’s flighted and well feathered, buzzes through our house or out in our screened porch all day long…
we love us some Debbie!

 

[Icca]

So glad you girl is doing well and sorry I don't have any good advice about getting to the vet without a fuss. But have you considered a sand perch? I use 1 for my conure but I don't leave it in the cage all the time. I put it in for about 1 week when her nails look long. I set it as the highest perch so I know it will be used and it won't get pooped on since they are hard to clean.
Some people don't like sand perches but I have been using the in this way for more than 20 yrs and never had a problem. I think part of the issue of leaving it in the cage all the time is that they are hard to clean and when they become soiled they can hold alot of bacteria

 

[thegars]

Tomorrow…vet visit for toe nails and if that goes well, mild wing trim to aid in controlling the “top gun” acrobatics and attitude…hate the wing trim but she has become a terror with coming after our water glasses, food plates or anything she see as hers…seems our water is better than hers…lol…
Worried…concerned…