Sir Jolly's having a bad reaction

[katie_fleming]

I'm just seeing this thread now.


I'm so sorry to hear this You feel completely helpless and it's horrible watching them kick and tap uncontrollably. I would just hug Jasper sometimes, there was nothing else I could do



I'm glad to hear it's resided, at least (even though it was a violent episode) it seemed to clear up fairly quickly.



Please keep us updated

 

[Terry57]

I am so sorry I also missed this thread until now! Poor Jolly, I am so sorry he (& you) are going through this. How is he doing now????

 

[RavensGryf]

Stephen I’m so sorry you’ve been having this scare with Jolly! My thoughts are with you as you try to figure out what triggered it. How are things right now?

 

[Anansi]

Thanks, everyone!

It was a rough afternoon and evening with poor Jolly. I took him to the vet as I noticed some weakness in his right leg, as well as a leg wound that you can just make out in the pic I'd posted earlier in this thread. Also, while the tapping had calmed, it hadn't stopped.

The vet pointed out the similarities to Maya's episode from over 2 years ago: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/61889-okay-let-s-talk-abv-pdd-toe-tapping.html, so he went with a similar treatment plan. Gabapentin for the nerve discomfort, Celebrex for the inflammation, and an antibiotic (the name slips me at the moment - I'm typing this in the dark as the last thing before going off to sleep). 30 days for the first two, 14 for the antibiotic.

As always, Jolly fought like a hell beast for the entire appointment. (Yet he still refused to bite his tormentors: the vet and his tech) He screamed that murderous ekkie alarm screech for the better part of 20 minutes. The entire veterinary hospital could hear him! He's such a peaceful and loving bird the rest of the time, but put him in an examination room and he loses his little green mind! Poor guy.

And then I discovered at home that he is far tougher than Maya was about taking his meds. Who'd a thought?!? So much for the "Jolly" moniker. After a few bites of the peanut butter used to mask the taste of the meds, he decided that it was no longer tasty and turned his nose up at it. And managed to send globs of medicated PB flying all across the kitchen! Sigh... So, of course, I had to mask the flavor of the flavor-masking PB with hastily prepped oatmeal.

Yeah. He's killing me. Love the little punk, though.

Anyhow, waiting on the blood tests, culture swabs, gram stains and such. So I'll keep you all updated on the results. Sleepy time.

 

[saxguy64]

Stephen, so sorry to hear about you guys going through this. Thoughts and prayers for both of you. It serves as a reminder for all of us that even under the best of conditions, things can take a horrible turn in the blink of an eye, and recognizing it quickly is so vitally important. Please keep us posted.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Geeez poor Mr J More than one of us experiencing some sort of issue with our beloved fids..Jolly..Rickey..Amy..Nigel..Beebs..just to name the ones I really know of!
It's a wonder we're all not drunks!
They put us through heck sometimes,but we NEVER give up on them!




Jim

 

[LordTriggs]

poor jolly, funny how some of us get an adverse reaction to foods whilst others have no reaction

hopefully he'll be right as rain in no time!

 

[Scott]

Oh Stephen, sorry Jolly is unwell. So hard to know with certainty whether the earlier tapping syndrome was food related, given Maya's lack of reaction. Hopefully the lab results will give clear guidance for relief.

You've got quite a med experience ahead, perhaps the oatmeal will sufficiently hide the "good" stuff. Jolly has the *best* parront* possible!

 

[Terry57]

Oh, I so hope the meds help! Any idea how long it will take to get the test results back?
I totally agree with Scott, Jolly (and Maya) could not possibly ask for a better parront.

 

[SailBoat]

Overnight to the lab and 2 - 3 days lab work and email would have tomorrow or Friday, with hope!

 

[chris-md]

I totally agree with Scott, Jolly (and Maya) could not possibly ask for a better parront.

Eh, he’s a’aight.

 

[ChristaNL]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you guys.

 

[Kentuckienne]

How did I miss this thread? What a nightmare ... poor Jolly!

 

[Anansi]

Thanks so much, everyone! We really appreciate the love!

Yeah, Terr. Steven was pretty much on the nose. The vet said I should get the results by tomorrow.

Attempting a new plan tonight mixing the meds into a small oatmeal ball, and then waiting until he eats it all before giving him more food. Hoping this works, but since time is of the essence I may have to force him if this fails. This would be unfortunate, because Jolly has a rather phobic reaction to being restrained. Not usually a problem, as he does most things that I ask of him without question or hesitation.

Most things.

Unless it involves getting a harness around his wings, taking meds, or playing nice for vets. Smh.

Ah, well. Wish me luck!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Most things.

Unless it involves getting a harness around his wings, taking meds, or playing nice for vets. Smh.

Ah, well. Wish me luck!

Hmmmm...ya...meds..


LUCK!!


Jim

 

[katie_fleming]

I'm very curious to know what his calcium levels are at

 

[Anansi]

Unfortunately, I didn't get a call today. And apparently the vet won't be back in until Monday. Sigh...

I left a message, but worse case scenario I guess I'll just have to wait.

On the good news front, apparently all that was needed to medicate Jolly was to stop my attempts and let my wife have a crack at it. Lol! She made up an oatmeal/peanut butter mix with just the right balance between the two that suddenly made the whole concoction absolutely scrumptious to him.

Little green traitor.

 

[Scott]

Stephen, I've also used various baby foods as substrate for meds. Had to try various tiny bottles to find a few desired items - this was when Peanut was on antifungals for about a month roughly 12 years ago. IIRC she reliably enjoyed peas and also sweet potato.

 

[Anansi]

Thanks, Scott!!! Great idea! I think I'll pick some up to have on hand for variety's sake.

 

[Keatz]

Hi, Stephen.
What you described is exactly what happens to Oscar. Curiously, it's always his left leg too. Earlier this year he had a major episode, followed by another one several months later. You may recall me posting about it at the time.
Since then, I've taken him to his vet in Ballarat, and it remains largely a mystery. The vet said that there has been no conclusive scientific research done into toe tapping, and they're still trying to understand it. He seems convinced, though, that it's diet related.
I do know one of the causes for Oscar is bird seed. I've tried giving him bird seed three times, and in each case, after being on it for a week, he's had an episode.
Since his last episode, he has not even toe tapped, but it's winter here in Australia now, and he never toe taps during winter. For some reason, he only ever toe taps during the warmer months.
When Oscar has one of these major seizures, they usually last four nights. After that they settle down to a toe tap for about a week, before he's fine.
It's a very distressing thing to see him go through. He certainly isn't happy, and I doubt he sleeps while it's happening.
Anyway, I hope that Jolly is getting better now.