Urgent - Picking at feet

[katie_fleming]

You might look at possibly increasing his potassium intake.

Thank you!

I'm so glad that you at least know now what to narrow your focus on. Have the vets given you any idea how long it might take to replenish his calcium and get him to good blood values?

And refresh my memory, please. Are the calcium supplements only via water? Or in the food as well?

As for suggestions, try incorporating as much shredded/minced broccoli into his meals as you can. And crushed (boiled) egg shells into his food.

Not sure, waiting for an answer from the vet. She is back in the clinic today so I'm hoping I hear something.

I'm supposed to give the 1/4 pill to him orally but he doesn't really like it and the rest just falls so he's just crushing it not ingesting it. So I'm dissolving it in water and giving it orally (my dad figured out the concentration compared to the oral one before so it's the same). He takes it perfectly, no issues.

I use a food processor to chop up kale and broccoli as fine as possible and mix it into everything. Not sure how much he's eating b/c he seems to be a pro at avoiding it *sigh*. I have some Momma's birdie bread mix left, I'm going to cook up a batch and include a bunch of kale (can I add broccoli do you think??).

 

[Uglow]

Glad to see things are on the up and up for the little guy. Bring it home Jasper!

 

[katie_fleming]

Man oh man. What a process we are going through.

Friday when I got home from work Jasper was wing flipping and toe tapping something fierce. He had picked a leg VERY badly again. I just wanted to cry. I gave him calcium several times during the next several hours desperately trying to get it under control without any luck. He went to bed wf/tt.

Saturday he had mild tt/wf in the morning but it picked up right again. It was so bad he nearly fell off his perch twice. I moved him to his "balcony" cage for the night and put a couple towels on the bottom in case he fell.

Sunday he went back to the rescue. I feel like such a failure of a birdie mommy you have no idea.

I believe I know what happened, however. I had been dissolving the calcium pills like I mentioned and then giving 0.5cc's by syringe. The problem I realized (also thanks to my help from my Dad over the phone) is that they need an acidic liquid to PROPERLY dissolve in. So that means for one week he wasn't getting the proper dose of calcium. There was always tons of white powder left in the bottom.

That's my theory. My parents went to talk with a pharmacist and found out the expiry date listed on the bottle of liquid calcium from the vet wasn't true. They just put the expiry so I would know when to switch to the pills. So I started him back up on the liquid Saturday night. Sunday morning I saw only a few wing flips but decided to send him to the rescue just in case.

It was the only day when I could get help driving halfway to Ottawa and then my parents taking him the rest of the way. He's about 4 hours from me. It was yesterday or not at all.

Not to sound frustrated, but of course he was fine all day yesterday and I heard today absolutely no wf/tt at all. So I am feeling sad about him being there when he's "fine" but I didn't know what to do.

Hopefully now that he's back on the liquid calcium and I know it's not expired, we can get his level back up.

 

[Anansi]

I don't think water is a good medium for medicating birds given how relatively little they ingest of it and how often their bowls need to be changed. They really only drink the merest fraction. If you ever have to switch to crushed pills in the future, mixing it in with a little serving of peanut butter might ensure he gets a full dose.

And Katie, you are no failure. Jasper's case is a difficult one. You've been determined, and are doing all that you can to help him. You're doing your best. A less determined mom might have lost Jasper by now. So don't beat yourself up over this, okay? You don't deserve it.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

And Katie, you are no failure. Jasper's case is a difficult one. You've been determined, and are doing all that you can to help him. You're doing your best. A less determined mom might have lost Jasper by now. So don't beat yourself up over this, okay? You don't deserve it.

THIS. I'm sure you're discouraged and frustrated but you're a fantastic mom.

 

[katie_fleming]

@Anansi - Sorry I wasn't clear. I mean I dissolved in water, and gave it by syringe. But the problem is to match the same dosage it was only a portion of what was dissolved. But since it didn't dissolve correctly in the first place he was only getting a fraction of what he should have :/

@Anansi & tashawithanekkie - Thank you for saying that, means a lot. I hope Jasper can get back on track soon. I hope his poor legs and feet can finally heal too, breaks my heart.

Will continue with updates as I have them

 

[Uglow]

two steps forward one step back is still forward motion. You're getting there. And I agree with everyone else here that you're doing a great job.

 

[katie_fleming]

I'm getting Jasper back tonight after work!!!!!! Going to be a late night but meeting at the halfway point between Montreal and Ottawa helps a lot. (Man I really need a car)

The lady at the rescue said he's been completely fine since hes been there Sunday night. No wf/tt/picking at all.

So my plan is the same as before but adding in #1: (And no dissolving pills this time. I have purchased CalciBoost and using up the rest of the liquid from the vet)

1. Sprinkle clay cal on breakfast and dinner every day
2. Liquid calcium orally twice a day (see how he does for several weeks)
3. No showers for the time being (I feel so badly He loves them so much). Misting only
4. 1 hour uvb light every day until Spring

Continuing to post updates in hopes once I can get this resolved for Jasper it may help another Ekkie owner. Perhaps when this whole ordeal is over with a more comprehensive post might be easier to follow than reading through 17 pages!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Hey Katie....Any update's on Jasper??? Just curious






Jim

 

[katie_fleming]

Hey! Thanks for asking, sorry for the silence all of a sudden.

Jasper is doing GREAT. He hasn't had any liquid calcium in ~ 2 weeks. He has ClayCal twice a day on his food, and UVB light once a day for an hour. NO wing flipping or toe tapping, and his legs are healing beautifully. They even have a bunch of new feathers growing back on them

I mist him twice a week, I'm not going to risk a shower for quite sometime. I have my baby back, it's wonderful

 

[coopedup]

you are a terrific Parront Katie, Jasper couldnt ask for a more loving and concerned mumsy. Glad to hear he is improving.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

you are a terrific Parront Katie, Jasper couldnt ask for a more loving and concerned mumsy. Glad to hear he is improving.

I agree totally! "WE" can all breathe a little easier now!
WTG Jasper keep on improving!



Jim