wish us luck! PBFDtests (again)

[ChristaNL]

This week is going to be exiting (and scary).
(actually 'weeks' to be honest)


The greys have been tested in the past and were "clear"
so I asked the owner of Sunny (before going to pick her up) if she'd been tested and yes- they even had her certificate and no- the only other bird she had been in contact with was their other macaw (also tested); in her first home (since the tests as a chick) she had been the only bird.

So I though I had covered all the bases pretty well, but redid the entire scary-diseases-tests anyway, just for peace of mind...
and she promptly failed the PBFD-test.
The lab *always* runs that test again if there is a positive to rule out the false positives as much as possible, so unless the sample had been contaminated at the vets ... it did not look good for Sunny.
(and yes I hated myself for possibly exposing the greys indirectly to it, I still do!)

My (CA)vet was so annoyed! She almost took it personal.
She has decades of experience and the consult had been extremely thourough-- and she could not believe the results.
(She has seen many active cases in her carier and nothing about Sunny's physique etc. pointed in that direction.)
So we decided to do the usual waiting/quarantine-period of 4-5 weeks and test again.
Meanwhile Sunny could get used to me, the new house, different food etc.etc..

and the next test was a negative.. not a trace of PBFD to be found!

so... one hit, one mis, no symptoms now what?

The only thing we can do: no contact with other parrots (doh)
and test everyone in a few months and see what has happened (or not).

There is always a small chance the sample had been contaminated (they tested about 7 lovebirds earlier that morning, from various owners) or (the horror) she actually picked it up somewhere.
(She has seen a vet (also CAV) in the past - previous owners are vague about the details- about the plucking/barbering and I think he kept her a few days for observation - so that could be a place to catch some nasties I can think off.)

What is done, is done.
Hindsight is always 20-20
etc. etc.

and I gave her the best/ strictest quarantaine I could.
but my house is not large, and airflow unpredictable ...

After the second testresults we decided to no longer seperate the parrots. The CAV never really believed in the PBFD as an option anyway, and if Sunny tested negative al least she was not spreading it.
(and keeping to flighted, curious african greys away from anything is quite a challence anyway - it was impacting their quality of life)


So now it is time to test everyone again - and yes, I am so scared!
(I try to stay positive and hope for the best).
Nobody is showing any weird symptoms (well not weirder than usual they are still parrots).


Today the greys had blood drawn, tomorrow I hope to take Sunny there
(they will remove her legband at the same time -> using anesthetic of course, always an extra risk -> that is why the 2 seperate days.)
So every sample wil be in the lab. by thursday.


... more nailbiting and waiting ...

 

[SailBoat]

We faced a like issue with an Amazon years ago. With luck she was the only Parrot in the house. A full year of testing until we got two back to back negatives.

Fingers crossed!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Oh, Christa! I'm so sorry. Gee, best of luck. What a bad break. Hang in there.

 

[Laurasea]

Human and mammalian serology is so accurate, I don't understand why avain is so difficult. But of wishes

 

[ChristaNL]

What is your take on this?

I just hate the uncertainty about this disease:
now they've decided its not universally fatal there is the question:
does the bird kick it out of their systems completely or will it always be there, waiting for another opportunity?

Not really a fan of ticking timebombs - but if thats the way it is going to be...
(I will need to put a warninglabel on their files - just in case they ever need another home)

(most people will still euthanize after a positive test -that is why the labs retests everything when the tests turn out positive, it's their way of giving the bird another chance)

so-what do you guys think?

 

[Aratingettar]

I'll keep my fingers crossed on Negative for the whole flock. To my understanding, once it is there, it stays there "waiting for opportunity". Which may never come.
Anyway, take the negative as a good karma. Hopefully they'll bring you 2nd neg. Wish you the best!

 

[Scott]

I can feel your unease and justifiably so. The stakes are so high. Hopefully "negative" results, and I cannot imagine euthanizing an outwardly healthy bird.

 

[ChristaNL]

Sunny is back.
LOL she lost a lot of fat and gained muscles in those 6 months -> she weighed in at 1,25 KG
(and no more squishy layer on her pect. muscles/ keel )

The CAV was very happy with her progress: less fat, feet and head+beak look gorgeous.
The feathers are of course a mess
She checked the joints and muscles of the wings especially (when Sunny was knocked out by the gas) and found they were verry stiff and constricted still - though her range of motion is a lot better than it was of course- but still no sign of old damage/ any reason for them to be in that state other than too cramped living conditions... so we can continue working with them.
We will never really know the cause and what has happened, but at least we can work at a better future.

(Japie also gained some weight, but I do not think that is all muscles, evil grinnn, ... he was a whopping 552 gram instead of the 520 the last time they checked at the CAV- although he has learned to fly since and has many active hours outside the cage each day.)


so...now it is up to the lab-people to tell us the rest.

:smile015: Thank you all SO much for your support,
it really helps to know I am not alone / the only one *ever* <lol@me> to go through this/ I know you really understand.
.

 

[SailBoat]

It is important to understand that PBFD seems to be most commonly found in those areas of the World that test for it! In fact, the more common the testing in birds (including wild birds) the more it is found. This can mean several things, but more likely an issue that it is a result of living in First World Countries or and even more likely, it is everywhere.

With it likely being everywhere, the likelihood of contamination of samples increase rapidly. Hence the ever growing fear of Testing Labs in reporting tests. The close gathering of birds in warm places seems to be a natural breeding ground as does warmer soil temperatures as the outbreaks seem most common during late Spring, Summer and early Fall. And, in Parrot breeding facilities that are not careful in their cleaning practice.

With PBFD it seems the more we know, the more we find that we do not. And, here is where the issue of a Carrier bird comes into the mix. The healthy Parrot that provides a positive test result. Every year, we learn more. I my one experience that I had, resulted in even more confusion, as she died of unrelated causes.

Sorry for the lack of solid answers. The PBFD label must be noted with clarity as it can wipe out large numbers of Parrots quickly and then leave several untouched. We learn more every year, but we do not have all the answers.

 

[noodles123]

Good luck! Stressful, but better to get a better idea about the possibility than to remain in the dark.

 

[Inger]

Got my fingers crossed for you-but whatever the results, Sunny is lucky to have you and YOU GOT THIS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChristaNL]

Happy Equinox everyone!!


The certificate is still "in the mail" but I received an email a few days ago:
all the parrots test negative for PBFD! \o/
No scary diseases in this house as far as anyone can tell.


(yup, I am posting this in both the threads, because I am VERY relieved and happy about this)

 

[Jen5200]

Well that is great news, congrats!

 

[WakaWaka]

Excellent news !!! So glad to hear !!

 

[Laurasea]

Yippie!!!!!

 

[Scott]

Fantastic news!!!

 

[Aratingettar]

Great news, no wonder you're happy-dancing