Zilla is ILL again...

[Amanda_Bennett]

Test results came back yesterday afternoon and it's exactly what we expected.

Asper again...

She is feeling better already though, so that's a plus. Today is her last day for this round of meds. We get to take a 20 day break then do another round.

There really is nothing that can be done about her gizzard not working properly, so she will get to continue having her baby food treats every evening, and most of her food will have to be cooked so it's soft enough for her gizzard to process so her body can get the nutrition out of it. She will still get some un-cooked foods and her seeds & pellets. I will never take away her Pecans or Pistachios, but it does mean she can have a little more of them than she was getting since her body doesn't process them properly.

 

[RavensGryf]

Amanda, I'm terribly sorry to hear of Zilla's health issues . Fungal infections are so stubborn to knock out too, then on top of that the concerns about her digestive system. I know that when you found Zilla she hit the jackpot, she could not have hoped for a better mom than you. You are doing everything you possibly can to heal her and give her the longest and best life possible. I feel for you.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

So sorry to hear about Zillas poor health but she has a great mom in her corner looking after her and helping her back to health and the best life she can have and Pecans and Pistachios will indeed keep Zilla happy as she recooperates.

 

[Macawnutz]

Hi Amanda,

I was asked by a friend to take a look at this thread. Can I ask what your vet is treating the asper with? I had great success with my amazon dealing with asper using voraconazole. He was administered twice a day for nearly six months to fully treat it. During that time we also made sure he had milk thistle to protect his liver.

There are many medications, voraconazole was not my vets first choice but I urged him to try it as I almost lost a bird that was using Amp B. I had no side effects from the voraconazole, we were able to do double the treatment time.

Hope your baby finds relief soon.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Thank you for checking in...

Her vet has her on Sporonox once a day for 10 days then we take a 20 day break and then another 10 day round.

When I got get back in 2014 she has a super bad case of asper down into her 3rd level air sacs and we treated it with this same medication but had to do 3 rounds of 10 days on 20 days off and she has been fine until just about 12 or 13 days ago.

She is responding well and acting more like herself after just the one 10 day round, but I am being cautious and watching her closely.

I am detoxing her liver with Lilly of the Desert Aloe Detox mixed with cranberry juice (she thinks it's a treat), she also responded well with this concoction last time.

 

[RavensGryf]

I really hope the Sporonox does the trick. That 20 day in between waiting period has got to be rough when you just want to get it over with.

Like Macawnutz said, I also had Vorconazole for Raven. It was given orally twice a day for a month, then another treatment started right away for another month. It's not fun, hang in there.

 

[Scott]

One of my birds had Asper a few years ago, and the drug Voriconazole sounds familiar. It was a long dosing process, but did the trick.

I hope the present course works well for Zilla, but please don't hesitate to seek another opinion if necessary. (not sure if this was prescribed by the specialist??)

 

[Macawnutz]

If she is being given Sporonox (Itraconazole) I would do more than Aloe detox. The fungicides are very hard on the liver and Milk Thistle is the go to supportive supplement.

Sporanox (Itraconazole Capsules) Drug Information: Side Effects and Drug Interactions - Prescribing Information at RxList

Sporonox is the medication my vet wanted to use. I declined as asper needs long term medicating for success and Itraconazole is harmful long term. Asper is quite often accompanied with bacterial infections so I would also get her on a probiotic as well. I use avi-culture.

Since the asper is located deep in her air sacs has your vet suggested nebulizing? It's very easy to set up an at home system.

Also, I wanted to mention, when using voraconazole I never took a break from medicating. We did six straight months of treatment and I had zero side effects.

** big hugs, I know how hard this is **

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Scott,

Not prescribed by the specialist. Her avian vet put her on it the day we went to see her, and since it did work last time and she has been healthy for over a year the specialist has said to continue with this course of treatment. If this doesn't work then we will need to give her liver a rest/detox then try a different medication.

My opinion is that this medication is already working for her. She has perked up, has much more energy than she had before, and is eating better already. Her breathing has improved so much in just 2 weeks, I would say she is almost back to her normal (which will never really be normal since she has so much scar tissue in her air sacs)

 

[Taw5106]

Amanda thanks for sharing about feeding Zilla baby food. Lately I've had a very hard time with Venus eating because she wants to be fed by a male Ekkie (aka vomit for me). I'm her mate per Venus,but I'm not hers per my opinion lol. I picked up high calcium and vitamin A rich organic baby foods and she has been eating them like she's starving. This is a great event for us! I think it's the consistency of the food but your blog helped with the decision to try baby food and it was a winner for a different purpose than yours and Zilla's. Thanks!!


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