amazon not eating

[yann]

hi everyone...an accquaintance of mine has an amzon that has stopped eating completely and only sleeps the whole day. he had some breathing problems as well but that has been cured by a vet. she has already seeked several opinions from avian vets but the general idea is that they cannot do anything to save him.

does anyone here have any idea what illness this could be? or how to encourage him to eat?
any ideas/advice will he greatly appreciated!

 

[Phlox]

He needs a vet.

 

[Kiwibird]

If the vets "cannot do anything to save him" then they obviously have an idea of whats causing his symptoms. Any idea what that might be? If we know what illness is happening, you may get better advice.

 

[goalerjones]

Lack of appetite is just a lead in symptom. Bowel obstruction, liver or kidney issues, respiratory issues all will give this as a symptom.

How old is the bird? What has changed before this symptom presented itself? Is the bird drinking any water?

 

[yann]

this fella has seen 3 vets already and they all do not know whats wrong with him. he is not eating on his own, and is being hand/force fed to stay alive.

could it be just stubbornness that is causing him to reject his food?? or there definitely is an underlying health problem?

 

[yann]

he does not drink any water too, just stays sleepy the whole day.

 

[goalerjones]

Any blood work done? X-rays?

 

[henpecked]

How old is he? Is a vet the same thing as an avian vet?

 

[yann]

well yes he went to avian vet. no bloodwork done, av's here do not usually ask for tests to be done. was trying to convince the owner to get it done so that they wouldn't need to guess what was wrong and get a better idea but nope the vet didn't recommend it so she did not get it done.

thanks for all the feedback here! but sadly he has passed on a few days ago

 

[Birdman666]

I'm resisting the urge to say something. So I will only offer my condolences...

 

[yann]

you could say it i'm honestly also quite frustrated with the way things turned out…but the parrot aint mine so i could only advice.

 

[Birdman666]

you could say it i'm honestly also quite frustrated with the way things turned out…but the parrot aint mine so i could only advice.

Okay. I didn't want to flame someone who was grieving...

"His bird died, but at least he saved a little money on the blood tests."

We will never know if this was something that was curable or not, because no one can tell without blood work. And by the time the bird starts showing symptoms, since they mask them to avoid being easy pickin's for predators... well, by the time he even saw the vet, it may have been too late!

Life lesson: Assume it may be something life threatening. If it isn't done right away...

 

[yann]

yeah it is a lesson learnt, the parrot was sick & stopped eating by himself for a few months already.

but i don't think it is completely the owner's fault…the avian vets she visited dismissed blood tests and suggested to 'wait and see' as it could be psychological. Another one even told her to not do anything as it was just a matter of time before the parrot would die. really horrible advice from professionals if i may say so.

but this has gotten me worried, her amazon was from the same batch as mine.

 

[Birdman666]

yeah it is a lesson learnt, the parrot was sick & stopped eating by himself for a few months already.

but i don't think it is completely the owner's fault…the avian vets she visited dismissed blood tests and suggested to 'wait and see' as it could be psychological. Another one even told her to not do anything as it was just a matter of time before the parrot would die. really horrible advice from professionals if i may say so.

but this has gotten me worried, her amazon was from the same batch as mine.

Yeah, well, it could have been an infection. It could have been diet related. It could have been an intestinal blockage...

 

[henpecked]

What age are these birds? That whole story is a real shame. IMO there's 2 types of AV. The dedicated, concerned, honest AV and the money hungry,corporate, type who view their job as a job, not a love of their job. I can't see either one not doing the blood test. I find it hard to believe an AV would have that approach, a regular vet who was "out of his league", yes. Do you use the same Vet?

 

[yann]

birdman: true…the possibilities are endless.

henpecked: shop said 6-8 months but they're already displaying mating behaviour so i'd figure around 4-5 years old? it that correct? unfortunately yes we are using the same avian vet, there are probably less than 5 where i am so choice are quite limited.

 

[henpecked]

Well,, i asked 2 of my AV's . They both suggested blood test,cultures and an x=ray. You need to find a better AV before you need one. I'm not sure where you're located but we do have a list of AVs in a "sticky" in the Health section of the forum.

 

[95talongirl]

First, I am sorry for the loss of the bird. It is difficult, no matter what.

Secondly, I WOULD NOT got back to that vet. Sounds like he really doesn't know how to handle avian cases and just brushed it off. The vet I use for Mopar does regular blood work so they can keep a file on what his normal ranges are, and if anything goes wrong, gives them a better place to start. (annual, sometimes every two years if the bird stays in good health)