That is stressful- I'm sorry you are going through all of this.
Yeah--- It's ABV and can become PDD (ABV is considered serious, as it can be deadly- my uncle's bird had it, and not enough people take it seriously in terms of exposure to other random birds, as some estimates say that a large number (some studies say as many as 40% of captive parrots in the US spread it without symptoms). You should definitely get the test, as it extremely contagious to others and is considered a major deal, although they can survive for many years with ABV, you need to take extreme precaution not to have her around other birds and should assume that any birds that were around her (even if not sharing cages) were infected as well (testing is tricky when symptoms are not showing, as there are lifetime carriers who can spread and shed it intermittently it to other birds and it can progress to PDD, although ABV alone is very serious)..Kind of like HIV and AIDS in terms of the progression but more contagious. Do not assume that your other birds don't have it just because they aren't showing symptoms- some never do but the incubation period is all over the board.
Your bird may be able to live many more years (MANY) if this is treated and if stress is low, nutrition etc = adequate...But again, in another bird, it could kill more quickly, so take extreme care when handling others etc (as the dust on your clothing, hair etc can transmit it)-- it spreads in feather dust, droppings etc and remains stable in the environment for many many months..but in terms of your bird's outcome (in the event that she has this) is very complex...and depends on a billion different factors. They just discovered ABV in the 70s or something
I do have a question for you, which is that, I wonder then how safe it is to take our birds to the vet if there are all these birds around that may have this virus and spread it to them. Also, when the doctor goes around and handles the birds, could she be carrying the virus and pass it on to them then? It seems to be so easy to pass it to other birds. Now I'm wondering if she got this (although I shouldn't assume that she has it and I hope that she doesn't because she hasn't been tested yet) from the vet in the first place when she went there last year.
There is always a risk. My vet told me that when I asked the same question (he was like, what is your option? Not get veterinary care? lol). More dangerous scenarios= boarding, bird shops, play-dates or sharing a home. The amount of dander a bird gives off on a short visit is minimal compared to what would be shed over a day or in the place where the bird is housed. Some fancy boarding facilities actually have separate air supplies for each cell because of this issue though. The odds are higher that it came from one of your other birds, the breeder, or something that involved more exposure, but again, not impossible. It also takes a period of time for the virus to build up to detectable levels (incubation etc) so a bird could test negative at a breeder's but also get infected there. Breeders do not test for this most of the time because of the false negatives and expenses involved.
A good vet will thoroughly wash hands/arms and change coats etc between patients if there is a lot of contact. I would not board my bird with the vet though, for the same reason I wouldn't board elsewhere (unless I had no choice-- I once boarded Noodles at a shop because it was the only place that would let her hang out on a tree-stand all day, but I knew even at the time how risky that was). I know that breeder tests all of his birds for polyoma etc but I worry about PDD/ABV and PBFD, as they are much less commonly tested for.
The incubation period on ABV is crazy-- It can take a few weeks to upwards of 10+ years for SOME infected adult birds to show symptoms (in the event that they do)
https://lafeber.com/vet/wp-content/uploads/ABV-072814.pdf . It is a tricky virus and they are still not sure they fully understand it, but it is very hard to "kill" and it does linger. It is another one that can also pass mother to egg as well as bird to bird...so it's tricky because your bird could have been born with it, but again, depending on the levels etc, it may not have been detectable even with testing prior to this point. That having been said, babies do tend to have a harder time with it if symptoms occur. There have been instances of babies getting sick and then fighting it to the point where they become carriers, but when symptoms show, it is generally pretty serious--there are also multiple strains, so it's all just a frustrating mess (for vets and owners).
ABV has no treatment other than "supportive care" but sometimes that can buy a number of years in symptomatic birds, depending on the severity, strain , age, origin etc. Asymptomatic birds often live normal-length lives, but again, it's tricky and the main thing is, they can spread it to others and those birds may not test positive for weeks to years depending on the viral load and their immune systems.
It is spread via inhaled or ingested dander, en-utero, via droppings or dust from droppings (inhaled or ingested), contact with food or water containing saliva, dander, regurgitation, fecal matter etc. A lot of that stuff is in the air of your home (even if you can't see it). You might consider a non-ionizing, non-ozone producing , true hepa filter to help reduce it...but it's not really enough (more like an additional precaution, but not enough to remove the risk of housing multiple birds under the same roof if one is infected). I honestly think anyone with birds should have one of these anyway (just for human health and their own respiratory health). I got an Alen Air Breathesmart classic with the fresh plus filter and I love it. It wasn't cheap....but it works very well. Again, you still must assume that your other birds could be carriers (while isolating the actively sick one for now) BUT these purifiers are good to have in general due to all of the junk in the air and due to their need for clean air.
(ugh). I am also glad your vet is astute enough to realize this is a possibility!
Thank you!
