The budgie incident happened.... oh gosh... it was like 4 years ago? He was just lethargic, had droppings stuck to his vent feathers and just not acting normal. No respiratory issues, but obviously sick. The second vet that saw him (the one I trust) did mention probiotics, and I think I may have had some, but it was too late by that time without being able to find out the true cause of why he was so sick. She did mention that the bacterial count was low when they did a gram stain. He and his "mate" were "throw-away" pets because the owner was moving and didn't want to take them with her... only she ended up not moving and when she found out her cute little male budgie died she was sad, until I told her how much I spent on him. Her demeanor quickly changed! Back to being a worthless pet not worth the money... last time I spoke with her!
The bourke parakeet got her Baytril prescription September 21st this year, and I just haven't thrown out the bottle yet! (it's basically empty anyway...). Her sinus issues started earlier this year. She had the nasal flush and that came back clear of infections so I was told to keep flushing her sinuses, and I did, and she got better. Not 100% better, but improved. Then we had fires from California polluting the air, and she got worse. Rather than taking her to my a-vet (50+ minutes drive!), I thought I'd try out a different a-vet that was much closer. Considering her age and history, this vet did not feel comfortable doing anything invasive, so instead of testing her, he just prescribed Baytril. I already don't like Baytril, and I don't like it when a vet prescribes medications without doing any tests! But I thought I'd give it a second try. If she didn't lose weight, I wouldn't be so irked about it! But she was already underweight which makes things worse, IMO.
I am waiting for a reply from my a-vet though to see if there are any additional tests that might be worth pursuing but at the moment, other than slowing down and looking lethargic when she sleeps, she's actually doing fine. Based on her previous behavior when she was sick, she's not currently sick, but I do wonder at times if there's something going on I don't know about. Probiotics haven't been prescribed for her, since her bacterial count hasn't gone down. (gram stains)
Some photos from May... she only had fluid in one nostril, not the other. One nostril swollen, same side there's swelling around her eye. Other side not affected. The only thing the fluid really did was to dry out and clog the nostril. Never any wet sneezes, extra itching or anything else of that nature. She acted normal, but just had a nose problem.
This from September at the vets... more swelling, nose wouldn't remain clear (clogging back up) and this when she got Baytril.
And I haven't taken a new photo since, but I can tomorrow.
On one hand, I'm surprised I haven't killed her, considering her growing medical history. (she also has cancer, had surgery to try and remove it 3 years ago!) On the other hand, I'm surprised she's still alive! Her parents died younger than her (one in an accident that could have been prevented) and I only know of, or heard of, two older than her! She's cute though! She's gotten feistier with age!
If your conure really had a fungal infection and they treated her with antibiotics (doxycycline and baytril), that's another possibility of why she died. Antibiotics kill the good and the bad bacteria within the system, making it more vulnerable to fungal infections. It is the good bacteria that keeps the fungal stuff in check. If she actually had a bacterial infection, not fungal, then they did the right treatment, if not necessarily at the right dosages and strengths.