He ate raw onion, help!

[tashawithanekkie]

Duke just got into a bowl of scraps on the counter, I caught him munching on an onion peel! What should I do?

It doesn't seem like he got much. Maybe 3-4 bites. Still, I know that's not good for him.:17:

 

[plumsmum2005]

Onion Toxicity. Although many vegetables are indeed safe and healthy for pet birds, onions in all forms -- from raw to cooked -- are not. Onions are toxic to pet birds. ... For many types of pets, onions are associated with a deadly condition known as hemolytic anemia.

Give your CAV a call and ask their advice please.

https://www.thespruce.com/common-foods-that-can-poison-bird-390628

Probably will be Ok as only small amount but I am not a vet so ask the professional.

 

[LordTriggs]

get off here and to the vet!

 

[tashawithanekkie]

get off here and to the vet!

i'm trying! first call said 'nothing to worry about' but . . . they're not CAV, just a clinic.

next 2 calls, no openings! finally got thru to another, am on hold waiting to see what vet says. fingers crossed.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Okay so. The last has a bird specialist. He said the amount probably wasn't fatal but I may see some GI upset for the next couple of days. Was told to give lots of high water content foods over the next few days, to help flush the system.

Thanks for replies. I'm gonna go cuddle this little stinker and give him some watermelon. And maybe cry.

 

[LordTriggs]

lots of yummy watermelon and cucumber!

time for his butt to do a lorikeet impression haha

silly little goober eating dem onions

 

[Kiwibird]

Kiwi got hold of a big (for his size) piece of onion once. He grabbed an onion ring and when I yanked it from him, the breading came off and he had the onion left in his beak and gulped it down like a pelican would a fish! I was a bit freaked out, but I didn't even notice so much as a slight change in his poops. He was totally fine (and quite proud of himself). I believe the potential for toxicity comes from eating onion regularly, where large amounts of compounds they have difficulty processing build up in the system, not a single incident where the bird only ingests a small amount.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Well done Tasha, useful info to know what to feed to counteract when they have swiped some onion.

Why do they hang on so tight to the stuff they shouldn't have?

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Oh no, Kiwibird! The image of a pelican with a fish, oh my! What a little stinker!

Literally, stinker. My boy smells so bad right now! And of course he's wanting kisses and to be right in my face.

We shared a strawberry banana smoothie for lunch, with extra apple juice in it. He's not really into them but I made it seem like the best thing ever. My husband is going to stop on his way home from work and get more watery fruits and veggies. I'll be mixing water into his chop too. If something happens to Duke I'll never forgive myself. We brought him here to save him from a terrible diet and neglect, and I left him unsupervised for five minutes and he goes and eats the one available poison?!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Ha ha, wanting kisses hilarious!

Keep an eye on balancing his diet, trying to correct one thing and tipping the scales to cause something else can be tricky.

 

[clark_conure]

I never heard anything about onions before.....so I did some research because I worry about my GCC owner.

I looked through a lot of sites but in the end I found this...

Onions can cause a fatal hemolytic anemia in dogs and cats, but since birds' red blood cells have a nucleus, this may protect the cells from the severe injury that occurs in other species. However, until this topic is studied, it is best to not feed onions to birds.

So basically, don't let him have anymore....but he should be fine, the poison is in the dosage.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Plumsmom, thanks, I'll try. He can be a picky little bugger. I gave him sweet potato and broccoli chop this morning, with a little seed mixed in. He seems to be eating it but he might just be trying to pick the seeds. He's a junk food junkie. I'm glad he's eating at all, the vet said he might not have much of an appetite.

Clark, cool, thanks! I tried to read up on it but most of what I found just said don't give onion ever, so I was pretty freaked out.

So update this morning, he seems pretty much fine. Eating well, still very kissy, still stinky but not as bad. Yesterday, it reminded me of my restaurant days, when I'd open a bin of sliced onions that were a couple of days old. Today it's much lighter. His poo seems normal, maybe a little darker than usual but only slightly.

I'm a natural worrier, I get it from my mom, so I'll still be keeping an eye on him, but it helps to hear that he'll probably be okay from folks here in addition to the vet. Thanks again, everyone. <3

 

[Anansi]

Wow, just seeing this now. I'm so glad everything seems to be okay. You must've been scared senseless. Tell Duke not to freak out his mom like that.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Thanks, Anansi. I told him. He turned around and poo'd. I guess that means he feels better.

 

[Allee]

I'm happy to hear Duke is back to normal. Living with parrots is not for the faint of heart. Sorry you had such a scare.

 

[steveandbarb1]

For years we were kind of oblivious to garlic (same family) as I would put hummus on celery. Certainly now we know better, he gets organic peanut butter...