Help needed for Bonnie - vets don't seem to be able to help.

[kme3388]

Hi there, I am so sorry to hear about your Ekkie Bonnie I have a male Ekkie who isn't the healthiest boy you'll come across. He has elevated labs, and bornavirus. He also is a feather plucker. He is just a very sensitive boy. Diet is so important. Nico is on a prescription diet (pellets), and I give him chop, or fresh food as well. I was informed to keep an eye on Nico's weight. He's gained weight sense he's lived with me. Which I was told was a good thing as he was underweight when I got him 8 months ago (he is 15-18 years old). Nico is VERY hormonal. He masterbaits, and regurgitates constantly (with multiple objects). He also see's me as his mate which I did everything to try to prevent. He is a nasty little bugger to my husband. If Nico is on my shoulder, and my husband try's to sit by me. Nico will without a doubt try to attack my husband. He also will try to attack my husband for trying to clean his cage. Hormones are also something to consider when it comes to your ekkie. Nico also gets stressed out very easily in comparison to my conure. I do my best to make sure that Nico gets 12 hours of sleep a night with no interruptions. I hope something in here helps! Please feel free to reach out to me for help.

 

[vortexx]

Hi
The constant vet visits with no real help put alot of stress on me to the point where just thinking clearly is difficult (especially if bonnie seems to not be doing well). The beaking think that I explained is similar to the way baby birds get food from their mothers, but she also does it if she is in pain (the x-ray technician trying to pull her wings back - causing her to awaken from the anesthetic in pain. I was told that she was doing that to the technician). If she is hungry, It's not for lack of food. Every day I have a small grocery bag of leftover food to throw in the garbage.

Part of the problem may be acidic foods. Kiwis were a big part of her diet since she was a baby and we used to put a little amount of orange juice in her cage overnight in case she felt hungry. I had stopped the orange juice and removed the kiwis. I thought things may have been getting better but today she was vibrating my finger throughout the day and making crying noises.

Someone asked what she eats, since she cant eat pellets and stopped eating seeds - I've tried just about any food with her. Just about all the fruits and vegetables as well as any human food that I think she may like. There was a point about 3 or 4 years ago, where I didn't know what to do and ended up spending an embarrassing amount of money on food. At the time, there were some break-ins in my house and myself and the vet felt that it might be due to feeling traumatized. It may not have been that though. Perhaps something else that the vet didn't look into was the cause.

My brain needs a break, so that is all I can write for now.

Thanks for your replies. I need to reread them all when I'm not feeling overwhelmed.

 

[vortexx]

One thing that Bonnie seems (I say seems because she answers questions with yes or no, but I can't always be certain she fully understands) to be trying to tell me her throat and crop area might be sore and it hurts when she eats). Is there anything I can do at home without seeing a vet that may help?

 

[Kentuckienne]

A ver should be able to test a sample of poop for Cándida without you having to bring her in. Sometimes birds get this fungus in their crops and it can be hard to eliminate. Oral meds usually work but can take time. Acidic foods can irritate the crop or create conditions that support yeast overgrowth. You might try her on baby parrot formula - I keep some powdered parrot formula in the freezer for emergencies - if you think she’s not eating enough. Weighing her every day would be a good idea, especially if she’s not eating. Some birds can get sour crop, where food isn’t being digested and ferments in the crop, and the vet sometimes has to flush the crop to get the old food out. Does it seem like her crop is emptying properly?

If you don’t trust the local vet, there are avian vets who will consult by zoom as long as there is a local vet who can do tests etc…then you get the knowledge of a CAV who can talk the local vet through things if they aren’t familiar with parrots. If you have time, you might search for the Merck veterinary manual which is freely available online. Just read as much as you can about parrots. You might not find an exact description of what’s going on with Bonnie, but the articles might trigger some ideas in your mind, and at least you will learn some things about health issues for birds.

 

[HeatherG]

One thing that Bonnie seems (I say seems because she answers questions with yes or no, but I can't always be certain she fully understands) to be trying to tell me her throat and crop area might be sore and it hurts when she eats). Is there anything I can do at home without seeing a vet that may help?

I am so sorry. This sounds very stressful for you and for Bonnie. I have an orphan disease, and I have had several birds who had involved medical issues as I was studying to be a bird disease specialist years ago and boy! It’s stressful to have all those appointments and the bills do add up. I think I understand some of how you feel and wish I could help more. I will reread your story and read my avian med books and think. But I also don’t want to stress you out more with uninformed suggestions.

Do you have a university near you that does infectious disease or has a veterinary program? That is where I would take my bird in this case. Even making a trip to get an expert opinion could be worthwhile if you can afford it. But some things never get diagnosed.

I wonder if the regurgitation behavior might be a demonstration of passivity, like a dog rolling over to show its belly and neck, because your Bonnie felt vulnerable at the vets. ?? Or if she felt barfy after her procedure, or scared and confused?

I lost my talking, sarcastic, sweet, thinking Lucy almost two years ago at 24. I surely think of you and Bonnie and hope she does as well as she can.

Could Bonnie have a crop infection or yeast (or acidophilus) overgrowth in there that makes crop contents more acidic or slow?

 

[HeatherG]

I am so sorry. This sounds very stressful for you and for Bonnie. I have an orphan disease, and I have had several birds who had involved medical issues as I was studying to be a bird disease specialist years ago and boy! It’s stressful to have all those appointments and the bills do add up. I think I understand some of how you feel and wish I could help more. I will reread your story and read my avian med books and think. But I also don’t want to stress you out more with uninformed suggestions.

Do you have a university near you that does infectious disease or has a veterinary program? That is where I would take my bird in this case. Even making a trip to get an expert opinion could be worthwhile if you can afford it. But some things never get diagnosed.

I wonder if the regurgitation behavior might be a demonstration of passivity, like a dog rolling over to show its belly and neck, because your Bonnie felt vulnerable at the vets. ?? Or if she felt barfy after her procedure, or scared and confused?

I lost my talking, sarcastic, sweet, thinking Lucy almost two years ago at 24. I surely think of you and Bonnie and hope she does as well as she can.

Could Bonnie have a crop infection or yeast (or acidophilus) overgrowth in there that makes crop contents more acidic or slow?

Aha! I se kentuckienne already asked about crop infection. My first parrot was a little bird who never did well. She had an acidophilus infection once (found in fecal smears). I remember she seemed uncomfortable when pooping, but this was a long time ago. her poop actually smelled a bit yogurty. Has Bonnie got stinky breath?

 

[vortexx]

Hi,
It's been a while since I posted. I was too stressed out too write. I'm a bit better, but not alot (especially when it comes to Bonnie). I have some old metacam and a tobogesic (spelling? it's an opioid) solution that I was given some time last year. Every now and then Bonnie acts in pain and giving her a watered down version of the opioid was helping. The last few days have been difficult. She is seeming to indicate difficulty pooping. She has been asking for something overnight repeatedly the last few days. I gave her a bit of the opioid about once a day. Tonight she kept asking for something, vibrating her beak on my finger like babies that want to be fed. I did not know if she was hungry as she hadn't eaten too much. I decided to put a small cup of orange juice in her cage (which I used to do until I found out it could be bad). She started drinking and a minute or so later she was making crying noises. I asked her about the orange juice and she no longer wanted it, so she seems to have an irritated mouth - crop etc.

Since I posted last, I haven't been able to take her to a vet due to money issues, plus I spent a small fortune going to vets and emergency clinics the last couple of years (I found out only the last one was certified) with just refills of pain meds. I no longer could think of what to even say.

Does anyone know if there may be a home remedy for throat, lung irritation? I recently noticed that when some dust got in the air it also made her uncomfortable.

To answer HeatherG - I can't detect any smell from her breath. I'm sorry about Lucy. I get sad thinking of such intelligent creatures passing away.

 

[HeatherG]

Thinking of my bird, do her poops smell funny? Gonzo’s poops actually smelled yogurty when she had acidophilus overgrowth. And no, I didn’t feed her yogurt, but she acted reluctant to poop.

(Very long ago. Poor baby Gonzo.)

 

[kme3388]

May I ask all of the test's they've ran so we understand further on what's been checked, or hasn't? Maybe we can give a suggestion on something that may have been overlooked. That happens to the best of us at times.

 

[Laurasea]

tge two things I think are possible
Chlamydiaosis as u mentioned earlier, requires 45 days if doxycline to cure , can be a chronic condition thst effects respiratory and systemic like kidney, liver, gi

Or crop yeast overgrowth. Baytril is notoriously in causing secondary yeast overgrowth. The nit eat much and regurgitating. My Penny did with crop yeast overgrowth. Easy to treat with nystatin

But both conditions requires a veterinarian diagnosis

 

[HeatherG]

I am wondering why Bonnie’s situation is so complicated. If she possibly has some other issue going on, the infection could be from any number of organisms. That’s why (I think) Laurasea is saying, “this is likely, but it needs a veterinarian diagnosis”. Which I believe would mainly be a culture (of a sample from the mouth, crop, vent or skin—the problem area) and sensitivity (to ensure you use the right medication to kill the bacteria or fungus/yeast) .

For example, my Lucy had a deflated eye and in her last years, would get nasty eye infections from rubbing her sore or itchy eye on things. Or, my first Quaker had an underlying fungal infection and had wacky issues all her short life. These weren’t things you would expect to trouble the average bird.

i hope you can help Bonnie and I would get her to a university vet clinic if you can manage it and afford it. If she is eating but the food isn’t getting digested properly, or an underlying infection is using up all the nutrients, it makes sense she is hungry and can’t be satisfied.

 

[vortexx]

Thanks for the help. There may be other complications with Bonnie as she is very sensitive. At one point about 5 years ago, I had kids getting into the house while I was out and stealing. I realized an ex girlfriend set me up. She unlocked some windows... etc. Bonnie and Herbie had trouble dealing with this as they were strangers and they went through most of the house. It is possible there was some bird trauma from this. At this point I have had all the documents sent to the new vet that I went to last. He thought Bonnie was looking for attention. He is an Avian certified vet. There was a longish period of time from the flareup with bonnie's throat to the day I could get her appointment. He didn't do a culture and suggested new blood work. Once I can get enough money together, I will take her in again.
If I show you all the meds she was given in the time I was taking her (mostly pain meds and baytril, you will be amazed I kept most of the bottles and they take up 2 small containers.
I will try to get an appointment soon.

thanks again!