I am so very sorry to hear that Peaches may have PDD. Looking again at that x-ray, though, the proventriculus does seem like it may be compromised. (Full disclosure, though. I've done tons of research and 2 avian vets have spoken to me in depth about the disease, one of whom was a pioneer in its discovery and research, and the other who showed me on an x-ray where the signs would show up. But I am by no means professionally qualified to read an x-ray.) Is there another image taken with Peaches on her stomach or back?
Either way, if there is any possibility that she might have PDD, you should separate her immediately from the rest of your flock and implement quarantine.
At this time, no one is certain of just how contagious PDD is. One vet I spoke to believed that it is largely transmitted vertically, which is to say parent to child. My own Bixby was infected this way, and died back in February at just over 1.5 years old. Thankfully, Maya's x-rays have shown her to be free of the disease.
However, while it definitely seems to be less readily transmissible than say PDD, the possibility of infection via feces or dander while an infected bird is actively shedding remains very real. Your best defense for your other birds, aside from the aforementioned quarantine, is scrupulously good cage and bird hygiene.
And btw, PDD comes from Avian Bornavirus. If Peaches is already showing signs of proventricular dilation, or if her crop seems similarly compromised, that would be an indication of PDD, not ABV. Clinical symptoms don't show under the ABV stage.
How are Peaches' droppings? If there are seemingly undigested particles of food, that would be another sign. (The dilation of the proventriculus allows some food to pass undigested through the digestive tract.)
And while the disease does indeed have a potentially poor prognosis, if caught early enough it's progress can be slowed considerably. In fact, one macaw in the pioneer vet's care has lived with the disease for 12 years, now. Anti-inflammatory drugs to control dilation and swelling, coupled with antibiotics to combat the secondary infections that can attack the compromised immune system, have proven effective. But again, only if caught early enough. And with varying degrees of success.
I really hope that it's not PDD, but I just wanted to give you some information on the subject in case it is.
Please keep us updated. You and your flock will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Here's hoping they figure out what's wrong and can give her the correct treatment to heal!
