PDD Rant - Not sure if I will ever take another rehomed

shinyuankuo

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May 9, 2019
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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
Disclaimer: This is a bit of a mixed up thread. There's not really any target of blames, but just let me take it out on rehoming for now.

I took in Winston as a rehome last November. He had uncontrollable sour crop this June. I took it very seriously and just confirmed today that he developed PDD. (http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectu...r-crop-anything-i-can-do-home-before-vet.html is the old thread if you care.) (Also, for your information, we went to an avian vet, and we got the AGA test. The AGA is the most advanced blood test for PDD at the moment.)

For now, Winston is okay. His GI symptoms calmed down, and he's a happy bird. We just struggle to put weight back on him. I'm waiting for the vet to call me back to discuss options. I'm not worried so much because I have passed the panic phase. But, I am upset. After extensive research, I understood that ABV is way more likely to be transmitted vertically (from parents) than from other birds. Winston's fromer owner told me he's been healthy all these years, and he's been the only bird in the household. Well, I don't think Winston's former owner did anything wrong or lied to me. It is just what it is.

However, PDD takes a toll on the emotions undeniably.

You know, I get that rehoming gives an unwanted bird an chance. Winston is a good bird. I just don't know if given another chance, will I take the unknowns. I know 30% of the parrots have ABV. I guess the best way to avoid the virus is to get your bird from a HIGHLY reputable breeder. Their birds cost thousands, but you get to ask about the parents. You have a better chance of getting a clean bill of health. I think that's a fair consideration now.

My promise to my rehomed boy has not changed. (Winston flew to me while I was typing this thread. He does not care if he's sick. He just got a fresh sunflower to munch on this afternoon.)

My husband and I will keep him happy as long as we can, but we will probably not force him to be alive at some point. I am planning on getting him recovery formula to help with his weight, and we will see what the vet prescribes. BTW, if you have abv positive/PDD bird, I highly recommend joining Parrot PDD support group on Facebook. I learned a lot there, and people are willing to share what they do and how they cope with symptoms.

I'm done ranting. Sorry for the negative speech.
 
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saxguy64

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I'm so sorry to hear this about Winston! Feel free to rant. It's hard news to take, and heartbreaking to think of your friend getting miserable and wasting. My prayers and positive thoughts are with you. My guy Tucker tested positive for ABV a little while back, and I thought I'd lose my mind. He was only 4 years old, and is such an amazing little boy. He has had zero symptoms. The reason we tested for it was because he had a brief battle of toe tapping, and ABV/PDD as you know can cause neurological issues. Not the news I was expecting, so I was completely blind sided. Through process of elimination, I figured out the cause of the tapping- dark purple grapes. He only had a few, and never had them before, and rarely gets much fruit at all. Sweet stuff tends to make him more hormonal than I can deal with. Anyway, for now, and hopefully forever, he's symptom free. One thing... I've read a good bit of info and reports about ABV. Since many cases go undetected, it's not tested for as often as maybe it should be, and so I've seen some sources claim as many as 60% of all domestic parrots in the US have it. Not sure I'd believe it's that many, but unless you test them all, how do we know?

We have some good folks around here who have been through this. Hopefully they will be along soon to offer more than I can. I will say this though. Even with the heartbreak in the mix, I'm still a firm believer in rescues. They deserve a good loving home for as long as they're here. They're totally worth it, and give back so much more than they ask. So, don't give up on them, and love on your Winston for as long as you can, be it two weeks, or thirty years. He'll always be your boy.
 

noodles123

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I am sorry. What a nightmare. My uncle's bird had it and lived 35+ years, if that helps (I grew up with that bird and he WAS a family member)...I wish I could do something to help or make you feel better, but I would be a mess..My uncles bird likely always had it, as he never was exposed to birds in boarding or on play-dates.
I thought Noodles had it for a few years and was all over the place with worry.

The issue is, even birds from highly reputable breeders can have ABV and it is one of those things that is expensive and difficult to test for. If a bird is a carrier or asymptomatic, tests can be negative and then flare up later (if at all). Nevertheless, seemingly "negative" birds can still spread it...Kind of like COVID, only the asymptomatic period can be a few weeks, to 80 years. They think that it is a precurser to PDD in most cases, but there are some exceptions to that statement and it is a very new illness in terms of what vets know about it.
A VERY VERY large percentage of birds in the US have it. It usually originates with breeders...it doesn't manifest out of thin air and it isn't something they are catching from wild birds in the US. The problem is, it can take years to show and times of stress (e.g., moults, seasonal changes, sickness, underlying issues etc can cause it to finally show in older birds). When I say "older", I do not mean old..

"New research confirms that cloacal swabs and fecal samples are not a reliable source of ABV RNA due to the inconsistent shedding of the virus and destructive forces like bacteria, enzymes, and other contaminants found in the feces. This results in an unacceptable percentage of false negatives by PCR."

This link is where the information above came from, but it does have some images that would likely be upsetting, so only look at it if you want to see the source. https://www.animalgenetics.us/avian/disease_testing/Bornavirus.asp

Here is another, but again, some of the images are upsetting https://www.beautyofbirds.com/pdd.html
 
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SailBoat

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Which leave me to wonder what it must be like to get a 'new' perfect bird from a breeder and find that it also has illnesses. Illnesses Happen. And, they occur far more than most believe. They come home with the illness. They pick-up the illnesses in our homes, from the environments around our homes. Or, the worst, we bring it home.

Rants are welcomed as they clear the emotions that build-up within our heads and the release allows us to deal with the difficulty of the moment.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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Thank you for your thoughts. Like I said, this is a very mixed emotion thread. I do not disagree with the value of rehome/rescue, I just think health history is a consideration that should weight in more.

We were called by our attending avian vet on Thursday night for the positive AGA result (which indicates PDD), and the vet asked us to give her some time to reach out to the experts before coming up with a treatment plan. If you ask me, I think that's a great vet response. That tells me she wants to do the right things even it takes more work on her side. We have an appointment set up, and we are doing everything we can to maintain Winston until the appointment.

Well, Winston started vomiting overnight again on Saturday. I called the avian vet, and she's not available. We ended up taking Winston to a local emergency vet. We were lucky that their only one exotic vet is in. I printed out the a research article of AG (PDD), and labelled "disease intro", "testing (and Winston's result)", "clinical signs (and highlighted what Winston displays)", and "suggested treatment". I specifically asked for anti-inflammatory med until we can see our avian vet. They were impressed and agreed to give me a whole bottle of Metacam after taking a look at Winston. Through this, you can see that we are quite medical literate and are willing to go that extra mile to care for Winston. This is not for everyone.

I agree that birds are living creatures. They get sick regardless of coming from breeder or rehomes. I just can't deny that I find comfort reading some of the reputable breeder's health guarantees. I wish that I know where Winston came from. I wish that I had the opportunity to ask who his parents are, and how are they health-wise. Bottom line, rehome birds are not the problem. The question is are you a fit to take a rehome and be able to say "I'm fine with this bird starts to have problem tomorrow, and I am confident to take care of it, physically and emotionally."


---------- funny side story---------
The emergency vet did not allow people in their facility due to covid-19. The vet tech came out to do the first assessment. I showed the paper and told the whole story. He took notes and walked away without the paper. I asked if he wants it, and he said "I wrote all it done." I said ok, and I was semi-laughing inside. 5 minutes later, he walked out and said "dr. wants to see that paper."
I knew that would happen. Hahaha! Later the exotic vet came out and chatted with us, and she was pretty found of Winston. Her first response was "I know what that is! He's a boy!" Besides AG (PDD) symptoms, Winston is doing well. He's well hydrated and he did not vomit last night. I'm looking forward for the avian vet to come up with a treatment plan, but we should be good with the Metacam in hand.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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May 9, 2019
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State College, PA
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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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I am sorry. What a nightmare. My uncle's bird had it and lived 35+ years, if that helps (I grew up with that bird and he WAS a family member)...I wish I could do something to help or make you feel better, but I would be a mess..My uncles bird likely always had it, as he never was exposed to birds in boarding or on play-dates.
I thought Noodles had it for a few years and was all over the place with worry.
May I ask, did your uncle's bird had abv or PDD? It would be very encouraging to have PDD bird live more than 35 years.
 

noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
He had both--- they do not know when the ABV became PDD, but at some point, it did. He was on celebrex I think...or something similar for at least 8 years I want to say.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

New member
May 9, 2019
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State College, PA
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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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He had both--- they do not know when the ABV became PDD, but at some point, it did. He was on celebrex I think...or something similar for at least 8 years I want to say.

That’s woundrful to know. It is very very encouraging to hear. Yes, Celebrex is the common treatment, while some uses Metacam. I’m hoping our avian vet can get us Celebrex, but I’m ok with Metacam for now. I’m hopeful for Winston to have a somewhat normal life with medication.
 

chris-md

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Oh jeez, I’m really so very sorry to be reading this! I don’t really know what to say except I’m sending you and Winston al the positive energy we can muster here.
 

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