Radio Free Blue & Gold: All Gus, all the time.

[GaleriaGila]

Oh, wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...
Exciting.
Once again (and always)... GO, TEAM GUSSSSSS!

 

[SailBoat]

Applying a topical above the spine and not getting it all over the feathers, that's a challenge!

Q-tip! Likely a two person job. Person one holds Gus. Second person with medication on the Q-tip in one hand and the other working two fingers opening-up a pathway down the spine, should allow access to the skin. Easy to say, not sure how easy to make happen with Gus.

Hope it helps!

 

[wrench13]

Here's hoping Gus cooperates!! If it helps you should see some change pretty quickly,most of those ingrediants react fast,except for the Meloxicam. My wife Geri takes that for her back too; it needed to build up for an efficatious result. Gus,your a lucky bird to have such a caringparront !!

 

[Anansi]

I'm so glad that the vet appointment went so well (I'm assuming that the vet's finger was none the worse for wear after Gus' swing ride), and that there is a solid plan for dealing with Gus' pain. I'm dearly hoping that this treatment will be the answer and that he will be good about taking the meds.

Thanks, Spider God. How did you give Maya the gabapentin? I'm a little worried about doing oral meds, long term...

At first I only needed to time the meds for right before breakfast and dinner, when she was at her hungriest. That way, she would be a lot more receptive to taking the meds from the syringe. However, after around two weeks or so she really got tired of one of the medications - can't remember which - and I had to switch up my tactics a bit. So I began using a tiny sliver of peanut butter mixed in with the medication on the tip of a spoon instead, and she proved quite receptive. (This was after an initial fail where I made the mistake of putting said dollop of hybrid peanut butter/medication on my finger... never considering how closely its coloring might resemble my own complexion to her untrained eye. You can imagine the less than pleasant result of my oversight.)

Hope that helps, my friend... if it even winds up being necessary.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I'm so glad that the vet appointment went so well (I'm assuming that the vet's finger was none the worse for wear after Gus' swing ride), and that there is a solid plan for dealing with Gus' pain. I'm dearly hoping that this treatment will be the answer and that he will be good about taking the meds.

Thanks, Spider God. How did you give Maya the gabapentin? I'm a little worried about doing oral meds, long term...

At first I only needed to time the meds for right before breakfast and dinner, when she was at her hungriest. That way, she would be a lot more receptive to taking the meds from the syringe. However, after around two weeks or so she really got tired of one of the medications - can't remember which - and I had to switch up my tactics a bit. So I began using a tiny sliver of peanut butter mixed in with the medication on the tip of a spoon instead, and she proved quite receptive. (This was after an initial fail where I made the mistake of putting said dollop of hybrid peanut butter/medication on my finger... never considering how closely its coloring might resemble my own complexion to her untrained eye. You can imagine the less than pleasant result of my oversight.)

Hope that helps, my friend... if it even winds up being necessary.

Ha! Chomp chomp, eh? No problem here, Gus will bite me whatever color I have on my finger.

As for the feathers.. his spine makes a sharp point, which stretches the skin out quite a bit so there is a lot of bare skin that’s easy to reach. It will take some experimenting to figure out the best way to get it on the skin and not on the feathers. Worst case, he has to deal with Mr. Towel for a short while. But his hooman thinks he can do it, and I wish him luck!

 

[Kentuckienne]

I figured hauling Gus in a crate for an hour each way to be abused by the vet would set our relationship back a couple of years. But yesterday, he allowed me to provide the requested ride to the poo tree, and didn't even try to bite me! And he's only lunged at me once since then! I don't think he somehow knows that I'm trying to help. He just knows that I had the chance to eat him and didn't. I can live with that.

The ointment is in the mail! Can't wait.

 

[wrench13]

Could this be the breakthru we have all been waiting for? congrats on not eating Gus.

 

[Anansi]

There's nothing like the moment a relationship reaches that level where both sides come to trust that neither is trying to eat the other. Lol! Good job not holding a grudge with Lady Kentuckienne, Gus.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I love this thread. I love Gus. I love his servants!
It's just such a great story about a great bird-guy finally finding (with you) what he deserved all along.
It's beautiful.
Hopefully he's figuring it all out.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Gus has allowed me to transport him to the poop tree for a couple days now. Three times yesterday alone! We're a long way from trust, but we'll get there. Still waiting for his medicine ... if it's not in the mail I'll call the pharmacy Monday. I've been having lower back trouble this week, a first for me, and it makes me even more convinced he has something similar.

 

[wrench13]

Lets hear it for the Poop tree, neutral territory!.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Let's hear it for the b---
Bird!
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI7YHZVc7mM"]Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It for the Boy - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Kentuckienne]

Gus's pain cream finally arrived. It was delayed because the local post office returned it to the sender because there was no "Gus Macaw" listed for my PO box. It's not the first time those numbnuts have taken it on themselves to decide what name I can have. So they sent it again, giving Gus my last name, and for good measure I filed a change of address for Gus Macaw M. with the UPSP. Now Gus has lots of coupons for Lowe's, Overstock.com and the like. It's been a challenge to put it on him, but he's been getting smeared on the bare skin of his hump for a week now. And he does seem to be just ever so slightly more active! Plus, I hung the demon bell on his cage where it doesn't swing hard enough to hurt him, and he likes to ring it. Things are looking up for the old boy.

 

[Kentuckienne]

The alpha and the omega of macaw feathers! Here is the biggest tail feather ever lost by Gus, alongside the tiniest little head feather.

 

[Anansi]

So happy to hear that the cream seems to be having an effect. I was really hoping that it would. Hopefully its effects are cumulative in nature and the pain relief just continues to grow with each day that passes.

Hmmm, so Gus Macaw M. has joined the ranks of the RickeyBird with receiving his own mail, eh? Well played, Gus. Well played. Lol!

 

[wrench13]

Way to ,go Gus, can the offers for low interest car loans be far behind.

 

[Kentuckienne]

All I can say is if they send him a voter registration card it would be hard not to take him over to the polling location. Maybe he can run for a local elected office.

Maybe it's just our imagination that he's more, just slightly more, active? I hope not. His main activity for months consists of sitting on top of the cage and lurking, just staring into the room. Now and then he rips up some paper or beats on the bell and ball. I sure hope it's a trend that continues.

I guess I should take him back in a month or so to have blood work done ... make sure that whatever is in the lotion is not getting into his blood stream enough to cause problems. I'll ask the vet how long to wait. If his behavior really does change, I will be so happy. And at the same time be so sad, because it means he's been suffering his whole life. What if he becomes a mush mac after all? Fingers crossed. And held at some distance from Gus's beak.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Ah, a setback. The pain cream really did seem to be helping, but then he began to seem sensitive, and then we noticed the skin on his back was turning dark as if bruised....quit putting it on ... he developed an irritated looking place and then a scab. So something it that medicine was irritating his skin. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Anansi]

Aw, geez. So sorry to hear that! Determined as you are, though, I don't doubt that you'll find another answer. I only wish that the cream had done the trick.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Those feathers are terrific! I have a vase for the Rb's feathers that I can't stand to let go. You can sell 'em on eBay, ya know. I try to give them to crafters or kids, usually.