Ralphie- perch potato anonymous

[raeleigh26]

He usually just does a few flock calls in the morning, he's really excited when I come in, sometimes I gotta wait for him to settle (strutting rooster stuff) before he's ready to come out(door open).
Only flock calls when someone leaves the room. Has begun signaling a special noise just for me.... whichmeans, "come get me", "give me that", "take me over there", "I'm ready for bed"...
Interesting that dh is completely deaf to this particular sound.

He always gets every dose. I didn't get enough to account for waste this time, so I'll be getting his last 3 doses when we go back.

My issue with toweling is being insecure about holding his head, I managed today without much trouble. No problem holding his wings/ body. But I have seriously underestimated the reach of his neck.

I hate that he's sick. You'd think that I would know better, having bought a hundred calves and knowing every one comes home sick. Just how it is.
But honestly, it didn't occur to me that am animal so expensive, exotic, would be sent to someone without being in perfect health.

In hindsight, there were a lot of birds there.
Idk of its contagious, environmental, dietary,
But I'm going to get full workup done.

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[raeleigh26]

Sleeping.
Rubbing his face and head with objects, lots of beak rubbing on the perch.
Had some hard core preening earlier,
(edit... now. Again. ) thought he was gonna rip out some flight feathers. He does have one crooked tail feather.. which he pulled out while I was typing this and is using to scratch his head, chin, and... mostly his ears?
.... no, he broke it off, didn't fall out naturally

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[SailBoat]

Tail feathers and moderately active Amazons! It is not uncommon for a tail feather to become damaged around cages. The break-point is generally about at the halfway point. Once twisted out of its normal location, it becomes a bother to the owner and it gets clipped.

And, they use them as tools!

 

[raeleigh26]

If he's on antibiotics, day 4, now, would he be contagious?
Recommendations for Cleaning his everything? Used vinegar last time, ditched some toys, soaked perches, but I'm thinking the entire room needs sanitized.


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[raeleigh26]

I think he's feeling better.... also, he fought the towel and, he won... but he did let me hold him on my hand and give him the medicine.
Sort of. Still bit it. Still wasted some.
Gotta go back to the vet for refill. (Over an hour drive) but.

And he really really wants the cord to his sun lamp. He can't reach it....

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[SailBoat]

Advanced Parrot handling! I do not use a towel as it limits my see him and not knowing how much pressure he is receiving from the hold. The positioning (holding point) is the same just no towel. Not Recommended For Everyone, especially the faint of heart.

It is not unusual to have some waste. Sometimes one has to look at it as an accidental second means of providing medication. Yes, Humor!

Not knowing what he in fact has, yes you should consider it as contagious until you know otherwise.

We commonly, up the cleaning when we are working with a sick Amazon.

 

[raeleigh26]

So. Chewing up toys today. Super aggressive today. Territorial over his cage. Spent about 50/50 time in there. Chilly in the house, even though it says 74*. It's 80 in his room. He still shivered in his room.
He did, however, also do the sleepy, head bob, fluffed up I'm at deaths door thing.
Bit me twice. Lunged at dh. Didn't hang out with him at usual times, lunged and growled any time he moved when he did hang out in his shoulder. (His favorite spot)

Regurgitated. Once. ( First time in 2? 3? Days) during lunch. Pellets and wild rice with peas, carrots, corn. He ate some, regurgitated a few times, then picked up a pellet and was chomping away. So... it was so good he had to eat it twice?

No flock calls this morning. Not many during the day. He went to his room, cage closed, cage opened, on top, inside, and back out to the icing room, his choice.
(Oh, he got me good for moving a toy closer because it's blocks were smaller than the one he was having trouble getting to)
Looked in once and he was puffed up shivering napping (on one foot) head tilted halfway back. (Looking at the ceiling not turned into his back)

I have video of all this, photos are stills from that.

So, he's dying and hiding it, dying and wants to be alone so he's chasing everyone off, or he's feeling better but super hormonal, or not really feeling better but still super hormonal.

Also, seriously aggressive preening again today. And, I gave him just pellets this morning cuz the chop was 3 days old and I never got it divided and frozen and didn't have time to make more and he really eats like 3 bites and leaves the rest anyway.....
He did that, "Hey, waitress!" Call a few times, I ignored after asking him what a few times...

He answered by THROWING HIS ENTIRE BOWL OF PELLETS ACROSS THE ROOM.

So. I asked if he wanted to come with me to the kitchen. He did. We cut up a few bits of corn, carrots, and a green bean and a parsnip coin. By hand. Cuz the chopper was in the dishwasher I'd already loaded before 7am.

He ate a couple pieces of corn and went back to the pellets. Only 3 pieces, this time. In the permanently attached bowl.

So angry bird. He went to bed at 6. Took his nutriberri, held it up, and dropped it with hard eye contact. Ooookay then.

I'm playing....



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I'm dying...

Upchuck

Dropped wings? (but.. that's how he's always sat... always)

Before the strike..

[emoji121]head bob up
Had bob down[emoji116]

 

[Laurasea]

I don't know how to help. Needs a fecal gram stain, and a mouth swab. Cultures and blood work and possible x-ray. That's the only way to know what's happening.
Is his weight stable?

 

[raeleigh26]

I don't know how to help. Needs a fecal gram stain, and a mouth swab. Cultures and blood work and possible x-ray. That's the only way to know what's happening.
Is his weight stable?

I agree, and will be insisting on it when we go in Saturday.
I got a different gram scale, the other would weight different things, seemingly accurately, but told me he's 390. Every day. No change.
The other one reads 382, 378, 379 for the last 3 days. His appetite and droppings are normal.
He's destroyed 2 toys, chomped into the wood one, and started on the last soft wood one he has left.

So many changes over a week.

I got him to try to take his meds via syringe while on his perch. Got a couple mg in him, but he kept holding it in his beak and would do it out. So had to hold him again. No towel. Much panic, or anger... but he could've really hurt me and he didn't ever bite down hard. Not even a bruise. So he's had 6 doses out of 12.

He seems angry. Or stressed. Wants to be alone. But is then sweet, asking to hang out with me while I go about my day. Then flying back to his cage, marching around the perimeter of his castle parapet. Flashing, pinning, and churtling his dire warning lest anyone dare come near.

Then back to sleeping all rounded out and squinty.

I just don't know. No sneezing. No wheezing. No panting.
Need lab work to figure this one out.
I'm not one to be okay with not knowing, and I've dealt with doctors of all types well enough to know not to take their word as written in red.

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[texsize]

The I’m dying photo looks to me like a very contented parrots.

The drooping wings is a bit out of character for an amazon IMO.
My AG does this and my oldest Cockatiel.

The description of the head tilted back to me is more of a consern to me.

Hope you get the answers you need at the vets.

 

[SailBoat]

There can be a fine line between Amazon normal body language and Illness related body movement. The great concern is 'seen effort' in Breathing, when the body is part of forcing breathing. This is commonly highlighted with 'Tail Pumping' heard 'clicking' sounds in concert the tail pumping. This can also include a genital movement of the head that can be called a bobbing of the head, but it's a smooth movement and in concert with the tail pumping.

Behavioral Head Bobbing tends to have a crisp start and stop.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

In a lot of those photo's he looks quite happy and content to me. He's playing with toys and seem quite active and is eating. How old is Ralphie? It IS hormonal time now,my mostly sweet Amy is being a putz for the last couple weeks,lunging at me and giving the stink eye.

Amy takes meds in the morning for a heart condition. I used to have him hang upside down from his perch stick to occupy his feet and hold him in the palm of my hand. He learned from the VERY FIRST dose what it was all about and the next time he'd either kick with one foot at the syringe or try to bite the barrel More med went on him then in him. Now I give a very small piece of toast first thing in the morning when he is really hungry and he takes it that way ( yep sometimes he doesn't eat the whole thing).

I can't offer you any info on poor Ralphie. He looks and sounds like an awesome companion and I hope you get definative answers from your CAV soon. So stressful for all concerned


Jim

 

[raeleigh26]

Ralph is ten. I don't actually believe he has a breathing problem. I've never heard of a bird having any sort of respiratory or sinus issue without obvious signs of such things like, sneezing, wheezing, wet ceres, running nose, crusty eyes, stuck shut eyes. Red eyes. Fleshy eyes, swollen ceres or nostrils, gaping, gasping, tail bobbing.....

His head bobbing is very slow, rhythmic, and the closed eyes would seem content and sleepy, except it's most of the day, any time you're not watching, and done with both feet down usually totally fluffed and shivering even in his 80* room.

The playing feels more like aggression than fun. He's been handled every day. Held by hands that did not have permission to touch anything but his feet, and syringe fed syrupy sweet stuff but even that doesn't make it ok to hold his wings down and touch his head.
He. Is. Angry.
He is stressed.

He's not upset when we have to leave for a minute. No calling. He's not calling in the morning or when we return from being gone. He often doesn't even call when he's in his room and we're elsewhere in the house.
He just sleeps.

When you interact, he can pretend to be fine.
When he doesn't know how watching, he looks very sick.
Even my daughter, who came to check for me one evening, said he liked like he didn't feel well, she didn't know he was sick.

Strange that antibiotics had effect, the sulfa more than this doxycycline, so we're on the wrong meds, or he's treating for the wrong thing. Since he didn't do a culture.



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[SailBoat]

Birds are prey and work hard to look healthy. If their own group notes that they are sick, it is common for them to drive them out of the group! This to assure that a watchful Hawk (etc.) does not attack them.

What you are describing is more common to a Parrot that is very sick and is unable to hide it. The timeline between looking okay and looking sick can be as short as a few hours to maybe a day or two.

Due to the wide variation of illnesses, blood testing, poop testing, and/or swab testing is common prior to providing medication!

 

[Laurasea]

I don't know what issues your baby has. But I just want to say a dry abcess in sinus, or a blockage can happen. And you do not have to have any of the symptoms you described. Im not saying your has a sinus issues. I just want the info out there that you can have thst without sneezing, or discharge, or obvious swelling.

You need an x ray blood work and swabs. Possibly a new vet. Sooner than later.

If he is always sleeping and shivering thats nit good at all. A fungus or yeast issue wiukd get worse on antibiotics. Or like you said maybe different antibiotics are needed. Or he can have chronic metal toxicity... if you think things are not right don't wait

 

[raeleigh26]

he's going back tomorrow afternoon.
I've already requested a full workup. Everything they can check.

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[raeleigh26]

Still no answer. Ver said info isn't definitive without full biopsy, and a biopsy of the crop can leave a hole that may cause complications requiring surgery....
Ralph did appear to be feeling well that day.
He was given a steroid and antifungal at the vet.
The next day, we rushed back, again, because he began sneezing uncontrollably a few minutes after I gave his doxycycline.
Lungs and air sac sounded clear. He'd stopped sneezing by the time we got there(hour plus drive).
Seemed fine.

He's not fine. This morning, voice change, squeaking, wheezing, rattling, sneezing, head shaking
Nobody in a 5 hr radius has a certified avian vet available today.

Going back to the vet again tomorrow afternoon.

So. I'm pretty sure he's gonna die.
Why? Cuz I love him. Cuz I've always wanted him. Cuz that's the way things go for us. Cuz is just a little more twist of the knife that he's dealing with aspiration pneumonia because I was trying to help him. Cuz I'm just not able to see good things rn.

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[noodles123]

Raeleigh- you are a good person and in a small way, I know how you are feeling, but know that you are doing all that you can and that this has nothing to do with you.
I know that you see a direct connection, but the whole thing is, you were trying to help him and if you hadn't, you don't know whether he would have survived.

Don't give up yet. If the worst happens, then know that you still are not to blame. They are very sensitive and very tricky...You love your bird, and your bird loves you. I wish I could do more to help.

 

[raeleigh26]

He's supposed to have 3 more doses of doxy, I can't give it to him. He got so flustered, so rattled and wheezing I couldn't...

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[Laurasea]

my GCC inhale some doxycycline and she recovered from that..I think yours will to. It takes a couple of days.

I'm praying for you and yours and mine as well....
I'm not sure I'd do a biopsy
But I might seek a second opinion.
Sooo hard to have our babies sick!!!