Rico is vomiting phlegm!

[MissLarissa]

So my little guy vomited up a brown thing which felt like food covered in phlegm and then started blowing bubbles and vomiting up more phlegm. I called all of the nearby vets and then all of the avian vets within 2 hours away and no body is in the offices to help until Monday. The only vet who answered said to take his food and water from him and monitor him, so I am, but I really need your advice guys.
He is acting fine now and hasn't been vomiting for about 10-15 minutes. But I am still worried about him. If he doesn't vomit anymore is it most likely he was just vomiting up the brown stuff and he will be okay? I'm really worried about my little guy. Please help.

 

[gracebowen]

I read online that it might help to put him in the bathroom with hot water on. You might consider a regular emergency vet.

 

[MissLarissa]

The only ones open don't do birds. They said they can't help me. The avian vet I was able to talk to said to give him back his water in 2 hours if he doesn't vomit anymore. I'll try to give him a warm bath then incase he decides he is thirsty. Thank you for the advice. He is acting like normal right now, but that's not going to stop me from really worrying about him.

 

[gracebowen]

Not a bath just exposure to the steam for his breathing. I have never tried it and I don't know if it helps. I just read it online.

I do know it works for people.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Keep him hydrated and warm is what you can do till you get to the vet. They can dehydrate quick.

 

[Kiwibird]

Are you sure it was vomiting and not regurgitation? Regurgitation looks like the bird "pumping" their throats and then the half-digested food comes out. Regurgitated food can look very nasty depending on what they ate, but is not at all abnormal for them to do. Vomiting is when they bend over and it just comes up (no throat pumping), often accompanied by shaking their head. Did he eat anything new today or did he potentially get into something he shouldn't? Standard "sick cage" setup is a warm lamp, remove high perches and line the bottom of the cage in soft towels (in case he falls). Offer water by dropper if necessary and see if he will accept soft foods (like banana or plain oatmeal) off a spoon. Sick birds tend to be abnormally tired, fluffy and stay on low perches or the ground.

 

[MissLarissa]

So he was definitely pumping his head when he threw up and then continued pumping while phlegm flew out as he also shook his head. I really appreciate all advice as I am worried, although I keep telling myself he will be okay. About 2 hours after his phlegm episode he was drinking water and I made him fresh soft foods like oatmeal, Cheerios softened in natural apple juice and pellets soaked in water, which he ate. He is talking again, being cuddly, and acting normal and there has been no more head bobbing.

Is it safe to assume he is okay? The earliest a vet will be open is Monday and they are all about 2 hours away.

 

[Anansi]

No, I definitely wouldn't say it's safe to assume he's okay. It's possible, but as swiftly as things can go south with a parrot, I wouldn't chance it. April's (Kiwibird) advice is very good in the meantime, but I think you should keep trying to find any vet that you can.

And even if your bird still seems perfectly healthy by the time you find a vet that can take him, you should go anyway. Remember that, as prey animals, birds are hardwired to hide their illnesses. Appearing healthy is no guarantee of actual health.

I'm so sorry that you and your bird are going through this. Please keep us updated.

 

[MissLarissa]

So I will definitely find a vet to check him out on Monday, which will be interesting because he is not a touchy kind of bird for strangers. I will keep this updated in case he isn't okay in the morning before a (hopeful) vet visit.

 

[MissLarissa]

So I was looking through some of the other vomit threads and everyone makes that distinction between head shaking for sickness and throat pumping for regurgitating. Well, Rico did both. He'd pump his neck and ended up spitting out what I'm guessing was food in a thick saliva (like phlegm). But shook his head around as more of the phlegm/saliva came out after the food.

It was really the amount of thick, stringy phlegm/saliva that came out that scared me. Seeing my parrot make spit bubbles is absolutely terrifying. And although he isn't acting sluggish, being extras fluffed up, or unusually calm I will see how he is and see if I can find a vet just in case.

I'm adding extras detail and will make sure for a follow up for anyone else who will end up with a similar problem, I know I wish the other threads had. So sorry for the repost of info.

 

[Kyoto]

I had a similar scare with Kyo last week too. You will feel much better taking him to the vet to know for sure. I know it's a pain to get there and it's expensive but it's worth it to know in my opinion. <3 best of luck.

 

[MissLarissa]

How did it turn out, if I may ask? Was there head pumping as well as shaking and extra phlegm? Did you visit the vet, and what did they say?

Today, Rico woke up at his usual time, ate normally, has been extra active and his poops are normal. I am starting to leans towards this just being regurgitation instead of sickness. I am leaning this way because of his actions and he has been extra painfully biting when I have food. He did this in January when he had his first batch of hormones as he turned 1ywar old. So I am starting to consider that this could be a hormone thing and he was regurgitating. It is possible he started shaking his head because of the excess phlegm and he started panicking about the excess, like I did, as this was his first time.

Of course there can be no confirmed decision until he is taken to the vet, which will be a fun process finding one to take him that isn't 2+ hours away. I found out there is one near my parent house (1.5 hours away) but he is on vacation at the moment.
If I can find a vet to take him I will see if I can gather the money to take him, but I am still feeling fairly confident about my hypothesis on what happened. I will continue to monitor him and tightly control the food he has access to.

Good thing I clean quite often, that limits his chance of eating something he isn't suppose to quite significantly.

 

[Kiwibird]

I'm glad he's acting normal today Heres a good video of a macaw regurgitating (towards the end of the video, the beginning is just birds eating so watch the whole thing):

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kk9ENpfNfY"]Military Macaw Regurgitates Close Up - YouTube[/ame]

Very nasty, but normal parrot behavior. Many birds re-eat the regurgitated food and it never comes out of their beak, but some spew it out like this bird. Yours may be one who actually spits it out.

 

[MissLarissa]

Thanks for the video! Rico did that, but there was a TON of the extra thick saliva, enough that he was making bubbles trying to get rid of it. Is that normal? Aside from the excess saliva, that looks like what he did. I didn't start panicking until he started making bubbles. Being a relatively new bird parent can sure be scary some times.

 

[Anansi]

Did this happen right after a shower, by any chance?

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks for the video! Rico did that, but there was a TON of the extra thick saliva, enough that he was making bubbles trying to get rid of it. Is that normal? Aside from the excess saliva, that looks like what he did. I didn't start panicking until he started making bubbles. Being a relatively new bird parent can sure be scary some times.

I have actually never been around a 'spitter'. Bubbles may be normal when they actually spit it out (?). Kiwi (and all my parents birds) just eat it:52: Hopefully someone who has a bird who regurgitates in this way can chime in. It also may be a thing of 'inexperience'. I would imagine, while a natural behavior, it might take a little 'perfecting the technique' on how to bring up your dinner properly for the one you love

 

[MissLarissa]

It was not after a shower. Rico is quite indecisive on how he wants to bathe. It use to be the sink. Then his water dish. And he absolutely hates spraying for a bath. Now he won't bathe himself at all, I have to place him in a body of water and he will lift his wings for me to wash beneath them and lower them for me to wash his back.

 

[Anansi]

I see. Hard to say without seeing it, but erring on the side of caution seems the best bet to me.

That video looks nothing like how any of my birds have ever regurgitated, however. (Thank God.) So hopefully, as April said, anyone out there with a "spitter" will indeed chime in. Because if some people have healthy birds that regularly regurgitate with that much swinging of the head, then my reaction might indeed be a bit out of proportion to the problem.

After all, my birds have always brought up relatively "nice and tidy" little balls of regurgitated matter intended for my consumption. (It's the thought that counts, right?)

So even the relatively short incident of head shaking that I saw in that video would have caused me some concern.

 

[Kyoto]

I did take Kyo to a vet when this happened, and I was told they could run some tests, but basically they didn't think anything was wrong. They said the tests would be $600, and that they have to be done on a Monday (it was a saturday at that point) so to watch and see how Kyo was feeling. Kyo was absolutely normal the days following, so I didn't bring her back in.

She's been fine ever since, and has given me normal looking "offerings" regularly (ewww lol), so I'm fairly confident it was nothing to worry about. BUT, I do not regret taking her to the vet. The money and time was worth my peace of mind.