Sick parakeet

[Brigettings]

Hi I wasn’t sure where to post my question but I think this is right? Anyways I’m desperate for some answers/advice because I’m loosing my mind. I took my parakeet(Dakota) to the vet because I noticed his tail was bobbing very pronounced
The vet took him in and ran some tests and concluded that he had a respiratory infection but should clear up with treatment
I guess she gave him some injections, one of which was called Vibramycin Doxycycline
She gave me some medicine called Metacam to give him once a day But he isn’t doing any better, his tail is still bobbing and he’s not being active He is still eating, haven’t seen him drinking tho He’s been eating his favorite foods such as quinoa and greens, broccoli etc.. I also have 6 other birds and I don’t know what I should do Please any advice I would appreciate greatly
Thanks everyone

 

[noodles123]

I am so sorry!

1. quarantine him religiously-- be VERY careful...even of your hair and clothing.

2. Do not assume your other birds are well just because they show no symptoms.

3. Can he eat some mashed fruit or baby food (non fotified, without citric acid).

4. keep him warmer than usual but not too hot and make sure his heater/lamp DOES NOT contain teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs---A LOT of them are coated with a dangerous chemical.

5. NEVER use standard cleaners around birds, nor should you light any sort of candle, vape,smoke, burn incense, food, or anything else...air freshener and aerosols, as well as perfumes are also dangerous. Personal care products can also be very unsafe (lotions, deodorants etc).

I hope it works out....do not drug his water (as it may prevent him from drinking).

 

[Brigettings]

Thank you for your response
So I haven’t been quarantining him because I didn’t know if I should cus I didn’t want to stress him out but I definitely will now
Do you think it’s too late and my other birds most likely have the same infection? I’m taking 2 of my other parakeets to the vet Saturday just for a check up and I’m gonna see if I can get Dakota back in tomorrow if possible
If he’s still eating and preening himself is that a good sign that he’s gonna be ok? I just don’t wanna loose him

 

[Brigettings]

Well I plan on taking them all to the vet each week but I can only afford to do 2 at a time

 

[noodles123]

Can you safely quarantine? If he has been with the other birds for a long time and you really think it will stress him out, it's your call, but they are all at risk (in theory). At the same time, if you don't have good place to house him and they have been together already with him being so sick, it is your call, but if at all possible, I would keep the apart.
It just depends on what he has-- there are birds who carry deadly viral illnesses their entire lives and never show even the slightest sign. If it turns out to be bacterial, you have less to worry about than if it is viral or fungal. Viral= biggest risk. The rest is pretty treatable and generally, you would see signs-BUT, it depends on the bird's immune system etc. If he is sharing water and food with them and you can separate him safely, do so.

If you can take him to avet that specifically is trained for birds, e.g., a CAV, that would be ideal.

 

[Brigettings]

I’ve been taking him to a vet called “All Creatures” and they have a avian vet there but idk she really didn’t give me any information cuz she was kind of in a hurry so I don’t even know what type of infection this could be. All I know is what medicine she gave him while he was there and it was that Doxycyline injection
Right now as we speak he’s sitting with his wings apart and his tail is still bobbing...
I gave him water by syringe cus he wasn’t drinking today just eating
Living in Buffalo sucks cuz there isn’t a lot of avian vets

 

[Brigettings]

I have a spare cage that I could use to separate him that I’m gonna do. I’m going to be calling the vet regardless I just hope nothing is too late.
I just lost one of my birds a few weeks ago due to cancer, which was actually Dakotas mate so I thought maybe the grieving was what was causing him to act funny but I just knew the tail bob wasn’t right
I just don’t wanna loose him too.

 

[noodles123]

Stress will sometimes lower their immune systems, so it's possible that the loss of his mate stressed him out and made him more susceptible. How is he doing? If he has already been around your other birds a lot, I guess you could keep him in the same room **if you are pretty sure it's bacterial and made a very conscious effort to keep things clean/separate. There are certain viral diseases that can be spread through feather dust/dander/poop dust etc which is why I said a separate room originally, but how long was he with them when he was sick and how sure is the vet that it is bacterial?

If moving him to a totally new room is going to stress him out more, you could take the risk of leaving him in the same room but in a separate cage. There is some risk to this, but it just depends on the issue...and heck, it's possible that being in a separate cage in the same room w/ the flock could actually upset him more than a separate room, so it just depends on a lot of things...It's unlikely that a bacterial infection could be transmitted without some direct contact (shared food, shared water, flying droplets, exposure to infected poop, contaminated hands etc)...which is why a totally separate room may not be entirely needed--- but like I said, it's hard to say anything without more information.

In an ideal situation, he would have been separated right away and the vet would have given you details, but you can't go back in time, so I guess you will have to make the call based on what information you do have.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your flock!

Doxycycline is a powerful antibiotic, Metacam an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. Ideally, the vet would have given a diagnosis, prognosis, and complete results of lab tests. If Dakota is not improving, a re-check may be necessary to reassess treatment.

Dr. Adamcak of All Creatures appears highly qualified as avian vet. Not all docs are communicative, might have to prepare a list of questions and advocate for Dakota.

Noodles well discussed quarantine options. Never too late depending on nature of illness. I hope Dakota heals well and the rest of your birds are not affected!

 

[Brigettings]

So last night I put him in the cage and let the rest of the bird’s stay out on their Java tree and this morning when I woke up Dakota was open mouth breathing pretty bad so I took him out and he stopped when he was with the other birds again, idk if he was doing that due to stress? But right now he’s eating quinoa and he was also playing with a piece of broccoli and I haven’t seen him open mouth breathing but his tail is bobbing about the same.
And actually I have been seeing Dr. Adamcak for my birds, I called this morning but she isn’t in until tomorrow so hopefully she can get them in, I wanna take a few birds in to see if any of them have the infection cuz if so it’s safe to say that they all have it now at this point
Ugh I just want this to be over and for all of them to be okay
I also bought a air purifier online last night, any one have any advice on those? I’m just trying to make it the best environment I can for them

 

[Brigettings]

And I also did write a list of questions for her cuz I am confused and I don’t even know what type of infection it is

 

[Scott]

Not sure what to make of the heavy mouth breathing. Are you able to take a video and share? (best to do so with YouTube account)

Great idea to bring list of questions. Easy to forget during visit. The clinic "owes" you full disclosure, information will also help your stress level. Caring for a sick bird can be a very anxious experience!

 

[GaleriaGila]

If ever you want to look for second or additional veterinary opinions, maybe this will help.

Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
Or... sometimes I find a place to start just by Googling "avian veterinarian near ((your location))"

Good luck to you, and good for you for trying so hard.

 

[Amsterdam]

can you give us a update?