Swollen lower abdomen - Galah

[mish]

Hi there, new to the site!
Before I begin I'll just let you know I'm calling my local avian vet immediately after they open tomorrow morning for an appointment (It's late here in Aus).

I have a suspected female galah at least 6 years old (not sure of age) who has a swollen area on her lower abdomen. It's a round, raised section approx 1inch in diameter, between the tops of her legs, it doesn't quite meet up with her vent area. My first thought was maybe a bound egg, but I have no experience with such things. I have felt it, I can't feel anything too firm but obviously I was only pressing gently.

She's acting normal - eating, drinking, saying her one known word. Pooping is okay too, including the normal slight lift of the tail and squatting as she does so. Vent is clean and not inflamed. She doesn't seem depressed, and is not hanging out on the bottom of her cage like I've read egg bound birds do. She did have a tumble last night in her cage, whether that was from weakened legs (egg bound symptom from affected nerves) or a loose perch I'm not sure.

She's been on a pellet diet for a year and a half, with veggies, native leaves, native grasses and gum nuts. The only seed she regularly gets is millet, with sunflower seeds being a rare treat. My dad does give her a peanut every other day. All natural foods/toys are picked from our property and are definitely unsprayed by any chemicals. I've been trying to lessen her weight and get her more active, and with the reduced weight she's much happier to go for short flights now. Although she mostly does prefer waddling everywhere.

So my main questions are -
With an egg bound bird can you actually feel something firm and 'egg-like'?
How long does an egg stay in the hen before it is laid healthily? (ie, could she just be about to lay the egg)

She shares a large cage - 160cm long, 145cm tall, 80cm deep - with another galah (but with a divider in the middle), a suspected male but they show no mating interest at all, and haven't for 5 years now. They keep to themselves and only show signs of a slight friendly bond when they chew fresh grasses on the floor simultaneously. I'll try to post a picture of the cage model.

I'd appreciate ANY comments, experiences or advice as I'm very upset and have been absolutely miserable at the thought of losing her/feeling helpless because I can't do anything until tomorrow. Thank you

 

[Birdman666]

This bird needs vet care immediately!!!

This is potentially life and death. Do not wait!!!

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear about your galah's problem. I can't offer any new advice, other than getting her to a vet as quickly as you can and you're already doing that. Keep her warm and as calm as possible until her visit.

I wish you the best. Please let us know what you find out.

 

[mish]

Thanks Allee, I definitely will keep you updated.

Birdman666, I contacted the only emergency vet within hours of my location and they told me they don't regularly deal with birds, and instead refer them to the avian/exotic vet I mentioned. I explained how aside from the swelling she is acting 100% normal and they said the avian vet would be my best bet. The avian vet practice opens at 8am, which is when I will immediately call them. If I could I would be getting my galah seen right this very minute.

 

[Birdman666]

Good luck! Keep us posted. Didn't mean to stress you out, but yeah, this bird needs to get looked at right away, and it needs to be an avian vet...

The dog and cat guys probably wouldn't know what to do with something like this.

 

[Betrisher]

I've only just seen your post, mish. You don't say whereabouts you're situated in Australia, but if you're anywhere near an avian vet, then that's your best bet. You say you've been trying to get your Galah's weight down - could it be a fatty tumour (lipoma) that's troubling her? Sometimes, neglected birds or those that have been kept on a seed-only diet will develop these ugly lumps. The lumps alone aren't always a big problem, but the metabolic disorder that underlies them can - they often go hand in hand with fatty liver disease and that's a worry. I hope you can get in to see the vet first thing and please do let us know what he says. Dominic sends his best regards to your birdie.

 

[mish]

Birdman666, No worries, I understand you're coming from a good place! When I called I asked how much avian experience the current on-duty emergency vets had and the first words were "not much" so I know what you mean - that clinic's bread and butter is basically dogs/cats involved in car accidents and tick bites. They do a great job (I've got dogs that they've treated) but they just can't provide the care needed.

Betrisher, funnily enough I'm also in Newcastle. I'll be taking her to the Sugarloaf animal hospital, have you had any experience with them by chance? And no I don't think it's a tumour, it's made a sudden appearance (first noticed tonight at 9pm, she gets handled daily) and isn't an actual 'lump' per-say but rather a raised/swollen patch of flesh. It's not sticking out in an obvious manner but I felt it. She was never grossly overweight, but once I read about and realised how bad seeds are/how easily Australian birds can develop fatty liver disease (my god what an epiphany) my galahs went straight onto pellets! Tell Dominic thanks and give him a pat for me

I've completely covered their cage in a thicker blanket to retain heat, and I'm staying up as late as I can manage to check on her. Unfortunately we happen to have hit a cold spell at the moment so that's a bit of bad timing. As I was fixing the blanket in place, she stirred a little from her sleep and whispered her one phrase "Scratch?" she's such a lovely, gentle bird. Will keep you posted!

 

[Betrisher]

Oh wow! Another Novocastrian in the group! I'm in Wallsend - where are you, mish?

I haven't been to the Sugarloaf hospital myself, but it's certainly the only local one that has any expertise at all with birds. I usually go to the vet at Fletcher (Paul Robin), who is fine for ordinary health concerns. Not so much for the hard stuff like lipomas, though. The only truly avian specialist I'm aware of is Dr Rob Marshall in Sydney. Lots of people travel long distances to see him - he's extremely good!

You're right about the cold snap too. It was a bit weird having a heatwave for a few days with breathless heat and summer clothes, then suddenly having to pull out the doonas and woollies, wasn't it? My Dommie was a plucker earlier in his life and so he's naked all down his front and back. I'll be bringing him back indoors soon for the colder months. At the moment, he's sitting in his rummage basket, tossing bits of cardboard all over the floor.

I can't wait to hear good news about your Scratch! Galahs are such sweet-natured birds, you just hate to have anything wrong with them.

 

[Birdman666]

My BFA died from an intestinal tumor. What you're describing isn't that. That's the good news...

Here's an article written by an Aussie Avian vet which discusses many of the possibilities in otherwise healthy birds:

ABDOMINAL DISTENTION

What I worry about with something like this is egg yolk peritonitis (which is extremely serious, and that's putting it mildly!)

 

[mish]

Betrisher, I'm out at Belmont, so technically in the lake macquarie area. Dommie sounds like such a trooper! They are truly beautiful birds

Birdman666, I had thought of yolk peritonitis (but was hoping for the best) - because we've had one of our hens suffer with that before and knew it wasn't good news, but amazingly she came through it and a year later she's fine, and a daily layer to top it.

So we got back from the animal hospital a while ago, they fitted us in as early as possible (9:30) despite being fully booked which was wonderful. The avian vet was fantastic, he thoroughly examined and weighed her. He determined she isn't eggbound and that the swelling is fluid. He's thinking the fluid is, you guessed it, a part of yolk peritonitis. Her body produced the fluid in attempt to flush the yolk out. He estimated she could have 20-40ml of fluid in there.

Treatment wise: he'll aspirate the fluid/possible yolk remnants and study it to confirm it is peritonitis and nothing else particularly nasty. She's staying overnight at the hospital and will be given antibiotics, pain relief and anti-inflammatories. She'll also be given a hormone injection which will halt her reproductive system for about a month, and hopefully this doesn't happen again. Although I recognise I can't get comfortable in thinking everything will be just dandy, at all. If it reoccurs we'll be getting the implant that prevents it for a longer period of time.

They'll call me with updates, if she deteriorates at all or if they need permission for increased charges. On the whole, the vet was very very positive, he said her behaviour was completely normal and that was reassuring to him, she's not "dull" at all. We caught this at the very start so that's excellent. I'm trying to think positive, in a reserved manner. He was pretty confident that we can pick her up tomorrow morning, he'll be sending us home with antibiotics as well.

She's also lost a bit of weight since the last time I've weighed her, and we'll get an even more accurate weight after the fluid has been removed. So the year and a half (so far) of pellets has definitely paid off as expected. Dad has also vowed that he'll give her no more sunflower seeds or peanuts as occasional treats. The native gum nuts will replace them. The vet said that she was certainly recovering well in regards to the previous seed diet, and she's not too far off from ideal weight/condition. She was fed the Australian 'standard' mixed cockatoo seed and veggies for the first 3 1/2 years with us, but we have no knowledge of her previous owner/s or her age. It's more than likely she's been on seed her whole life beforehand.

Anyway, I'm a lot less stressed/upset because I know she's in the best hands and the vet was positive. I feel like I've written a novel here so I apologise for that! After my 3 hours sleep I think I'm going to go have a nap. Once again, thank you for all the advice and support, it is much appreciated!

 

[itchyfeet]

Good on ya for being so onto it!

 

[Doublete]

Great news! Keep us updated!

 

[mish]

So another update: I just spoke to the vet and he's now of the opinion that the swelling is actually a hematoma - which is better than the peritonitis! It must of been from her tumble in the cage two nights ago. She's been given antibiotics, pain relief and vitamin K to help clot any further bleeding.

I'm to call in the morning and if the swelling hasn't grown (or even better, it reduces in size) we'll be right to take her home. I asked about the chances of him having to get her into surgery and he said he doubted it, which is a relief. Hopefully everything goes straightforward with no complications. As a result of this I'm going to do an overhaul of her perches just in case that was the cause (although she does have a night terror every now and then) - ensuring they're all firmly in place by putting small nails in the ends as anchorage points.

Of course she won't be going into her normal tall cage for a little while just to limit any chance of further injury. Will update tomorrow morning

 

[Birdman666]

That's a night and day better diagnosis. Whew! Great news!

Yeah, if it's egg yolk, and you allow it to fester for any length of time, the bird usually doesn't survive... thank god that's not what this turned out to be!

Everyone else, if you notice something like this on your bird, don't bother to ask. Go straight to the avian vet... catch it early and they can save the bird. If infection sets in, it's too late!

 

[mish]

Birdman666, yes I'm very relieved, but still not out of the woods yet. I'm sorry if you were under the impression that this thread had any effect on the speed at which I had my bird seen. I'm not sure how prevalent avian vets are in the US but they're few and far between here in (regional) Australia, let alone emergency 24hr avian vets. The very first paragraph of my post stated the vet situation - I'm aware of how paramount fast action is. I wasn't asking "should I see a vet?" I was asking for advice or for info on past experiences so I could better arm myself with knowledge, during an interim out of my control. I had her seen as fast as humanly possible.

 

[Puck]

That is FANTASTIC news! I am so glad your baby may get to come home...

 

[Doublete]

Mish I don't think that's what birdman meant by that post. Just for future users IF they see it to take it seriously.
I think he understands Australia is a little different vet wise. I just don't think it was directed at you, you did great

 

[Birdman666]

Birdman666, yes I'm very relieved, but still not out of the woods yet. I'm sorry if you were under the impression that this thread had any effect on the speed at which I had my bird seen. I'm not sure how prevalent avian vets are in the US but they're few and far between here in (regional) Australia, let alone emergency 24hr avian vets. The very first paragraph of my post stated the vet situation - I'm aware of how paramount fast action is. I wasn't asking "should I see a vet?" I was asking for advice or for info on past experiences so I could better arm myself with knowledge, during an interim out of my control. I had her seen as fast as humanly possible.

It's not that!

You would be surprised how many times we get people who post on this site with what appear to be critical situations looking for some sort of home remedy, or guidance, when they should be getting on the phone with a vet...

When I see something like this, I don't waste time trying to figure out if I am talking to an enlightened person, or someone who is just looking for sympathy on the internet. "Help my bird is dying and I haven't called a vet, what do I do."

You are obviously enlightened and informed. I wasn't going to waste time trying to figure that out. With those symptoms: This one could have easily been a bird in critical condition! So, I tend to push. Don't think about it, Call the vet and just go!

I didn't mean to give the wrong impression either. There are things you can sit and think about, and other times when you need to JUMP!

Where I lived in NorCal, I was fortunate to have three 24 hour emergency vet care facilities within an hour or two of my house. Including probably the best avian vet clinic in the country. So I was lucky that way.

Out here? Not so much. In fact, there are only two vets in the city I even trust. And the best clinic is all the way in Austin.

So the answer is, it depends on where you live.

 

[mish]

Birdman666, yeah I understand what you're saying, it just came across as kind of passive aggressively teĺling others not to do what I've done (start this thread) as if I DID waste time. I'd already called the emergency vet, been told they wouldn't be much good to me and to wait for the avian hospital to open - before I came on here.

But now I get that you were just putting it out there for those that DO think they can wait. I'm upset and stressed so I'm probably being oversensitive! I understand and respect your main motivation is each and every bird's health I know what you mean about people who do get online looking for home remedies or anything to avoid the expenses of a vet, I'm a member of a budgie forum and we see it all the time. It is definitely worrying.

Latest update: I GET TO PICK HER UP! They could only fit in the discharge consult at 4pm so I've got to wait all day but who cares I'm so happy!

Will be seeing this little cheeky girl soon

 

[Doublete]

Congrats! Bet you can't wait to have her home!