MrWink
Member
Mr.Wink is my 40yr old white fronted amazon that, last week, developed symptoms of lethargy and some slight unsteadiness in navigating his cage. His appetite is fine, his droppings look normal but less frequent. He had a full exam at the vet last Friday. Unfortunately, the vet is out with Covid and it's difficult to get direct answers to questions. Results of the exam (which included x-rays) were as follows: Possible atherosclerosis with blood tests revealing a slightly elevated WBC. Mr.Wink also exhibited what I believe the vet referred to as a small vent prolapse. It was pointed out to me during the exam and looked like a small protrusion of red tissue from the vent, a bit smaller than the size of a pencil eraser tip. If memory serves, she (the vet) may have manipulated it back into place. She warned me to be on the lookout for any mating-like behavior, which I understand can aggravate or even cause a prolapse. Well, I only recently (2 months ago) developed a strong bond with Mr.Wink, so that could well be causative. From reading a few medical articles on vent prolapse and overbonding, I've since minimized my contact to avoid any petting or cuddling, and also learned that some of his prior responses were most likely mating-like behaviour.
As a result of the vet visit, 3 meds were prescribed. Isoxsuprine (vasodilator), an anti-inflammatory, and an antibiotic. I can understand the rationale behind the meds. I have some concern about starting 3 meds concurrently, let alone what difficulty I'm going to face administering them. I've watched a few videos on the medication procedures and I'm getting him familiar with a syringe. Meds are on order and I'll probably start the regime within the next few days.
Some background on Mr.Wink. He recently lost his roomate of 38yrs. Scooter, my 40yr old African Grey passed suddenly about 3 months ago. I was devastated. They both spent most of their time together, in an upstairs 'bird' bedroom, with an open cage policy. While there was never any physical relationship between the birds, I knew there was a sense of companionship. They'd often comically compete for attention. Mr.Wink was the polar opposite of Scooter. Never very social (quite a biter actually) and only occasionally would allow for handling of any sort. Since Scooter's passing, I promised Mr.Wink that he wouldn't spend any days alone with Scooter's empty cage as company. During the day, Mr.Wink now occupies an open cage off the kitchen dining area, near an open screened doorwall. No gas cooking or any cleaning solutions are used in his presence. I'm now retired so Mr.Wink has been exposed to me, as a companion, on a regular basis. Honestly, I never expected the positive reaction that occurred. Within a month, Mr.Wink bonded like never before, and enjoyed being handled, petted, cudled, and was happily interacting, outside of his cage, with some new toys during frequent playtimes. He was even learning some tricks and beginning to accept an Aviator harness, which I hoped would allow him to enjoy some cagefree outside jaunts. Now all of that is on hold and I find the bond that I so cherished may be part of the problem. I so want to give him a hug and a cuddle while he's feeling low but won't because it appears to be to his detriment. From a PetMD article I read on prolapses: "Owners are advised to break the close bond for the good health of the bird and not stroke the bird on the back, feed it by hand, or cuddle the bird close to the body". Is there anything left as far as contact that I could still maintain? This is a tough one for me.
Any insight would be appreciated.
As a result of the vet visit, 3 meds were prescribed. Isoxsuprine (vasodilator), an anti-inflammatory, and an antibiotic. I can understand the rationale behind the meds. I have some concern about starting 3 meds concurrently, let alone what difficulty I'm going to face administering them. I've watched a few videos on the medication procedures and I'm getting him familiar with a syringe. Meds are on order and I'll probably start the regime within the next few days.
Some background on Mr.Wink. He recently lost his roomate of 38yrs. Scooter, my 40yr old African Grey passed suddenly about 3 months ago. I was devastated. They both spent most of their time together, in an upstairs 'bird' bedroom, with an open cage policy. While there was never any physical relationship between the birds, I knew there was a sense of companionship. They'd often comically compete for attention. Mr.Wink was the polar opposite of Scooter. Never very social (quite a biter actually) and only occasionally would allow for handling of any sort. Since Scooter's passing, I promised Mr.Wink that he wouldn't spend any days alone with Scooter's empty cage as company. During the day, Mr.Wink now occupies an open cage off the kitchen dining area, near an open screened doorwall. No gas cooking or any cleaning solutions are used in his presence. I'm now retired so Mr.Wink has been exposed to me, as a companion, on a regular basis. Honestly, I never expected the positive reaction that occurred. Within a month, Mr.Wink bonded like never before, and enjoyed being handled, petted, cudled, and was happily interacting, outside of his cage, with some new toys during frequent playtimes. He was even learning some tricks and beginning to accept an Aviator harness, which I hoped would allow him to enjoy some cagefree outside jaunts. Now all of that is on hold and I find the bond that I so cherished may be part of the problem. I so want to give him a hug and a cuddle while he's feeling low but won't because it appears to be to his detriment. From a PetMD article I read on prolapses: "Owners are advised to break the close bond for the good health of the bird and not stroke the bird on the back, feed it by hand, or cuddle the bird close to the body". Is there anything left as far as contact that I could still maintain? This is a tough one for me.
Any insight would be appreciated.