Very sick amazon - no vet help available, plz help...

[Olla]

Hi everyone,

I hope someone can help my friend. She lives in Russia in a small city where there is no avian veterinarian. Everywhere she went they refused to help her saying that they work only with cats and dogs... they can't even make any tests.

The problem is that her amazon parrot hasn't been eating for almost 2 weeks. She fed him with a syringe little by little, but he is not tame and it is very hard. She got the parrot 3 months ago at the age of approximately 3 years. In the place where he lived before they fed him only sunflower seeds...

2 weeks ago she noticed that the parrot didn't eat anything. She tried to feed him with boiled grains and baby food without milk but he doesn't swallow and everything is falling out. He has been eating a little of lettuce, cucumber and drinking water during all this time. There is no handfeeding formulas in the shops.

Besides that the parrot has difficulties with breathing and today the liquid was coming out from his beak and nostrils. The tongue is white and the eye area and feet are swollen. The feet are a little blue and bleeding...

My friend had called an avian vet in Moscow, he told her to do some injections (don't know what exactly), he says it is a heart problem. The bird is wild, but now it is getting very weak. You can even take it without any resistance now. She gives him glucose, juice and water with honey..

The last couple of days he sat with closed eyes almost all the time. Shaking. And now his head is shaking...

Everything is very bad and my friend doesn't know what to do. Nobody can help her. She is in panic and doesn't leave him for a second. Please, someone help...

She has a lovebird as well and it is not well also, but much better than the amazon. So we think it can be some virus or infection...

Thanks in advance, hope somebody can help...

 

[Spiritbird]

I am so very sorry this is happening to to this bird. I wish we could help you more. It sounds like the bird does not have long to live. If there is no vet willing to see this bird all you can do is to keep it warm and as comfortable as possible. You may want to keep in in some towels for some warmth. Again I am sorry.

I did a google search and came up with this site.
http://www.aav.org/search/index.php

 

[Olla]

She is trying to keep him warm... It is very painful for her to see all this happening to her bird.
Thank you...

 

[greycloud]

I am so sorry this is happening to your friend. Her birds sound very ill and it does not look good. I wish there is more we could do, but without vet care this bird is suffering. The bird could have definitely aspirated the handfed food and has now developed a respiratory infection. Swelling of the feet can be due to organ failure. The pale tongue and eyes could also be due to this or internal bleeding. I am sorry to say that maybe she should have the bird euthanized so he is no longer suffering.

 

[Spiritbird]

Olla: Is there anyone abvailable to your friend who could put the bird out of misery? I know you said your friend is trying to keep it alive in the PM but please try to talk her into what greycould has so wisely suggested.

 

[bogo1]

I am sorry you and your friend are in such a hopeless situation. If you pm me your friends address I will email her a way to gently euthanize hee bird to relieve its suffering. (I speak Russian. )

 

[antoinette]

Sorry for what your friend and her bird are going through, must be very difficult and painful. The above members have given great advise, I would certainly follow it through.
Pm Barbara, she is fantastic in helping out when someone is in need of help, as in your case.
You mentioned your friend has a lovebird as well, and not doing so well......
Please keep the birds in separate rooms if possible, it could be some virus or infection
Please keep us posted

 

[HRH Di]

This is so sad! I wish we could help more.

 

[Spiritbird]

Thank you Barbara. I was thinking and wishing you were on line last night because I knew you would have a good suggestion for this person. I wish we could find out what happened.

 

[bogo1]

I did not receive a pm in either language. Perhaps the poor bird has died although there might be a way to help the love bird. Sorry I didn't see it earlier. I am just kind of swamped right now between family and work. ( like everyone! ) I pray the birds suffering is over. Gentle euthanasia can be performed using diluted car exhaust and a box. If diluted it is odorless and painless to the animal.

 

[Olla]

Hi, sorry couldn't write earlier... The birds are still alive. It actually seems like it is psittacosis or aspergillosis... The amazon was moving more today. My friend has found a dog/cat vet that agreed to make some tests. Hopefully the bird can stay alive until that time.
Does anyone know what antibiotics they prescribe in this case?

She still wants to cure the bird and doesn't want to hear anything about euthanasia... (I know it is selfish, but I can also understand her, it's a hard decision...)

 

[Spiritbird]

We appreciate the folow up. If the bird has a miracle it will be a long road for recovery with lots of medication, trips to the vet and most likely breathing support. We all wish her well and hope this bird has no more suffereing.

 

[nofearengineer]

Such a sad, sad situation. I have never been good at dealing with that sort of thing. My prayers go out to you and your sick little friend.

 

[bogo1]

Barbara: How does one dilute car exhaust?

Please pm me on this as I don't think I should explain on forum.

 

[antoinette]

Barbara: How does one dilute car exhaust?

Please pm me on this as I don't think I should explain on forum.

Thank you for being so considerate....... much appreciated

 

[bogo1]

As you know, it is possible to purchase antibiotics without a prescription in many places in Russia. Doing that ...even diluting infant dose.. would be a major mistake. Your friend really needs help and as long as the vet is willing to help and can go online or call a colleague for advice she will be in better shape than now. I do know an avian vet in Piskov Oblast who might be able to help. He is normally dealing with domesticated fowl but it may be better than present situation.

 

[Olla]

Hey everyone,
If you would like to know how things are... The birds are still in the same condition, but my friend and her dog got the same symptoms 1 week ago!!! After checking everything around the apartment she found out that there was a problem with the gas cooker - she lives in an old building where they use gas cookers. So that means that during all this time they have been getting poisoned little by little... But when everything just started she called some service to check if everything is fine in the kitchen and they said everything was perfect. And the ambulance that came when she was feeling very sick said that it was allergic reaction to the animals in the house.
The birds are moving to the other apartment for some days, before they fix the things.
So this is it...

 

[greycloud]

I am sorry your friend and her dog are ill, but I really do not believe this is the cause of the birds illness. That type of leak that makes a human ill with definitely kill a bird immediately. It is upsetting that these two birds have not gotten any better or received any treatment for the their illness.

 

[Olla]

So you mean I am lying?
Thats what she says, I don't have a chance to go there and check myself...

 

[GreenCheek]

A gas leak will in fact kill a bird very fast. That's why they would take canaries into a coal mine to make sure there were not dangerous levels of gasses down there. If the canary died, they were out of there (cruel, but true story ). So, I along with greycloud do find it very unlikely that the gas leak was happening for weeks and the birds are still alive. It is likely to be something else that has caused their illness.