Vet visit & one month at home update

[nkrbkr]

Ava had her vet visit on Tuesday, & seems to be a healthy girl. She’s a good weight, & blood work came back normal. I’m waiting on the results of her Psittacosis test (& will be for a couple more weeks), before she comes out of quarantine. I’ll be so happy when her flight feathers come back in. Poor babe has a very bad wing clip, & her secondary feathers were clipped short as well. She still tries to fly, but it scares me, as she drops like a rock. We try to prevent it the best we can, so she doesn’t hurt herself. She’s converting to her new diet very well. She is fully converted to her chop now, & is still working on her TOPs pellets, but she has started to eat them on their own, little by little. I’m very proud of her, as her diet was pretty junk food heavy when we got her a month ago. She’s a sweet girl, & we’re so happy to have her with us! Sweet chop face this morning.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh I'm so happy Ava's vet visit went so well, but those lousy psittacosis tests Time was when the results would come back within 24 hours, but sadly the one lab in the world who made those type of tests stopped making them a few years ago. Hoping her results are negative and she can get out of quarantine soon, she certainly has landed in just the right place being there with you!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Speaking of psitticosis, it's possible that my eye may be infected with the bug or was in the past causing the major inflammatory "psrudotumor" in my eye orbit that's pushing my eye out of the socket (reason for my need for high dose prednisone). It's been proven to be a cause of some eye orbit masses like mine bit mostly in SE Asia where it's strongly linked. I haven't told the Dr that I may have been exposed since I've had budgies for years. Not sure if I should. How long do psitticosis tests take?

 

[nkrbkr]

Oh I'm so happy Ava's vet visit went so well, but those lousy psittacosis tests Time was when the results would come back within 24 hours, but sadly the one lab in the world who made those type of tests stopped making them a few years ago. Hoping her results are negative and she can get out of quarantine soon, she certainly has landed in just the right place being there with you!

Awe, thanks. It makes me so sad that she’s already had two homes before us, but she seems like she’s a happy girl as part of our flock, & is adjusting well. I was honestly surprised that the psittacosis results would take that long, but it makes more sense now from what you mentioned!

 

[LaManuka]

Awe, thanks. It makes me so sad that she’s already had two homes before us, but she seems like she’s a happy girl as part of our flock, & is adjusting well. I was honestly surprised that the psittacosis results would take that long, but it makes more sense now from what you mentioned!

I'm hesitant to mention it, but that current psittacosis test is not as accurate as the previous one either, because it only picks up the presence of the virus while it's actively shedding. My poor Peachie the princess parrot had it done on her twice and both times came back negative, but she clearly had *something* very nasty because she got quite ill about 4 or 5 weeks after I brought her home. Her vet was 99.999999% sure she had psittacosis as it's pretty common here in Australia, so she had the requisite 6 doxycycline injections over a 6 week period and thankfully it fixed her right up. So I would think it's worth keeping a close eye on Ava when she comes out of quarantine, Peachie started squinting, keeping one eye closed and acting very, well we called it "un-Peachie-like", and that was when we got her straight back to the vet and onto those antibiotics!

 

[nkrbkr]

Speaking of psitticosis, it's possible that my eye may be infected with the bug or was in the past causing the major inflammatory "psrudotumor" in my eye orbit that's pushing my eye out of the socket (reason for my need for high dose prednisone). It's been proven to be a cause of some eye orbit masses like mine bit mostly in SE Asia where it's strongly linked. I haven't told the Dr that I may have been exposed since I've had budgies for years. Not sure if I should. How long do psitticosis tests take?

Oh gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that! For Ava, they said it would be 2-3 weeks to receive the results. It might definitely be something to check into in your case, if you’re suspicious at all, as antibiotics might be needed. From what I understand, birds can appear totally healthy, but still be carriers of the bacteria & spread it to others.

 

[nkrbkr]

I'm hesitant to mention it, but that current psittacosis test is not as accurate as the previous one either, because it only picks up the presence of the virus while it's actively shedding. My poor Peachie the princess parrot had it done on her twice and both times came back negative, but she clearly had *something* very nasty because she got quite ill about 4 or 5 weeks after I brought her home. Her vet was 99.999999% sure she had psittacosis as it's pretty common here in Australia, so she had the requisite 6 doxycycline injections over a 6 week period and thankfully it fixed her right up. So I would think it's worth keeping a close eye on Ava when she comes out of quarantine, Peachie started squinting, keeping one eye closed and acting very, well we called it "un-Peachie-like", and that was when we got her straight back to the vet and onto those antibiotics!

Thanks so much for heads up! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on her. She’s been here for almost 4 weeks, & by the time I have the results it will be around 6 or 7 weeks in quarantine. I’m hopeful that anything nefarious will show up by that point. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping all of her belongings away from my other bird, & we’ve all been careful to wash our hands thoroughly after handling her or any of her items. I also have a HEPA filter running in her space.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Oh gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that! For Ava, they said it would be 2-3 weeks to receive the results. It might definitely be something to check into in your case, if you’re suspicious at all, as antibiotics might be needed. From what I understand, birds can appear totally healthy, but still be carriers of the bacteria & spread it to others.

Exactly. I'm afraid the Dr will think I'm "nuts" for suggesting it because I doubt they're even aware of it because my condition is quite rare. I research EVERYTHING when something wrong with memory my loved ones. Some Dr's don't take it the right way.

 

[nkrbkr]

Exactly. I'm afraid the Dr will think I'm "nuts" for suggesting it because I doubt they're even aware of it because my condition is quite rare. I research EVERYTHING when something wrong with memory my loved ones. Some Dr's don't take it the right way.

Exactly. I'm afraid the Dr will think I'm "nuts" for suggesting it because I doubt they're even aware of it because my condition is quite rare. I research EVERYTHING when something wrong with memory my loved ones. Some Dr's don't take it the right way.

I get it. I’m a huge believer in self-advocacy when it comes to healthcare. It would have taken years longer for me to get a proper diagnosis for a super under-diagnosed health condition, had I not dug in to research myself, made suggestions, & asked lots of questions of my physiotherapist & doctor. It was my physiotherapist who took a greater interest, dug in further to educate himself, & was able to help me get in to see a neurologist. Some doctors like to speak & think in absolutes, which is so frustrating. As an example, my mother-in-law contracted Lyme disease a year or so ago at her ranch in Montana. Her doctors said there’s no way, we don’t have that here, & didn’t want to test her. Well, she knew better, as her ex (my father-in-law) is a leading expert in Lyme disease. She demanded a test & antibiotics. And guess what? Her test came back positive. Thank goodness she started taking antibiotics before it was able to become a permanent problem for her.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

I had Lyme and it took them 17 years to find it. It's behind a LOT of chronic diseases. It's a travesty how many people are suffering with a treatable disease and don't know it.

 

[nkrbkr]

I had Lyme and it took them 17 years to find it. It's behind a LOT of chronic diseases. It's a travesty how many people are suffering with a treatable disease and don't know it.

I’m so sorry, it really is.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Lyme is one of the things they just tested me for and it was negative. So far the entire workup for my eye problem has been negative. That's why they call it "idiopathic"- they'll probably never know the cause. I just hope they can make it go away somehow.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

They really ought to screen for Lyme more often. There's a lot of it up here where I live. It really does cause so many vague yet really debilitating problems. And it's so simple to test for.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

The standard Lyme tests are not reliable.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Really? What test isn't reliable?

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

The standard test covered by insurance can not be relied upon. I can pm you with more info if you want.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thanks. My dr is screening for just about everything but all results have been negative/normal. I have never had a Lyme tick bite that I know of. No rashes or any other signs. We get more dog ticks here but do get deer ticks too. My antibody screen was negative. I'll watch the video.

 

[rheashard2]

I agree with above. Doctors do tend to think in absolutes. Patients who ask valid questions are often viewed with irritation. Especially if patient is correct! Keep yourself and pets safe.

 

[kme3388]

I’m sorry for peoples experiences with providers. The medical field in general is a practice. Provider experience, and knowledge changes from person to person. Not to mention no 2 body’s are exactly alike. What works for one person may not work for another. Providers aren’t my biggest fan. I know how to read imaging (not perfect at it), and generally speaking I can be rather difficult because I don’t want to pay for pseudoscience. I’m not one afraid to ask for case study that doesn’t consist of a pain scale. I would never be that direct with someone randomly, or without cause. If I have to pay for something I am more particular.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That's why they call it practicing medicine, right? ou and I are a lot alike. Im very skeptical about anecdotal evidence that can't be proven in a double blind study and since I'm educated (BS. Northeastern U) as a medical lab scientist, I read a lot of studies (even created a few) and educate myself about everything that matters to me. I actually really like most medical professionals as long as they are willing to collaborate with me about my medical care and don't talk at me.