(no subject)
Don't let anyone tell you birds are a cheap or worryless pet.
Gracie quaker parrot had his annual checkup 2 weeks ago. Vet Kathy was happy with him. 110g, he's got a bit of fat on him but not as much as she expected, she said he's a bigger quaker (plus he's a lazy bum, not fond of flying). Overall looked healthy, his poop was fine (she thanked me for reminding her that he has very little bacteria in his poop). Due to his illness back in Nov (which required emergency visit to a vet an hour drive away as Kathy was on maternity leave) and then the overgrown beak, she took blood to check his liver. His beak looks okay now.
He was very good for her, even to the point of closing his eyes while she was holding him. The vet nurse said he was good having blood taken too. I gave him a cuddle while she was examining the poop, he can be such a sook.
Few days later got a call from Kathy. Psittacosis test clear. Some areas of concern in the blood tests.
His liver results looks okay. That was what she was concerned about in terms of the beak overgrowing. But his cholesterol is high, 14 when should be ~6. She said it may be that the cholesterol was related to a liver issue that has now resolved and it's lagging. His white blood cell count and something else indicates he is fighting a viral infection, possibly something chronic. His uric acid is also high which means his kidneys are working hard.
She wants to retest end of June, and depending on those results, whether we need to investigate further. I guess that the fact that he is looking healthy otherwise is a good sign. But it's a little worrying.
Then this week George cockatiel had her annual checkup. Kathy said she looks great. However, the poop gram stain is a bit of a concern. She said healthy birds should have ~90% gram +ve, 10% gram -ve. George's is ~50-50. She's hoping that there's just an infection passing through. She wants a poop sample in two weeks to see if it's back to normal. If it isn't will need antibiotics.
And to top it off, I also took Hetty budgie over at the same time as she's been very quiet, sleepy, and fluffy. It's bad news :( Definitely something going on with the reproductive system, most likely ovarian cancer. Kathy didn't think there was much point in doing xrays etc. They could do a hysterectomy if it was uterine cancer, however it is very risky surgery for such a small bird and I wouldn't put her through it. The ovaries can't be removed.
So we're doing palliative care to make her comfortable. Antibiotics in case there is infection, and painkillers (there seems to be an injury to her beak, don't know what happened). Will see how she goes. If there is no real improvement in the next two weeks or she gets worse, I will do what is best for her. She seems a little brighter, more alert, and possibly not breathing as hard today. But so hard to judge whether she's suffering.
She's one of my favourites :( From the moment we saw her in the petshop, this tiny 6-8 week old baby budgie, spending the half hour drive home trying to dig her way out of the box (while her sister in the other box was so quiet I was worried she'd died), doing her darndest to fly with a clipped wing. So damn determined, she's lived up to her namesake (Hetty from NCIS:LA).
Don't think I'd introduced Gracie quaker before. Brought him home end of April 2014, will be 3 around September. He's gorgeous, a challenge, and goes from sook who just wants to cuddle to devil bird drawing blood. He's very smart and while not a big talker, it's usually in context. Favourite phrase: "come here" as George flies past or we're trying to catch the budgies or we bring up the cage that they go in while we clean the big cages.
Gorgeous George. Such a fluffy bird, loves dad best. She also flies to mum and plays with her hair and glasses. Loves being scratched inside the cage, not so much outside. Tell you she's unhappy with hisses and huffs and thumping your finger with her beak.
Gracie quaker parrot had his annual checkup 2 weeks ago. Vet Kathy was happy with him. 110g, he's got a bit of fat on him but not as much as she expected, she said he's a bigger quaker (plus he's a lazy bum, not fond of flying). Overall looked healthy, his poop was fine (she thanked me for reminding her that he has very little bacteria in his poop). Due to his illness back in Nov (which required emergency visit to a vet an hour drive away as Kathy was on maternity leave) and then the overgrown beak, she took blood to check his liver. His beak looks okay now.
He was very good for her, even to the point of closing his eyes while she was holding him. The vet nurse said he was good having blood taken too. I gave him a cuddle while she was examining the poop, he can be such a sook.
Few days later got a call from Kathy. Psittacosis test clear. Some areas of concern in the blood tests.
His liver results looks okay. That was what she was concerned about in terms of the beak overgrowing. But his cholesterol is high, 14 when should be ~6. She said it may be that the cholesterol was related to a liver issue that has now resolved and it's lagging. His white blood cell count and something else indicates he is fighting a viral infection, possibly something chronic. His uric acid is also high which means his kidneys are working hard.
She wants to retest end of June, and depending on those results, whether we need to investigate further. I guess that the fact that he is looking healthy otherwise is a good sign. But it's a little worrying.
Then this week George cockatiel had her annual checkup. Kathy said she looks great. However, the poop gram stain is a bit of a concern. She said healthy birds should have ~90% gram +ve, 10% gram -ve. George's is ~50-50. She's hoping that there's just an infection passing through. She wants a poop sample in two weeks to see if it's back to normal. If it isn't will need antibiotics.
And to top it off, I also took Hetty budgie over at the same time as she's been very quiet, sleepy, and fluffy. It's bad news :( Definitely something going on with the reproductive system, most likely ovarian cancer. Kathy didn't think there was much point in doing xrays etc. They could do a hysterectomy if it was uterine cancer, however it is very risky surgery for such a small bird and I wouldn't put her through it. The ovaries can't be removed.
So we're doing palliative care to make her comfortable. Antibiotics in case there is infection, and painkillers (there seems to be an injury to her beak, don't know what happened). Will see how she goes. If there is no real improvement in the next two weeks or she gets worse, I will do what is best for her. She seems a little brighter, more alert, and possibly not breathing as hard today. But so hard to judge whether she's suffering.
She's one of my favourites :( From the moment we saw her in the petshop, this tiny 6-8 week old baby budgie, spending the half hour drive home trying to dig her way out of the box (while her sister in the other box was so quiet I was worried she'd died), doing her darndest to fly with a clipped wing. So damn determined, she's lived up to her namesake (Hetty from NCIS:LA).
Don't think I'd introduced Gracie quaker before. Brought him home end of April 2014, will be 3 around September. He's gorgeous, a challenge, and goes from sook who just wants to cuddle to devil bird drawing blood. He's very smart and while not a big talker, it's usually in context. Favourite phrase: "come here" as George flies past or we're trying to catch the budgies or we bring up the cage that they go in while we clean the big cages.
Gorgeous George. Such a fluffy bird, loves dad best. She also flies to mum and plays with her hair and glasses. Loves being scratched inside the cage, not so much outside. Tell you she's unhappy with hisses and huffs and thumping your finger with her beak.