She's home....but who knows for how long.
Thanks for the vibes, guys...they really seemed to help. (I keep saying...never knock the power of the vibage!)
I was terrified taking Miss Pidge into the vet (not our regular one) this morning...she kept laying on her stomach and closing her eyes and I feared she was dying right there in my hands. She was taken for x-rays and bloodwork. (They had to sedate her...how else would you get a feisty little budgie to stay still long enough for x-rays?) Mom and I headed to Panera because she hadn't eaten all day and we both needed caffeine. The wait was horrible...we were preparing ourselves for the worst. When we got back, and saw the x-rays, and heard what the doctor had to say, it seemed hopeless at first. She had inflamed ankle joints (either from athritis or an infection), her bone mass was low (birds of a feather, eh?), her liver was a little inflamed, her airsacs (they're like lungs) were smaller than they should be, the oil duct on her back was crusted over and painful and of no use to her, and she had ingested a bit of metal! Of course, our first thought after hearing all of that overwhelming information, was that we would be leaving with an empty carrier and empty hearts. After some discussion with the vet (mostly me asking questions about possible realistic treatment opetions...Mom was too overwhelmed to know what to say...it's usually the opposite...She's usually the levelheaded one, and I'm the anxious one), we determined that the best option would be a regiment of medication, as well as making sure that she was as comfortable as possible. She is currently on antibiotics (for the possible infection), strong painkillers (birdy vicodin), and a calcium supplement (I asked about this...in case she lasts for a couple more years...to see if that would help improve her bone mass...I know how that goes.) Now, we don't know how long she is going to be alive, but we're going to do everything we can to keep her alive and comfortable. The vet mentioned that we should create a "hospice" for her, and my heart dropped.
I love Pidgey so so very much, even if she constantly annoys me (isn't that what all little siblings do?) It's so strange...so much of this parallels the first month she was with us. We got her when she was less than a month old, and we had to handfeed her every few hours. She was a feisty little thing, and we had to stick her in a Barbie bathtub that I had to keep her from running off the edge of the table (we had a similar issue with Mr. Charlie when he was a bambino as well.) When we got her, she had an ear infection. I'm telling ya, there's nothing more pathetic than a half naked baby bird running in circles and fallig over every time she tried to say hello. It was extremely endearing, though. Now she can hardly keep her balance to preen. I'll never forget her first flight. She was supposed to be too young to fly, but she ran to the edge of the dining room table, took off, flew into the living room and smacked into a window, falling onto the radiator, completely bewildered, yet smug at being able to go against everything we were expecting. For the first couple weeks, she lived in an incubator (a fishtank with a thermostat and lots of towels), then we kept her in Ray's room, constantly half covered and with a water bottle on top of the cage to keep her warm. Now, we're worried again about keeping her warm. One more thing: When she was a baby, you could hold her against your chest and she would fall asleep in your hands....now she seems to be doing the same. In the 7 years in between, this little girl wouldn't even step up onto our fingers! She's a feisty little thing, always doing what she wants, pushing all of the other birds away, always demanding her own space...until she wanted to be affectionate...then she'd sit on your shoulder, preening your hair and face for hours.
Yes, I love her a lot...and I don't know how much longer I'll have her with me, but I'm going to cherish every minute of it.
I was terrified taking Miss Pidge into the vet (not our regular one) this morning...she kept laying on her stomach and closing her eyes and I feared she was dying right there in my hands. She was taken for x-rays and bloodwork. (They had to sedate her...how else would you get a feisty little budgie to stay still long enough for x-rays?) Mom and I headed to Panera because she hadn't eaten all day and we both needed caffeine. The wait was horrible...we were preparing ourselves for the worst. When we got back, and saw the x-rays, and heard what the doctor had to say, it seemed hopeless at first. She had inflamed ankle joints (either from athritis or an infection), her bone mass was low (birds of a feather, eh?), her liver was a little inflamed, her airsacs (they're like lungs) were smaller than they should be, the oil duct on her back was crusted over and painful and of no use to her, and she had ingested a bit of metal! Of course, our first thought after hearing all of that overwhelming information, was that we would be leaving with an empty carrier and empty hearts. After some discussion with the vet (mostly me asking questions about possible realistic treatment opetions...Mom was too overwhelmed to know what to say...it's usually the opposite...She's usually the levelheaded one, and I'm the anxious one), we determined that the best option would be a regiment of medication, as well as making sure that she was as comfortable as possible. She is currently on antibiotics (for the possible infection), strong painkillers (birdy vicodin), and a calcium supplement (I asked about this...in case she lasts for a couple more years...to see if that would help improve her bone mass...I know how that goes.) Now, we don't know how long she is going to be alive, but we're going to do everything we can to keep her alive and comfortable. The vet mentioned that we should create a "hospice" for her, and my heart dropped.
I love Pidgey so so very much, even if she constantly annoys me (isn't that what all little siblings do?) It's so strange...so much of this parallels the first month she was with us. We got her when she was less than a month old, and we had to handfeed her every few hours. She was a feisty little thing, and we had to stick her in a Barbie bathtub that I had to keep her from running off the edge of the table (we had a similar issue with Mr. Charlie when he was a bambino as well.) When we got her, she had an ear infection. I'm telling ya, there's nothing more pathetic than a half naked baby bird running in circles and fallig over every time she tried to say hello. It was extremely endearing, though. Now she can hardly keep her balance to preen. I'll never forget her first flight. She was supposed to be too young to fly, but she ran to the edge of the dining room table, took off, flew into the living room and smacked into a window, falling onto the radiator, completely bewildered, yet smug at being able to go against everything we were expecting. For the first couple weeks, she lived in an incubator (a fishtank with a thermostat and lots of towels), then we kept her in Ray's room, constantly half covered and with a water bottle on top of the cage to keep her warm. Now, we're worried again about keeping her warm. One more thing: When she was a baby, you could hold her against your chest and she would fall asleep in your hands....now she seems to be doing the same. In the 7 years in between, this little girl wouldn't even step up onto our fingers! She's a feisty little thing, always doing what she wants, pushing all of the other birds away, always demanding her own space...until she wanted to be affectionate...then she'd sit on your shoulder, preening your hair and face for hours.
Yes, I love her a lot...and I don't know how much longer I'll have her with me, but I'm going to cherish every minute of it.