Update on Kiwi

[Chief's Mom]

(Original post Please say a little prayer for our Kiwi...)
I really suck at sending updates, so a month later, here goes... we've been going back and forth to the vet for almost a month now. At the first appointment after the original post, Dr. Rich removed the air and wrapped her with a compression bandage which held her wing down and went around her little body. Let's just say she was NOT a happy camper about that! She had no balance and was just plain awkward, so we had to be extra careful with her. We prepped her travel cage with towels at the bottom, lowered the bowls and perches, and she slept in our room at night so we could hear if something happened. She even came with us to a few places (like my psychiatrist appointment! Now they know why I'm crazy ) because we had to constantly watch her to make sure she didn't eat the bandage off (and she was dead set on getting that thing off!!)

Well last Thursday, we returned to the vet to have the bandage removed, but there was still a little air in there. Somehow she had managed to chew enough of the bandage to allow a little moving room to let air in So Dr. Rich made two small incisions in the skin under her wing, about the size of the 'i' to allow the air to get out, hoping that this would give the rupture time to heal while the skin healed...it didn't. For the last two days, we've been calling her "Body Building Bird." Her wing has been so puffed up that she couldn't put it down at all. So we brought her in yesterday for surgery. It's supposed to be this morning. Dr. Rich is supposed to go in and see if he can determine where the actual rupture is and if so, he'll just suture it up. If he can't find the actual hole (it's probably microscopically small), there is a little plastic stint that he will insert that allows the air a passageway to be released without getting trapped under the skin. So I think we'll be needing those crossed fingers, toes, and wings again Hopefully it doesn't take too long for them to call me...I'm not very patient when it comes to these things.

And I know I've sort of rambled above so if anyone is interested in a little more scientific explanation of what's going on with Kiwi, just let me know. I can and will happily provide especially since I've had a little trouble finding decent information online about subcutaneous emphysema on birds. I also promise to *try* my absolute best to remember to post an update about Kiwi as soon as I hear something from the vet, as long as you guys promise to keep Kiwi in your thoughts (Yes, it is a bribe.)

[Ringneckmom]

I hope everything goes well for her.

[becca623]

Poor little Kiwi. I hope she has a speedy recovery from surgery. Best wishes.

[expressmailtome]

Thoughts and best wishes to Kiwi. I really hope that things go well!

Matt

[Chief's Mom]

Yep, see how bad at suck at updates? In my defense, they weren't able to do Kiwi's surgery until after 3pm today, so I didn't get an updated phone call until almost 5 and I wasn't home to post a message.

Dr. Rich was able to find a noticable wound directly under the skin where her shoulder meets the first joint of her wing that he sutured up. He did not place the stint at this time. Hopefully the sutures will heal the rupture and we will not have to deal with the stint. I have to call in the morning to make sure she's okay before we start the drive to go pick her up (it's about an hour away). When I talked to Dr. Rich this afternoon, he said Kiwi was very alert, eating, drinking, and telling all the vet techs to "cut the crap," so I have a feeling that she'll be coming home her normal self tomorrow

I'm just hoping that this is the last time we have to go through this with her. I'm afraid that all this may cause her to start with a feather picking problem. Her feather condition was not in the best shape when we got her in February, but more frequent baths and a higher quality diet has been fixing that. Well with all the bandages and stuff, she's been picking at her wing so bad, that her feathers are all raggedy. She's not plucking or anything yet, but we're watching closely because that's the last thing I want her to pick up from all of this. The anxiety from all this is driving my nuts!

You know, when dealing with things like this...I think of the times when people make comments about my husband and I not having kids yet because we can't handle them, or there's no way we'll be able to keep the birds with kids. I just want to scream, "I have a __________ (insert needy species of bird here), I can handle anything!" I guess I'm just having one of those days

[Chief's Mom]

So Dr. Rich called a little while ago, and unfortunately the procedure he did yesterday did not fix the problem. Her wing was puffed up again this morning. Soooo, she will be spending the weekend there for them to observe. He's got a booked surgery schedule on Monday, but he's going to try to fit her in if there are no emergencys; if not, then she's on Tuesday's schedule for the stint placement.

Of course I'm upset that she's can't come home and all that, but I have to say that I'm sort of glad that they're putting the stint in. Once that's in, it allows for the ruptures to heal no matter how many she has. (We were thinking she had more than one rupture since she did not have just one distinct place of puffiness, and we definitely know now since she's still puffed up after suturing up the one spot.) I'm still concerned about the feather picking and how this whole wing problem started in the first place, but we can deal with that once we know she's on the road to recovery.

So now it looks like she won't be home until next Tuesday or Wednesday You can tell that my husband looks a little down...I may have to start calling him 'pretty bird' like Kiwi does to make him feel better until she gets home

[expressmailtome]

I am really sorry that the surgery did not work. Best wishes for the next surgery!

Matt

[Chief's Mom]

Well, she's finally home! They did the second surgery to place the stint on Monday and kept her until this morning to make sure it was working...and it is! I'm so happy. And I'm pretty sure she is too I think the folks at the vet office were kind of sad to see her go as she kept them very well entertained while she was there, but we are extremely happy to have her back home. She has a check up appointment next Thursday, but Dr. Rich isn't expecting any problems with it. I don't know what they did with her these last five days, but her feathers are all beautiful again, like they were before they put that bandage on her which means she's not picking!!! I could do a little dance, I'm so happy

[expressmailtome]

I am so glad! Kiwi is a beautiful bird and I am so happy that the stint is working!

Matt

[becca623]

I'm happy this surgery went well and Kiwi is back home.