I need help

[LGood22573]

Does anyone know ANYTHING about DNA testing for illness? I have a very sick Lory that is getting sicker each and every day and no treatment in the last 3 months is helping. He has been on numerous antibiotics and antifungals without any improvement. He is too sick to endoscope, my vet feels he will not survive. I am absolutely desperate at this point to try to find out what is growing inside him. At first he thought it was aspergillosis, I think it may be pasteurella, but it is a mute point because he can't go in and get a sample. Is it POSSIBLE to DNA test his blood for illnesses? How long does it take? Can it be done?

Thank you,
Lisa
I'm sorry I also posted in the help section, I just want as many people as possible to see this post.

[Lisa B]

Lisa is a friend of mine, and I asked her to come post here as well about her baby Little Bit.

[birdsnreps]

Its hard to answer your question without more info...what exactly has the vet done to your bird so far? has he drawn any blood from your bird at all?? has he done oral and cloacal swabs? is your bird on the proper diet? do you know about any genetic defects that your bird might have? were his parents related? do you think your bird might have eaten anything toxic? has he come into any toxic fumes in your house, new paint, PTFE, scented candles, etc?? what does your bird's poop look like? what is he eating?? are there any potentially dangerous or toxic toys that he has played with recently? there are so many more questions that i could ask you, but since none of the medicines have been working, you really need to look very carefully at everything in your home and see if something in his environment could be causing this. also, have you asked your doctor about PDD?? any bird can get PDD, they get sicker and sicker and slowly waste away, and there is NO cure.

have you taken him to more than one vet? if you have only taken him to one vet, you should think about getting a second, and possibly even a third opinion. a vet can take swabs, a fecal sample, and draw some blood and send them off to a lab for analysis. they say the results are supposed to come back in one day, but ive had it take as long as a week or more. with the blood sample, they will do regular diagnostic testing, for polyoma, pacheco's, PBFD, and chlamydia. they will also run a CBC, which should tell you is anything is going wrong with one of the bird's organs. There are lots of other tests that your vet can run, i dont know all of them, but you can ask your vet to run additional tests if you want.

i wish you the best, i know its heartbreaking, but hopefully someone will be able to figure out whats wrong :(

[LGood22573]

My bird is a red lory
He is 15 yrs old
He eats Lorylife nectar
Fruits and veg everyday
Lives in the bird room
No toxic substances- I am certain
Blood has been drawn multiple times complete CBC
Xrays twice
Multiple swabs from the butt and beak
Poop looks like Lory poop-disgusting but normal
Appetite is going down
Lories are predisposed to Iron storage disease (he does not have it) fungal infections due to liquid diet
Never mentioned PDD- haven’t noticed any signs of PDD that would be atypical
Seen just the one vet that is a DECENT avian vet in my area, I wouldn’t say the others in the area meet my standards

He has said the next step is to take an actual sample of what is growing inside him, but he is too sick to endure it. Also his liver is enlarged, and his abdomen is full of fluid, along with respiratory distress

[swanwillow]

well, 15 years is a decent amount of time for a lory... have you posted on the yahoo group specifically for lory/lorikeets?

[LGood22573]

No- I have not, but I will. From what I've read his normal life span is 25-30

[Valo's Moirana]

Originally Posted by LGood22573

Is it POSSIBLE to DNA test his blood for illnesses? How long does it take? Can it be done?

I'm walking on uncertain grounds here (and i'm hoping for backup/correction from our science geek squad here).... but as far as I know, DNA testing would only help you (a) if you sequence the genome and compare it to a healthy bird's genome for genetic diseases (b) would not give you any information about infectious, bacterial or viral diseases...

so, in order to get info about what's getting your lori sick, i'm not sure DNA would be the way to go

i truly hope though that somebody comes up with something helpful - and that the little birdie will recover

[LGood22573]

At this point, I appreciate ANY and all info and suggestions- thank you all so much. I am going to ask my vet to consult with an Avian specialist tomorrow regardless. He is very open, so I think if it's possible he will.

[birdsnreps]

i emailed a friend of mine, hes a pro with lories, ill let you know what he says.

[LGood22573]

A guess a history would be helpful if anyone wants to read it.
Started 3 months ago with feather picking in one particular spot on his breast. Vet ran a complete CBC, cultures from both ends, and an asper test. Asper test came back inconclusive but something in it led him to believe it was at least an asper related illness. Tried ketoconosol, and fluconosal with no success. Ran more swabs and CBCs white blood count is 22,000. Decided to try antibiotics with no success, one I can’t remember, the other was Baytril. Now he is on Baytril injections (he is boarding at the vet) with no success. X rays 2 weeks ago showed a single mass on the left side of one airsac. Fast forward 2 weeks, masses all over the internal organs of the xrays and fluid retention, along with an enlarged liver. He is now on injections to reduce the fluid as well in hopes we can get him healthy enough to endure an endoscopy. I don’t feel I can get an answer to what is growing inside of him without getting a sample of it. Now, he is too sick for the endo. Basically, I am devastated and grasping at straws. If anyone has any info, I would really appreciate it. I am completely open to a second opinion or a consult. There are a few avian vets in my area, but no one with the expertise of the one I have been using for 15 years. I am going to ask if he will consult with an avian specialist out of state in the morning.

Thank you,
Lisa