Results of Necropsy on my Eclectus

[jdfitzwater]

Does anybody else think this conclustion doesn't make sense:

My story:

Last week, my 7 month old male Red-Sided Eclectus broke his leg. I didn't see him do it, so I don't know how it happened. He was on a shelf that he loves to climb on and, when I asked him to step up, his foot was limp and he couldn't put any weight on it. I took him to an avian surgeon, he said he had a tibiotarsus fracture and did surgery using an intramedullary pin placement/ALTM Splint. He came home, was fine the first night (and hated the collar and wanted out of the plastic tub he was in).

The next morning, I gave him his medicine (calcium and pain meds), and put him on the couch next to me (still in the plastic tub). He gave out 6 screeches, stopped breathing and died. The vet said he was stunned and wanted to do a necropsy and said he would call me later that same night. He never called so I called him today. He claims that when he opened my bird up that his intestines were filled with blood. He asked me what I fed him. I thought it would be easier for him to have something blended, so I gave him Earth's Best Organic Baby Food. He only ate a tablespoon or so. He has eaten it in moderation (usually to soften the pellets in his diet), and so has my male CAG for the two years I've had him. The vet said that sometimes baby food can have some preservatives and be toxic. The baby food is not given in large quantities, and is used to soften the pellets. Their main diet consists of sprouted seeds, beans, pasta, vegetables, fruit, some millet spray, and lean protein (occasional egg, chicken).

I'm having a very difficult time believing that my parrot is dead because I fed him some organic baby food. It also seems very coincidental that he would die from it the day after surgery. The day before surgery, when he asked me questions, he asked what I fed my bird and I told him specifically that I had fed him this brand of baby food and he said nothing.

The baby food I gave him contains:

Organic vegetables (organic peas, organic carrots, organic spinach), water, Organic whole wheat flour, organic pasta rings (organic whole wheat durum flour), organic tofu powder (organic soybeans), organic canola oil. Label says: Organic - no artificial colors - no artificial flavors, no preservatives, no added salt or sugar - vegan - kosher

Earth's Best Baby Food

[Ashling]

I am so sorry! That's terrible. It all sounds incredibly fishy to me.... but I have no advice to give, only condolences. I hope you find some peace of mind.

[NoLimitssjca]

I don't think the cause being baby food makes sense, but it makes sense that he could have suffered internal injuries at the time he broke his leg. I would think a well done necropsy would have identified the source of the bleeding. If the intestines were filled there should have been an identifiable nick, cut, sore, something.

[jdfitzwater]

My other issue is, that if he knows organic baby food can be toxic, why didn't he say something when I listed it as one of the foods I give him. Also, it wasn't on a form that he could have overlooked, he asked me verbally what I fed him. He also knows I have an African Grey at home. If he determined that the cause of my Eclectus' death was something I fed him, should he have have waited 2 days (and I called him) to tell me that something I fed my Eclectus killed him when he knows that I could feed the same thing to my Grey?

If what he's saying is true, one sentence could have saved my Eclectus' life. If he would have said, "you shouldn't feed that to him, it can be toxic," I certainly wouldn't have.

[expressmailtome]

I am so very sorry for your loss. Many people on this site feed baby food to their birds without problems. Just know that you did your best and gave your baby a kind and loving home.

Matt

[jdfitzwater]

I consulted another avian vet about Gomez and got this answer:

I am deeply sorry for your loss and I understand not only your pain, but how it's made much worse with any nagging guilt.

Please let me assure you that you did absolutely nothing wrong, in fact you did all the right things. The baby food did not do this. I often supplement the birds here with a spoon of baby food, making the same choice you did with all natural and organic.

There are no preservatives or toxins. I cannot stress enough that you did not do anything wrong.

Avians can have surgical complications that are really no ones fault even after seemingly coming through the actual surgery without any problem.

If during surgery there was any struggling due to inadequate anesthesia, severe hemorrhage may be seen. There may have been any number of complications connected to the surgery; however, starting back at the beginning, what caused the broken leg? There may have been a problem that made him more susceptible to it. Anything from liver disease to hypocalcemia (low calcium). In fact, hypocalcemia could have caused a spasm or seizure that may have prompted a fall or catching his leg in a cage bar or toy.

Both of these conditions could have led to the complications after surgery and anesthesia as seen.

Sometimes there is simply no known cause.

I know there is no way make the loss you've suffered any less painful, but please do not make it worse with believing for a moment that you did anything wrong.

You did not

[Lori~D]

I believe the second vet. While I am also so sorry for your loss. with all that said I doubt there is much other you can do save for not going back to the first vet ever again. Sounds to me like he was just covering his rear for an answer he really didnt have. Baby food my butt!!

[amanda143]

Yeah, I doubt seriously he was going to tell you he died of complications or that he may have screwed up during the surgery. Otoh, I'm not a vet so maybe he got into something you didn't notice? Either way, I am very sorry this happened to you. You did everything you could.

[Marley21]

if I were you Id go in and confront him, tell him it was def. not the baby food, and ask him what other excuses he has. Talk to him about the surgery in detail and ask who else was in on the surgery. Id talk to all of them. That is simply unexceptable in my book, Id be taking him to court if I were in your shoes. So sorry for your loss, dont let this so called dr. make you look bad.

[sugarbeth]

I don't think it was necessarily anything that the vet did. I would guess that he got some internal injuries at the same time he broke his leg. So sorry you lost your bird! (hugs)