weird macaw problem

[dshulman]

I have an 18 year old Catalina Macaw I have had since she was 5 wks old. For the last 6 weeks she has been eating all her food as soon as she gets it and drinking all her water. Needless to say her stool is very very watery but otherwise looks fine and doesn't smell. My vet ran her bloodwork and didn't find anything wrong and she appears healthy and happy. Her feathers seem a little dull but that's it. She is on the same diet she has always been on, same cage, same house. I even threw away my food in case there was a problem with it and bought new but there is no difference. The stool is just watery splatter all the time. HELP.

[mmr]

sounds like she is drinking more water than she used to. Canyou take her to another vet for a second oppinion? Did they do a fecal?

[Lisa B]

Anyone remember how they test for diabetes in birds? is it blood?

[dshulman]

Don't know if it's the only way but they do use blood because when they did bloodwork on my bird they said she wasn't diabetic.

[chapala]

Does your bird have a water bottle or a water dish? Our Macaw had a Lixit water bottle and was fine for awhile, but then started drinking too much water and had a lot of urine in her poops. I think she was drinking for entertainment! We replaced the bottle with a bowl, and no more problems. She has all the fresh water she wants, but doesn't over-drink. About two years ago, I decided to try the water bottle again to see if it was a one-time problem. It was probably two years without the bottle. Nope, right away she started drinking too much again, so she is permanently with a water bowl. Don't know if this might be your bird's problem or not.

[dshulman]

She has had a water bowl all of her life.

[ROYJOY]

has there been a change in temperature of the room?

[mmr]

Originally Posted by chapala

I decided to try the water bottle again to see if it was a one-time problem. It was probably two years without the bottle. Nope, right away she started drinking too much again, so she is permanently with a water bowl. Don't know if this might be your bird's problem or not.

lmao, perhaps it was the air bubble going to the top that she liked to watch! LOL

[Michelle & Fids]

My first thought was that maybe she is preparing to lay soon. I didn't see where you answered, but when she went to the Vets did they do gram stains?

As far as how they check for diabetes in birds, it is with blood, it is done the same as it is for us. They use a glucometer to check their blood sugar levels. At the moment I can't remember the normal range for birds, but it is quite a bit higher then ours. My Vet also said it is very uncommon for birds to get diabetes.

[Lisa B]

i just read about diabetes in bird talk...