Giving Medicine

[Giovanni Lovoi]

I brought my tiel to the vet to get him checked up. They did a gram stain and the found low numbers of positive bacteria in the digestive tract. He was also having some runny poop lately. So she prescribed some probiotics to give him every day. They are in a daily-dose syringe. He doesn't get scared at all but he doesnt want it. I tried holding him and giving it to him directly in his beak and he spits it out. I tried putting it in his food and he refuses it. I can't contact the vet right now because they are closed, but what can i do to make him swallow a little? He needs to take it every day for 15 days.

Thanks in advance.

[Greycloud]

Wow, that is a long time. The only thing you can do is hold him and put a drop at a time in his mouth. He will definitely get some in. Make sure when you hold him it is in a natural upright position for a bird. Don't hold him on his back. Birds can aspirate easily.

[Giovanni Lovoi]

I know that seems like a long time.
Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately it's not drops. It is the gel type syringe. Its called bene-bac bird gel. It's hard to make him swallow it being that consistency.LOL
He shakes his head a lot or just spits it back out. The vet said that he might hesitate at first but then when he would taste it he should like the flavor. That is not happening...

[Greycloud]

You know what I recommend. Try mixing a little of the syringe into some apple or orange juice. It should dissolve fine. Then offer that to him from a syringe.

[Giovanni Lovoi]

Yes, I was thinking about that too. I will ask the vet if i can mix the bene-bac in with some juice or water. If I can, I will give that a try. Tomorrow I will post the results!

[Angelsmum]

Looking for a link.

I do have the direct link but it is on another forum.

HOW TO ADMINISTER THE MEDICATION

Here's the part that most of you are probably reading this article for. This is the challenge. Every bird is different, so you will have to figure out the little intricacies of holding and medicating your own bird, but there are a few methods. The first time you try to medicate, you will likely have a difficult time. After a few days, you will get better at restraining your bird and getting more of the medication in rather than on it. But wouldn't you guess it - as you improve your medicating skills, your feathered fiend will be improving its escape skills. Mudge learned to wiggle out of my hand, jump into my shirt cuff and run up the inside of my sleeve to avoid the dreaded syringe. During the entire procedure, remain calm, and keep your bird at ease. Don't let frustration get to you. Just do your best. Speak to your bird in a gentle voice. It may also help ease his/her nerves to have a radio on in the background.

Preparing the medication

* - If necessary, shake the medication before drawing it into the syringe. You may need to shake for a while. If the medication needs to be shaken, shake until you can't see any sedimented material at the bottom of the container before you begin to draw up the medication. Draw the medication into the syringe immediately after shaking.
* - Place the syringe into the medication and draw up the necessary amount.
If there are particles of medicine in the solution, make sure that some of them have been drawn up. If not, squeeze it out, cap and shake the bottle again, and immediately take some more medication from the middle of the bottle.

Please note: THERE SHOULD BE NO NEEDLE ON THE SYRINGE

Tips:

If there are any air bubbles in the liquid...

* Draw the plunger up a bit and draw up some air to pull the medication farther into the syringe.
* Hold the syringe firmly with one hand, tip side up, and use your other hand to flick the syringe until the bubbles are pushed to the top and there are no more bubbles.
* Push the plunger a tiny bit, so that the medicine is back at the tip of the syringe.

The smaller the syringe, the easier it is to control how fast it is administered, and also, the more accurate the dosage will be. I used a 0.30 cc syringe, and it worked very well. Even a 1.0 ml syringe was a bit difficult for me to use.

Ask your vet for a few extra syringes, especially if you are going to be medicating for a while. After 10-20 uses, the plunger doesn't go through as easily, and it becomes harder to control the rate of release of liquid from the syringe.

Sometimes, birds will not be as offended by medication administered at room temperature, rather than straight from the fridge. If the medication requires refrigeration, you can draw the required amount into the syringe and leave it at room temperature for 10-20 minutes to warm up before giving it to your bird. I personally found that this made a huge difference in my bird's reaction to the medication.

If you have more than one type of medication to give, ask the vet if it is OK to give it all at once (make sure you ask - it isn't always OK). If so, then you can draw up liquid from one medication, squeeze out the bubbles and wipe off the outside of the syringe, then put the syringe in the second medication bottle and draw up some from there. That way, you don't have to re-restrain your bird for each medication to be given. Or you can just have a separate syringe for each medication ready to go before you sit down and restrain your bird.

Before you restrain your bird...

Choose a place to sit and medicate your bird. This should be a place where your bird will be at ease, and where you are not likely to be distracted by movement or loud noises.

Get yourself into a comfortable position. It may take a few minutes to complete your task, and you will not be able to move once you have started.

Have a post-med treat ready to offer to your good bird right after the dirty deed is done.
Restraining your bird

These instructions are for smaller birds, because that's what I have experience with. For larger birds, you will probably have to towel, unless your bird accepts the syringe. In general, before you try restraining your bird, it's worth seeing if he/she will accept the medication from the syringe through the cage bars. You could be one of the lucky few whose bird actually likes meds. If so, go and buy a lottery ticket, cause you're one in a million. And don't forget to share your winnings with your friends at Tailfeathers. ;)

Method 1 : Duddles' method

Place down a towel or blanket on which to medicate the bird

* Make sure it's something that the nails will not get stuck in.
* Don't medicate your bird on a hard, smooth surface. It will make it easier for the legs to flail and slip. A fabric surface with more friction makes it easier for you to maintain your hold as you restrain the bird.

Place your hand and fingers in the following positions:

* Palm of your hand on the side of the bird that is closest to you
* Thumb on the side of the bird's face that is closest to you (at the side of the beak or on the cheek) or above the bird's chest
* Fingers wrapped around the bird's back and side that is farther from you
* Tip of index finger under the bird's jaw or above the bird's chest on the side that is farthest from you.

Method 2: LeeAnne's method (photos below)

"When I medicate Jo, I hold her in my left hand. As I am right handed, I find it easier to control the syringe with my right hand. I usually have her head in between my index and middle finger - I find it less painful to have her bite my knuckles than the fleshy part of my thumb! Also, if she fidgets her head a lot, I find it easier to keep her head firmly still but angling it up slightly using the knuckles of the middle & index fingers either side of her face, where her little cheek spots are. That position also helps me manipulate her beak for opening - sometimes she is SO stubborn and will not open that beak of hers!"

Method 3 : the towel method
- You can restrain your bird in a towel. I personally do not like using a towel, since I find that I cannot tell if a bird is overheating unless my skin is in contact with the bird. In a towel, you cannot always tell if the bird is overheating. However, if toweling the bird makes the medicating session faster, then this can prevent stress and overheating. To towel a bird, use as small and light a towel as is necessary (a facecloth will probably do for a budgie or cockatiel). Place the towel over your bird and gently wrap the ends around your bird's wings, and also around the feet if this helps. Make absolutely certain that the bird is not tightly wrapped, and that the body is not confined in a way that makes it difficult for your bird to breathe. The chest needs to be able to rise and fall in order for your bird to breathe. It may be safer to just wrap the towel around the tops of the wings rather than around the whole body, if you are not sure if the bird has enough space to breathe. Do not rest your hand on top of the towel, as this can squeeze your bird. You will probably still need to use your hands to manipulate the bird's beak/head, so you may need to have another person present to hold the toweled bird.

[Angelsmum]

Method 4 : in the cage
- Here's a method that may work for your bird, and may be less stressful for him/her if it does. I used this method a few times with Mudge. While your bird is inside the cage, hanging on the bars, facing you, put one hand in the cage and cover its back (you can use a small towel, if you wish, but you may not need to). Use the fingers of this hand to gently manipulate the bird's head and open its beak, if necessary, and if possible. Use your other hand to administer the medication right through the cage bars. - Be very careful not to squeeze the bird against the side of the cage.

Tips for all methods:

* If your bird struggles, adjust your hand/finger position to prevent movement, being extremely careful not to squeeze your bird. While medicating Mudge, I found that touching the tips of my thumb and one of my fingers together to make a ring created a circle that was just the right size to prevent Mudge's shoulders from going through the circle, so that he could not squirm out of my hand. I did not have to squeeze him at all.
* Remember - birds do not have a diaphragm to help them breathe. Breathing relies on the ability of the bird's chest to rise and fall. Be very careful not to push against the chest.

Administering the medication

* Place the syringe at the left side of the bird's beak (the bird's left, not your left) and point the syringe towards the right side of the bird's throat.
* Place just the tip of the syringe inside the bird's mouth or at the side of the beak (do not put the entire syringe inside the bird's mouth, or down its throat).
* Apply a gentle, even pressure to the syringe plunger to slowly squeeze the liquid into your bird's mouth.
-If your bird is actively drinking the medication and it is not leaking out of the mouth, continue with an even pressure
- If your bird is not drinking the medication, stop squeezing it out of the syringe and wait until the medicine is swallowed before giving more.

Tips:

* Move your thumb and fingers as necessary to keep your bird's head in place as you administer the medication.
* If your bird clamps its mouth shut, you can use the tip of the syringe to gently pry open the beak, or you can use your finger, fingernail, or your knuckles if you use Lee-Anne's method. All you need is to get the beak to open a tiny bit.
* You don't even need to put the syringe tip inside the bird's mouth. If you are having trouble doing so, just try slowly squeezing the liquid into the bird's slightly open mouth. As you squeeze, the liquid may wick onto the tongue, or your bird may suddenly start drinking the liquid.
* Go slowly. If you squeeze the medication out of the syringe faster than the bird swallows it, the liquid will end up on your bird's feathers or, worse yet, in its lungs. As mentioned above, it is much easier to control the flow of liquid from a smaller syringe.
* You can use the tip of your finger to lift the tip of the bird's upper mandible to get the mouth to open a bit. I find that if, right after squeezing some meds into the bird's mouth, the bird's head is lifted slightly so that the neck is up and out, the bird is less likely to spit out the medication.

[Angelsmum]

I can not fit it all into even 2 posts, please pm me for the link as I do not think links to other bird forums are allowed on the boards.

[Giovanni Lovoi]

Thanks so much... that helped a lot.
I will try that but hopefully he wont spit it out...
I dont think he likes the consistency so much. Its gel not liquid. I think that if i mix it with some water he would accept it.

[Giovanni Lovoi]

So he finally is taking some. I just restrain him everyday with a towel and feed it to him slowly. The vet said that even if he doesn't get a lot in each feeding its alright. He just had minor positive bacteria deficiency. He seems to be doing well. The only problem is that it gets on his feathers and it's really hard to clean. He has his whole face covered in gel!
I clean as much off as possible when finished but it's just on there. He does preen it off but it takes him a while cuz it's hard for him to reach there. Any ideas on how to make it better...?
Thanks