sick canary-need advice urgently

[Dawn]

:( Hello
My male canary has of late been very poorly, a few weeks ago he was admitted to the vets with a "chill" they tube fed him and he seemed to recover well and was back to his normal self, happy,eating and drinking and singing away. then last week his left eye closed, the vet said it might be an eye infection and gave me some viscous eye drops, his eye has now re-opened, but over the last couple of days, he has been sitting in the bottom of the cage, he is still eating and drinking, but seems to have problems turning his head to his left and also sits with his head hanging down. if i try to pick him up he runs around in a circle,he also is leaning to one side. whereas before he would just jump from perch to perch, i have placed seed and water on the bottom of the cage so he can eat and drink, as he doesnt seem to be able to get onto a perch.

Any advice or suggestions you can give me would be aprreciated greatly.
Thankyou
Dawn

[Joel]

I agree, back to the Avian Vet ASAP.......Also are ya keeping a heat source near his perch? Are ya feeding veggies, calcium, fruit and eggfood etc. besides the regular seed? Is the seed fresh? Exactly what type of seed are ya feeding? Where exactly is the cage located? ETC. ETC. ETC.......

You have to provide much information to whomever, so someone may be able to help you better.

[Dawn]

he is located in the living room where it is warm but away from the windows,
he has fresh seed daily which is canary seed bought from local pet shop, also has fresh fruit such as apple, and has lettuce couple of times a week, he has a hanging bar with egg fruits in it, he is generally in good health, as i say he is still eating and drinking, do canary's ever suffer such a thing as a stroke???
he leans to one side, and his head is stooping forwards.

[Joel]

Could be lots of things Dawn, please get back to an Avian Vet ASAP.

When ya say warm, what is the exact temp. in the cage, try & use a thermometer. It needs about 85 degrees F. right now around the clock IMO.

Make sure ya wash the apple extremely well and remove seeds, they are toxic. Make sure you use crisp well washed romaine lettuce, not round iceburg type. Also offer fresh brocolli (not cooked but again well washed) and how about the calcium I mentioned?

Give fresh scrambled egg (well done) or 10 minute boiled egg with shell chopped up fine, leave in cage only an hour or so. I suggest fresh fruits vs. preserved or dried etc........

Make sure he is hulling the seed and eating the inside not just mouthing it or picking at it. You may want to catch him & feel the chest bone (keel bone) to see if protruding. Make sure water vessel is sterilized and super clean & made of glass or stainless steel. Make sure everything else in there is clean.

You are aware of non-stick cookware being poisonous to birds, right and other things coated with teflon etc.....Were any sprays used in the house lately (bug spray or any sprays, scented candles etc..?)

If your bird recovers please invest in proper F.S. Lighting asap also.

Originally Posted by Dawn

he is located in the living room where it is warm but away from the windows,
he has fresh seed daily which is canary seed bought from local pet shop, also has fresh fruit such as apple, and has lettuce couple of times a week, he has a hanging bar with egg fruits in it, he is generally in good health, as i say he is still eating and drinking, do canary's ever suffer such a thing as a stroke???
he leans to one side, and his head is stooping forwards.

[Dawn]

:D thanks for the tips i will take note. he has this evening managed to get up on a perch and settle down for a sleep, so will see how he is in the morning, then iw ill probably take him back to the vet.
thanks ever so much joel
much appreciated...fingers crossed huh?

[Joel]

I agree with Heather. I would use another Avian Vet.

Also I think fingers crossed, praying and taking notes aren't going to do it IMO & IME.

I would rather have heard ya say that you are going right out to purchase that heat source (without light) and mount next to the perch or area where he sleeps. Leave on a small 7watt night lite also for him to see where the food & water is.

I would also have rather heard ya say you will immediately give him that food I mentioned and some calcium supplement too.

Did ya feel the chest bone to see if he is maintaining weight or losing it?

Just trying to help the bird, not scold ya. 8)

Btw, I suggest not to buy seed in a local pet shop that houses birds as many diseases are air-borne and travel throughout the shop in/on feather dander and dust in the air from decaying food and feces etc.....Some of that airborne stuff can land in the bulk food bins that the shop owner scoops the food by the pound out of. I would only buy food, from a pet shop housing birds, in bags that have not been ever opened etc......JMHO.

[Joel]

Yeah Heather, I only thought of it recently myself .

Probably wouldn't be a problem if every bird that stayed in the shop was first initially quarantined elsewhere and Avian Vet checked upon purchase but we know that is not reality.

Plus we also have the possibility of other bird owners coming into the shop to purchase supplies & carrying in diseases on their clothing too.

[Joel]

Probably some but not totally unless they changed their clothes and showered etc. before going to handle the food and even then something may slip through. I guess ya can be only too safe??????

[Dawn]

i took the bird back to the vet, he said it is possibly a middle ear infection that is making him lose his balance and leaning to one side, he has given me some batril drops to put in his food twice a day (its a strong antibiotic i was told.)for five days, i was also told that if this doesnt clear it up it is more than likely to be a growth or a tumor on the brain or inside the head.
if this is so there is nothing they can do.

[Beaks]

That vet should have done that in the first place.

I don't know about you but i would find another vet that knows somthing about birds.

John