Please help my blue and gold (Doc) is very sick

[electrik]

Hello, my name is mandy and i have a blue and gold macaw who is very sick, i came back from vacation on sunday and was told by the people caring for her while i was away, that she did not have much of a appetite while i was gone. i noticed myself she was not eating so i took her to a local avian/pet animal hospitol, the doctor weighed her and said she was really underweight and he gave her two shots in the breast area. one was a vitiman shot and the other a antibiotic. i was also givin antibiotic pills(baytrill) to crush and put in her food, anything i could get her to eat such as baby food,fruit,ect.. i have not been real sucessfull at getting much of the pills down her because i can hardly get her to eat anything however, she will drink water on her own and drink any and all juices offered from a medicine dispencer. i know she has the will to live and wants to eat as she has tryed, but she does not seem to have enough strength to eat very much. i know she will start eating again if i can just keep her stong enough to get to that point, does anyone have any suggestions of anything i could give her particullarly in a luiquid form to keep her strong enough for the next few days?? the vet says to do my best to keep her strong and get her to eating again. also what about pedialite or gatorade i know they both keep you well hydrated???

[Winged_Victory]

Hi, Sorry to hear about Doc. Can you answer a few questions please: How old is Doc? How much does he weigh? How much did he weigh before? How does his poop look? How much is he drinking? Food? What type tests did the vet do for doc? Fecal sample? Gram stain? Did the vet say if he has an infection? Any respritory sounds? Did the vet mention any yeast?

When giving Doc medications, how much of the meds is he effectively getting? If you can't get the meds into Doc you are in trouble. I would crush the pill and try grape juice or the like, you will need a small syringe to have him take it. Baytril tastes bad, try a little and see. Find a juice that you can tolerate and he will be able to do the same. Pedalyte or gator aid will help hydrate, mix 50% with water. Hydration is very important, you may have to have the vet give him fluids if he wont drink.

Keep Doc in a quiet place and warm between 85-87 degrees. You can cover part of his cage and put a small heater near by, give him room to get out of the heat should he get to warm. Keep him away from drafts........

Call your vet and tell him you are having a hard time getting the meds down Doc. The vet may have to give him injections for a few days or change to a better tasting antibiotic like Cipro or Clavmox. Neither of these two antibiotics taste bad mixed in a nystatin suspension.

Please track the weight of Doc on a gram scale if you have one. Weigh before and after eating to monitor food intake. Laferber makes a high calorie intensive care food you should be able to get from the vet.

Please keep us posted!

[electrik]

hello, thanks for posting so quick, doc is a female macaw 10 years old, the vet did weigh her at 920 grams. her poop was normally green and white and thick, during her sick stage it has turned bright yellowish and very thin. after her vet visit it has thickened a little but not enough to comfort me. i did take a sample of poop to the vet and she also pooped while we were there but the vet showed no interest or concern in testing it?? so no tests were done her ,resperatory/breathing does not sound raspy but she has been breathing a little hard. i have never had any problems with her and have no idea what could have brought this on and the vet told me he has no idea what could have brought it on but said it was most likely a infection of some sort and also told me no matter where i took her they would do the same thing he did. i'm very worried about her, i know birds are very delicate i thank you so much for your help!! thanks, mandy

[Winged_Victory]

Mandy,

The vet you took her to was he an avian vet or one that sees a few birds a year. The vet should have looked at her poop under the microscope and check for bacteria and yeast. A gram stain would be a way to see if the bacteria was gram negative or postive and how much there was. The vet saying "it is most likely a infection" is odd, I would have thought he would want to know if it is an infection or not. I only question this as I want to know what kind of an infection my birds have before the antibiotics.

It will take about 24-36 hours for the antibiotics to kick in. Show her all the love and supportive care you can, it really helps. Her poop is going to be a good indication of what is going on.

Gary

[electrik]

Hello, Thanks Again For All Your Help, Over The Phone The Vet Office Told Me To Bring Her In Because They Do So Many Birds However, When We Went To The Exam Room He Said He Sees Many Birds But Very Rarely A Macaw. My Husband And Myself Are Very Concerned With All The Info We Have Been Gathering Over The Net That He Did Not Use Our Sample. My Parents Owned Doc For The First 6 Years Of Her Life And She Was Hand Raised By My Mom, I've Had Her For The Past Four Years And My Mother Says The Vet She Takes Her Bird To Now Does Lab Tests So I'm Going To Call Them In The Morning And See If They Will Let Me Bring In A Sample To Be Tested. I Have Tryed Everthing I Know To Get The Medication Down Her And She Just Wont Take It, If I Do Manage To Get A Little In Her, She Spits It Out. She Is Drinking Water On Her Own And Is Taking Apple And Cherry Juice For Me, Sha Also Took A Little Seed Today As Well As A Bit Of Banana, But What Is Concering Me Is If She Does Not Have Any Medication In Her Fighting The Infection It Might Not Matter How Much She Eats. In Your Opinion, Should I Just Tell The Vet I Want Her To Get Meds By Injection So There Is No Question That She Is Getting It? Sorry For The Long Post I'me Just Very Worried!!

[Alyce Johnson]

I think she needs a much better vet, ASAP! Preferably an avian vet, if you can find one, but you mom's vet who is doing testing sounds good enough - and better than the person you've been able to get her to so far. I think she needs a better work up than that! The heavy breathing sounds scary & truly worrisome, to me! Re antibiotics, I agree with Gary that you may want to use something else that doesn't taste as nasty! That makes a huge difference after all - Birds are like little kids - only with big sharp, strong beaks - when it comes to taking nasty tasting medicine!

[Stizby]

I once had to give baytril to one of my CAGs when I first got her and my vet suggested I put peanut butter on a saltine cracker then layer the baytril on top and cover with another cracker w/peanut butter. If Doc is eating, this might be one way of getting the med in. Hope this helps.....please keep us posted and good luck.

[Winged_Victory]

Hi.

How is Doc this morning?

Look in your phone book and see if there is an avian vet in your area, one that specializes in birds. The vet should check these things from a fresh fecal sample, a fecal flotation test to check for parasites, wet mount to look for bacteria and yeast, gram stain to comfirm or atleast give them an idea of the type of bacteria.The bacteria could be ecoli, staf, etc. It is nice to know what you are treating or if yeast (candia) is present. The yeast will take an antifungal drug if present. If one does not look at a fecal sample through the microscope, how are they going to have a baseline to judge if the meds are working? The bird may start to feel better but one needs to know if they have the upper hand on the infection.

If find another vet, ask many questions, if they don't give you logical answers to your questions, find another that has more experience. Always get a copy of the vets exam notes, they come in handy when seeking futher help. I feel poor notes are a sign of a week vet. If any vet sees a lot of animals or bird he needs to know exactly what he checked or did the each time. It is easy to forget from week to week.

Doc should be more active today if the meds are working. If you don't mind what is the dosage of meds is Doc taking? What dosage was the baytril injection given Doc at his first visit? Were the vitamins, "A" only or a combonation of ADEC? Doc has to have the meds now that he is started on them, make sure you do the full 10 day cycle. Birds are like people they start to get better in a couple of days but need the full cycle of meds to rid their body of the infection.

Please keep us posted, we are all pulling for Doc !

Gary

[electrik]

HELLO, THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR ADVICE AND HELP!!!, GARY, THE FIRST TWO INJECTIONS WERE A ALL VITAMIN A INJECTION AND A BAYTRIL ANTIBIOTIC INJECTION OF 0-3cc. THE PILL FORM MEDS SENT HOME WITH US IS ALSO BAYTRIL IN 22.7mg.DOSE. THE DIRECTIONS ARE TO GIVE 1/2 TABLET EVERY 12 HOURS UNTIL GONE AND THAT WOULD MAKE IT A TEN DAY SUPPLY. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR TIME AND HELP, IT IS SO COMFORTING TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO REALLY SEEMS TO CARE AND SHOW GENUINE CONCERN, I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THIS MESSAGE BOARD! THANKS TO ALL, MANDY

[electrik]

Hello To All, Doc Is A Little More Active And Seems To Have A Little More Energy However, Still Not Eating. I Have Called The Other Vet (my Moms) And He Wants To See Her This Afternoon, He Says He Will Take A Poop Sample And Test For Infection And Yeast, He Will Then Determine If Shes On The Right Meds And Possibly Use Injection To Treat Her Further. Like You Gary, He Says It Was Very Strange To Not Test Her Poop Before Giving Her Meds. I Hope This Vet Can Help Her, I Think His Methods Sound A Lot Better Than The Other Vet?? Thanks For All Your Advice And Help It Just Might Have Saved Her Life, I'll Keep You Posted! Thanks, Mandy