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Vet didnt find anything, sedated my poor bird.

3K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  bbleigh1989 
#1 ·
This morning when I woke up, I noticed my little pearly cockatiel twiggy, wasn't chirping like she usually does, So I went to feed her, and she wasn't touching her food. Her eyes were a bit drooped, and she seemed more tired then usual. I checked her stools, which were a tad runny, and called every avian vet in the area. Nobody would take her. So I ended up rushing her to a vet 40 minutes away. They did a stool sample, and found nothing, tried to take a blood sample, but she was so feisty they asked to sedate her to get to her easier. I told them they could, So even after sedating her, they couldn't draw blood. They sent me away with some antibiotics, and told me in a few days to get a blood sample if she wasnt feeling better. Its been about 5 hours since she came out of sedation. She has tried eating a little, but is very weak. She has mostly slept, She did get a bit of water in her though. My concern is to whether or not her lethargy could be from the sedation itself, or if her sickness is worsening. Also Im having a heck of a time trying to administer her meds to her. Is there any easier way to do this...shes a bit terrified of hands now, after the mean vet lady chased her with a towel to restrain her :(
 
#3 ·
They did give me a syringe for the antibiotics. They were apparently an avian vet, although I don't think I'll go back there again. And no they didn't give her antibiotics there. They kept her in a separate room the whole time, so besides the stool test, I don't know what was going on. Right now I'm feeding her cause she's having a hard time stabilizing herself on her food bowl.
 
#7 ·
I'm suprised they didn't give her a doxy injection at the very least. They use doxy as an all purpose antibiotic - and is used for psitticosis.

Who is she being boarded with? Is it a friend or a bird boarding place?
 
#8 ·
It's an all animal boarding place, they are attached to a vet, and an animal sanctuary. I'm sure they will take care of her, but I hate the idea of leaving her. I'm just surprised the vet didn't do a blood draw from the toenail as opposed to the jugular.
 
#9 ·
If they are experienced bird handlers then she will be in good hands and will be able to give her medicine. I'm sure they will do it. And maybe contact them whilst you are away if you can for an update.

I don't blame you hating leaving her - its hard when you birdy is not well.

Yes and an avian vet should be able to take blood from her - they are trained in handling birds after all.

I do hope she is ok. xx
 
#10 ·
Did they explain why they couldn't get blood from her once she was sedated? That alone sounds really weird. Did they give you a copy of the SOAP (this is the treatment record they keep, it should tell you what all they did to her)? Also, the sedation may make her lethargic for the day and she may not want to eat. Administering meds is difficult, but it has to be done whether they like it or not. You can't really be upset with how they handled her, birds are super nervous when they come in and they have to check them over whether the bird likes it or not. The vet really wasn't trying to be mean, just trying to do her job. Hopefully she starts to perk up soon!
 
#11 ·
Roxy, They said they couldn't get a sample because they poked once and couldn't do it again without the risk of collapsing her vein. They did a simple poo test, didnt find a thing, and sent me off with the instructions of taking her to another vet in a few days to try a blood sample again. Shes actually getting much better with me medicating her. Her lethargy has worn off for the most part, and she ate much more today then yesterday. She sat and "wooed" at me all day, but she isnt singing anymore. She ALWAYS sings when im out of the room, and I havent heard a peep from her! She is moulting right now. I dont know if that makes much a difference. She has been for the last month or so, It would be her first moult since shes only about 6 months old. Im still worried about her health considering I didnt actually get a "clean bill of health". But hopefully if there is anything wrong, the baytril will help. And she will get back to singing and talking in no time.
 
#12 ·
I'm a bit surprised they didn't give her some medication while there, the avian vet I see always does the first dose and shows us how to do it, also they never take our birdies out the room the only vet who's done that was a normal one.
I really hope she feels better soon :)
 
#13 ·
Thank you everyone for the support! Twiggy is doing so much better today, she even has started singing again, I swore I almost cried when I heard her. The problems Im having now, is constipation. Shes eating, but not nearly enough I dont think. Her stools are small and dark. I heard somewhere that baytril can constipate birds? Shes on avi booster with the baytril, but I dont know if theres anything else I can give her to help her system get back to normal? Also blood feather problems...It seems the vet during toweling broke blood feathers on her wings, the top of her wings. I noticed today both wings were blood stained and when I tried finding the source feather, I couldn't because they were all matted together from dried blood...I called the vet but nobody could talk to me. So am I fine leaving her wings alone and letting them heal, or do I need to pull the blood feathers even though they have quit bleeding? Its almost impossible to get to the little buggers since they are small and matted down. :pearl:
 
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