# Occasional seizures: what to do?



## Kreatio (Nov 30, 2014)

Hello everyone, and nice to meet you! 

I am having some trouble with my cockatiel, Elvis, and I would really like to have some advice. 

My cockatiel is around 23 years old and has always been very healthy. In the past several months (perhaps 6 months or so), he has been having some sort of seizures, where he loses balance, flaps his wings, and seems panicked. They last around 5-10 minutes and he takes about 10-20 minutes to recover. After that, he seems absolutely fine (he eats, drinks, etc). It is absolute torture to watch him go through an attack, I feel very helpless...

He has these 'attacks' perhaps 2/3 times a week, some weeks more, some weeks not at all. This has been going on for about half a year, I estimate... I don't think it is getting worse. My problem is: should I take him to a vet? My considerations: he is not a very tame bird and he is not used to being handled. I am afraid that a visit to the vet will stress him out so much that it will do more harm than good. Also, he really seems fine whenever he is not in seizure-panick mode. He seems happy, he sings, he eats, he drinks... 
Also, I cannot find a vet specialized in birds nearby and I do not own a car...

Is there anything else I could do for him?


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Yes, I would take him to the vet


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## Charlotte (Jun 4, 2014)

Oh dear, I'm not sure there's anything anyone can say other than loom for a vet. This is one of those situations where nothing else will do. Could you cast your net a little wider looking for one?

I don't have transport either, and the one time I had to take Murray to the vets I just bit the bullet and called a cab. It cost me, but I felt that was the responsibility I had taken on. I do sympathise with you - it can be tough!


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

Oh my! Yes, it does sound like a vet visit is in order. Poor fid! I, too, must cab it, or take the bus if my fids get sick (The looks on the bus when Foster was singing the last time we visited was amusing). Is there anyone you can ride with? 

Good luck!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

One of the links at the bottom of the page says what to do when you 'tiel has a seizure so you can help him better when that happens.

I would get him to a vet that will at least communicate with an avian one. You won’t know the answer until you can get some tests done. For now I would give him DMG. In other countries DMG is known as Vitamin B15, Pangamic acid, Calcium Pangamate. This is what an avian vet said about DMG: “Instead of initially treating the seizures with an anticonvulsant, I recommend using a nutritional supplement called DMG (dimethylglycine). This supplement works by providing a methyl group, which acts in a similar manner as an antioxidant, however, DMG does so much more. It increases the threshold for seizures, and acts to provide many benefits to avian and exotic patients. It is available from Vetri-Science Lab, phone: 800-882-9993. Because it provides support for the nervous system, I have found it to be a valuable adjunct to therapy for many diseases, including PDD in birds, and E. cuniculi in rabbits. While some seizuring animals may still require anticonvulsant therapy, the dosage may be lower due to the positive effects of the DMG on the brain and CNS.” So DMG can help prevent seizures or lessen them. It can be found in Avi-Immune which I linked to at the Winged Victory’s store, there is a 4oz one that also has free shipping if you live in the U.S. DMG can’t be overdosed, they haven’t found a point where it can be overdosed my vet and the company said. I use DMG for my ‘tiel too to boost her immune system. The body doesn’t produce a lot of this and it is not found in foods really. So it’s good to supplement it if you can.
http://www.wingedvictorys.com/store/avitech-avi-immune-8oz.html
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/seizures.html
http://www.onlineholistichealth.com/supplements-2/vitamins/vitamin-b15-pangamic-acid.html


What is his diet? Does he get seeds, pellets? Does he have any calcium source like a cuttlebone? Important questions, please read on. It can be related to nutritional deficiencies like Vitamin A, E, B, D3, and calcium. If he isn’t getting enough pellets, full spectrum lightning or sunlight then he isn’t getting enough vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is needed to help absorb calcium, which is needed to help nerve function. B vitamins are also needed for nerve function so usually people look at calcium and the B vitamins first. I gave my ‘tiel plenty of these when she was injured to try and keep her nerves endings alive.
Has he been preening lately or not much at all? Check to see if his preen gland is blocked, inflamed, infected. The oil from the preen gland contains Vitamin D3, which we know is very important for calcium absorption. Low calcium means low blood sugar that causes seizures. Lack of Vitamin A is what can cause the preen gland to be blocked. So the treatment could be more vitamin A, calcium, and D3 from either pellets, sunlight, full spectrum lighting.



Other causes are: Heavy metal poisoning, neurological problems, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, stress, disease, brain tumor (inoperable on birds but not hopeless, treat with turmeric and other highly concentrated anti-cancer foods), end stage liver disease (treated with milk thistle and other medicatons).

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/seizures.html
http://mickaboo.org/newsletter/jan12/art6.2.html
http://beautyofbirds.com/seizures.html


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## Kreatio (Nov 30, 2014)

Wow, thank you for your replies, everyone! They are very helpful. Sounds like I really just need to go visit a vet with him. I've found one that specializes in exotic animals, including birds, about an hour away from me. Unfortunately, I just moved here, so I don't know anyone with a car! So it'll be the bus or the cab for me. It definitely is hard since I'm a fresh graduate without a job, but then again, I'm not going to abandon my lifelong friend (literally lifelong ^^). I hope he doesn't mind the traveling too much. But I'm first going to give the vet a call to see what he recommends! Unfortunately, they are closed today, so it will have to wait until Monday.

Kiwi, thank you for your helpful recommendations and the links! Sounds like there are some things I can do right away. He does preen normally and he has a cuttlebone, but the vitamins may very well be the problem! He is an extremely picky eater, so I'm afraid his diet is lacking. The pet store told me that the food I have now has everything he needs, but... I am going to go out on a mission to get him some supplements and everything today.

Phew. I will keep you updated on how things go.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

My Baby Boy would get strange attacks that seemed to startle him and cause distress for awhile until they subsided. They were accompanied by a 'star gazing' behavior as if he were following something with his eyes that wasn't there. It upset him (and me) a lot. I found that Nekton-S vitamins I had on hand pretty much stopped the attacks. My bird was too old and unaccustomed to handling to survive a vet trip so when the vitamins worked I was happy. Still, it would be better to get a good diagnosis from a vet instead of the hit or miss system I used. Kiwi bird always has good suggestions  as well as the other posters


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

@tielbob: Aw thanks! Haha I also call my 'tiel Kiwi bird. :lol:

@Kreatio: I would go with everyone's suggestions and maybe take a bus with him in a travel cage or even a cardboard box with some paper towels at the bottom to stop him from slipping around. You can get a cardboard box for pets at lots of pet shops, just make sure it has some holes cut in it for air and that the holes aren't big enough for him to get out. If it is colder out wrap the cage in a thick blanket, if it is way too cold out that day like around negative I would not take him that day because it would put too much stress on him.

Oh I forgot to say that for DMG I read that if what you are trying to treat is more severe then you should add a little bit more than what the back says the measured dose is. You can't overdose it so it is fine. I usually just let my 'tiel eat it until she is done with it. She's had no problems with that and it has been about half a year since I got her the DMG. 

I think that the words on some foods that say "added vitamins" make people at pet stores think it does have everything they need. If these ones also have pellets in it then they are getting better nutrition than just seeds. The seeds have a vitamin coating on the outside of it, and maybe for pigeons that eat the whole seed, they would get some of those added vitamins. For parrots that hull seeds, they crack the shell open and eat the seed inside. That means that they don't really ingest a lot of that vitamin coating on the seed. Besides the fat content, that is why an all seed diet can be lacking in nutrition. That's why there are pellets for parrots. They are kind of like a condensed ball of vitamins that parrots eat. They're not that concentrated so they have to eat a few of them to get the vitamins. There are some like Lafeber's that are a mix of already hulled seeds and pellets that have all the nutrition of pellets for birds that only like to eat seeds but need better nutrition than just seeds.


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## Kreatio (Nov 30, 2014)

Hi there, a little update! Thanks again for your responses. I'm feeling a little more sure of what i'm doing now.

I have ordered pellets for Elvis now. They did not have any in the pet shop. I hope he will eat them ^^' I am already (carefully) giving him some vitamins, and I hope that my DMG will arrive soon! Since I posted this message, he hasn't had any new attacks, thankfully. 

I have also just called the vet, and he will call me back this afternoon to discuss what would be best for me and my old friend! Fingers crossed.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Oh good! We all hope Elvis will be ok :flowers:


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## Charlotte (Jun 4, 2014)

CaliTiels said:


> We all hope Elvis will be ok :flowers:


Hear hear! xxx


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kreatio said:


> Hi there, a little update! Thanks again for your responses. I'm feeling a little more sure of what i'm doing now.
> 
> I have ordered pellets for Elvis now. They did not have any in the pet shop. I hope he will eat them ^^' I am already (carefully) giving him some vitamins, and I hope that my DMG will arrive soon! Since I posted this message, he hasn't had any new attacks, thankfully.
> 
> I have also just called the vet, and he will call me back this afternoon to discuss what would be best for me and my old friend! Fingers crossed.


I'm so glad he hasn't had anymore attacks! Do the vitamins you have contain calcium and vitamin D3? If they do, then you might need to reduce the amount of vitamins if he likes the pellets and starts eating them. Pellets contain calcium and vitamin D3 too and they store up in the body more than some of the other vitamins. That is only if he starts eat the pellets though. Even then you can still give him the vitamins in a tinier amount, plus lots of veggies he likes and are 'tiel safe. 

I hope the vitamins and DMG keep the attacks away! If he has any others you should look into a vet though because the cause of them could be one of the bigger ones like severe liver disease.


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## Kreatio (Nov 30, 2014)

Thank you guys! I am glad having the help of this forum, since I know no one that owns a tiel. I should have visited sooner!

Thank you for the tip, Kiwi! The vitamins that the vet gave me have calcium and vitamin D3, so I'll need to check carefully. He has not touched his pellets yet, I'm afraid. I'm just getting him familiar with them and hope he starts picking at them eventually! I'm now just strategically moving them around in his cage to get his interest 

The vet said that he thought it would be best if we see how Elvis does on his vitamins, and see if he has improved in 2 weeks. So far, he has not had any more attacks, which is great (although it could be coincidence, of course). I feel kind of guilty that I have apparently caused this with my lack of proper feeding... But I am determined to make up for it!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

You have been a great parront to him, the pet stores are really the problem. They tell people that their food they have there is the best and people trust their opinion because they believe they are more experienced than them. You're not the one at fault. I'm glad you came on and tried to help once Elvis began experiencing problems. Some people wouldn't even realize it or would ignore it. So I'm glad you recognized the problem and tried your best to fix it! That makes you a great parront! You didn't know what was wrong with him, and now you do. So don't feel bad about it, you were taking good care of him the best you knew how. 

I hope that the vitamins continue to help. I think they will and veggies will also help him detox a bit from the seed diet. Veggies are like scrubbing bubbles for veins, organs, and arteries.


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## Kreatio (Nov 30, 2014)

Unfortunately, it seems that this story is not quite over yet. A quick recap, my 23-year old cockatiel had panic-seizure like attacks. I gave him vitamins and pellets and the attacks have stopped. He seems very happy.

However!! His beak has grown to such a length that it greatly concerns me. He is still eating and grooming properly, and it does not seem to bother him, but it is clearly too long. He has never had any problems with an overgrown beak. I wonder if his overgrown beak and the vitamins could be related. I read that an overgrown beak can be a sign of liver disease... 

In any case, I am taking him to the vet on Friday, which was the earliest appointment I could get. It will be his first trip to the vet and I hope he will stay calm... 

I will keep you all updated! Thank you for the support.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Oh no, I hope everything goes well! Has he been chewing on toys less or beak grinding less? Both of those can also lead to beaks getting a bit overgrown. What color have the droppings and urine been? That is usually what will catch your attention first for liver disease.

If it is his first vet trip tell the vet that and also tell them he is very old. So no wing clipping or nail trimming just the tests. You don't want them to handle him for very long you really just want to get him out and back home as fast as possible. The less handling, means the least stress, so that is what I would do. Just a little blood test and that'll do it. If they can draw from a toe or wing that'd be the least stressful I think. There are some that draw from the neck veins and I think that would be terrifying to them. Especially the juglar vein.. I saw a vet on youtube do that one. ><

Then when you get home give him lots of kisses and millet. I would have water there in a dish so if he gets overheated from the handling he can drink, especially if it becomes an hour visit I would have his food and water.


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## EowyntheFair (Dec 28, 2015)

If there is a grate (bars) on the bottom of his cage TAKE IT OUT. My beloved lovebird had seizures and he fell and broke his leg in the bottom bar, presumably from panicking when he got stuck, and I had to put him down. :'(

Also, they can eat chamomile flowers or brewed tea (flowers available at pet stores) to help them relax.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

An overgrown beak is a sign of liver disease not because of the vitamins. The vet could trim the beak for you, but that's completely up to you. The issue with this is that they'd have to handle him and it can be very traumatizing. 

Has the vet mentioned trying any milk thistle or dandelion extract to help with the liver? Both these things can help heal the liver as that sounds like what the problem may be.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

This thread is a year and a half old...


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> This thread is a year and a half old...


Yea I saw it after I posted. Not even sure how it's still open!  This is what I get for posting early in the morning.


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## Lunawolfsong (Mar 31, 2016)

Old or not, I still want to know what happened. Was the little guy okay?


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

Lunawolfsong said:


> Old or not, I still want to know what happened. Was the little guy okay?


No, unfortunately; he died about two months later:

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=119745


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