# Help !!!



## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

Hey everyone this s my first thread and it not a good one.
I have a 13 year old Lutino Cockatiel. Hes been on borrowed time since the day he was born. I say he he could be a she im not really sure. When he was a baby his wings were broke when he was in the nest, must of been by mum or the other babies. Anyway i got him took him to the vets and they x rayed him and said hes not in pain, he has 3 breaks in one wing and 2 in the other. The bones have healed but there overlapping so he will never be able to fly. The vet also told me that he wouldnt live for long as he dont get much excerise because of this. I took him home and put 2 perches together so as he could balance and in time he mastered it and now he looks like any normal bird. He just has one wing lower than the other. If he wants to go somewhere then he walks or starts shouting and i tend to know what he wants cause he leans in that direction.
I took him to the vets a while ago and he told me that he has had a little stroke. His one leg isnt very strong and his balance isnt good either. He also has a nasty lump came up on his face. the reason im writing this is cause im wondering if any of u have had these problems before and can shed some light on my problem. I dont think hes goin to be here for much longer  but i would like to know that im doing the right thing by him. Ive noticed a change in his poo now too. Its wetter on the bottom of the cage and hes got a dark stain around his bum. Im going to try to add some pics for u all to see. I would like to hear what you all think.




































Also if any of you can tell he the sex for sure that would be good too.

He such a good bird and i will be so sad when he does go. Hes been through soo much with me, and he is soo lovable.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

In looking at the pix...the bird is a lutino pearl. If it is 13 yrs old it is a _*female*_. 

Has she ever layed eggs before? Can you have the vet do some X-rays? In being a female, and if you have not found any eggs, there might be a chance that several may have gotten impacted in the oviduct...in the uterus area. This will put pressure on nerves and cause lameness ans/or partial parralysis. It can aslo put pressure on where the intestines meet the cloaca and could be the cause of the dark staining at the vent, yet alot of urine and little feces is coming out.

The lump above the eye can be an impacted nasal cavity.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

This poor little baby!  I hope the lump's nothing serious and something can be done, that doesn't look nice at all, but doesn't seem to be bothering her either? srtiels gave you great advice, I hope an Avian Vet can confirm what's wrong with her and work with you on helping her continue to stay strong and live for a lot longer like she should. 

Good luck, please keep us updated!


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## Clairey331 (Oct 21, 2009)

Bless her, shes so cute. Please listen to srtiels she is so very good. Take her to the vets again, where in Wales are you? Maybe someone can recommend a good Avian vet for you!


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

I feel bad now, all these years i was calling her , him lol. never mind sure she dont care. She has never laid eggs. Ive had others that have and shes not got the same shape. So im sure shes not. She has been to the vets and shes got to take steroids now. It helps with her leg and makes it stronger. The vet said that the lump isnt causing her any pain he did have a really good look at it. Its just like someone said dont look very nice.


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## Clairey331 (Oct 21, 2009)

Good luck with her, i really hope she does live a very long and happy life! Is she a fussy eater or is she good with food? Whats her diet like?


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

No she eats loads. She has a mixed diet but never turn food down.

Are u sure shes a girl? thought girls have faded cheeks and dark bars on their under tail? I really thought it its a boy????


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

Here are sum more pics from his/her younger days.


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## Clairey331 (Oct 21, 2009)

I dont know a huge amount on mutations regarding sexing (ive never bred) however i do know, nearly all Lutino's are girls.So if the cock (her dad) is split to lutino then any lutino that you get would be a hen. Both birds cannot carry a hidden lutino gene. The cock can, but the only way the hen can carry the gene is if she is a visual lutino.


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## Clairey331 (Oct 21, 2009)

She is beautiful!


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

She really is beautiful, one in a million.  

I'm not sure about the sex, I said "she" because srtiels said she's a female - srtiels knows Cockatiel mutations *really *well and is always right so I'd go with what she says.  Anyway, I'm sure she'll explain to you why she says your Cockatiel is a female!

Hope the steroids keep her strong, that's great - good to hear the lump is not causing her pain either, what a fighter she is.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

How long have you had her?

I'm saying *she* because a male would stilll not have as much yellow to the body and tail. The detail is not clear, but it looks like she is a lutino pearl or lutino pearl pied. A male would be a solid off white color except for the face which would have yellow.

If you have only had her a few years I would be strongly inclined to think she was a breeder that has been overbred (previous owner) and the wing breaks are from a calcium defeciency at the time she was laying and the body drew from the bone reserves which would leave them fragile and hollow and when they break the edges heal over overlapped. Injuries as a chick would not be like this. If as a chick, from severe malnurition and calcium defecieny she would also be severely bow-legged.

Is the vet your seeing an avian vet? 

Steriods are an extreme treatment. They lower the immune system, may affect the itestinal mucousa, the liver has to be *closely* monitored, can cause them to be very suseptable to aspergillosis.


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

Ive had her from a few weeks old. The person that i got her from goin to "wring her neck" as she has a aviary and a bird that cant fly wouldnt do well in one. When i went to see her she was covered in "nastys" from being on the floor of the cage that they had put her in. I took her to the vets from there and had her x-rayed. To be honest i cant remember how old she was exactly but i know that the breeder had found her still in the nest not looking good so she took her inside. I only found out by chance that she had her to be honest. I used to work with a women and its her husband that done the breeding and i over heard her telling someone elas bout her. So i went up to see her, and fell in love 
She is only going to a normal vets but he is very good with birds. He takes a personal interest in birds and has many of his own so he knows what hes doing.
Like i said before shes 13 years old and ive had her all her life, shes never laid eggs and her legs are fine, no bowing in them at all.

Thanks for all your help, i really appreciate all your help with her.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ok...then her wing problems were a result of nutrition, and not enough cacium while in the nest. With proper nutrition the baby bones are strong and pliable until they start to harden which is at approx weaning and thereafter. In being pliable it would have been harder to break unless the baby was defecient in nutrients.

She she has a *very beautiful* color.

I've seen poorly treated adult breeders that looked like her, and it makes me want to ring the breeders neck...grrr.

You might want to ask the vet about a suppliment of E with selenium, which might help with her muscle tone. 

Did the staining of the vent start after the starting of the steriods? Since steriods can affect the moucousa in the intestinal tract, she might need some probiotics to counteract that.


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

Did the staining of the vent start after the starting of the steriods? Since steriods can affect the moucousa in the intestinal tract, she might need some probiotics to counteract that.[/QUOTE]

Yes ! She has had 2 lots of steriods now. Vet said shes will have to have them every 5-6 weeks now until the day she goes 
I will say thou that she is much better on the steriods. She doesnt fall off her perches as much and seems more like her old self. She is eating but i do think she is losing weight.

I dont know what to do for the best. Is it fair taking her to the vets every 5-6 weeks for a injection or would it be better for her to call it a day . I want whats best for her even if its not what i want. 

Thanks again for all ur help


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ok...some probiotics will help to balance out the intestinal flora. Then she will benefit better from the food she eats.

What color is her urates...which is the white part of the droppings. The white dhould be white. feces color and texture can vary from what she eats but the urates should always be consistant. Since steriods can be hard on the liver, you can tell by looking at the urates. If anything is bothering the liver the urates will get a yellowish green it pale highlighter green look. This is concern...and either the dosage is way too high (not likely if it was a shot, and not daily given)...and would be wise to dicontinue their use.

Keep track of her weight....especially if she is eating real good. If steriods have interferred with the intestinal mucousa or affecting the liver this can be cause for weight loss.

I think that possibly alot of her leg problems might be helped with nutrients such as foods that contain vitamin E and selemium.

At her age she still has alot of years left. For her to reach 13 years of age you have done given her the care she needed and deserved


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

srtiels said:


> Ok...some probiotics will help to balance out the intestinal flora. Then she will benefit better from the food she eats.
> 
> What color is her urates...which is the white part of the droppings. The white dhould be white. feces color and texture can vary from what she eats but the urates should always be consistant. Since steriods can be hard on the liver, you can tell by looking at the urates. If anything is bothering the liver the urates will get a yellowish green it pale highlighter green look. This is concern...and either the dosage is way too high (not likely if it was a shot, and not daily given)...and would be wise to dicontinue their use.
> 
> ...


Ive just weighed her and shes 82 grammes. Dont know if thats ok or not. Her feces is normal, well the way its always been. light greenish and white. The white is in the middle. Is is wetter than normal sometimes. Not every bit.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Tiels vary greatly in weight. Alot depends on bone structure, genetics. The eariset way to tell if she is in good weight for her size is to look at the breast area. The keelbone goes down the center. If her chest is rounded and shaped like...*U *then weight is fine. If the chest is shaped like a...*V* then she is thin.

The white part (urates) of the feces is what you always want to watch. It is the alert to anything affecting the organs. The feces part is an indication of health of the digestive tract. Urine should always be clear like water. Quanity vairies from diet and water intake.


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

I will do. Thanks for all ur help srtiels. i will keep you up to date with her. Thanks again


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

Just wanted to let you know that shes still with us. We went to the vets and she had another injection and she seems to be picking up a bit now. She does that onces shes had a injevtion thou


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## Clairey331 (Oct 21, 2009)

Im glad shes well! Do the vets actually know what is wrong with her?


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## fluoro.black (Nov 5, 2009)

That's good to hear . I hope she will be ok, I'll keep my fingers crossed for her to keep getting better.


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## MurphysMum (Nov 21, 2009)

She has had a mini stroke


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