# Update on Rocko's panting. Opinions desperately needed!!



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I posted a thread a week or two ago about Rocko panting. He used to only do it while he was singing, but it seems to have progressed. He's been acting completely normal otherwise, so I'm not sure what it could be.

He's been doing this panting thing for weeks and he's shown no other symptoms. I feel like if he was sick, something else would've happened by now, and I know my parents won't take him to a vet unless they know there's a very good reason. In any case, please please please offer whatever advice you can!

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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

hm difficult to know what it might be. my only guess is maybe he has a respiratory infection - Ollie had one, and it does cause laboured noisy breathing. hopefully other people will have an idea... it's so tough when you know you're bird is "not right" but you can't take them to the vet  best wishes!


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Thank you. I really hope he isn't sick. I'm not sure how he could have even gotten a respiratory infection... he's been under the same conditions as always since the first day I had him.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I'm looking on avianweb.com, since they have a list of symptoms that you can read about, and it sounds like he may have acute bronchitis. I'll read into that a little more and keep updating.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

i really hope he's ok! good on you for doing some researching  i have no idea how Ollie contracted her respiratory infection either. i really hope it's just a little quirky thing of his, and no serious infection. fingers crossed!


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I really hope so too. Now that I think of it, he has been sneezing a little bit too, but nothing major. Cockatiels are pretty dusty in the first place, so I'm not sure whether to count that as a symptom or not...


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

occasional sneezes are common - cause they are so dusty!! but if it became a multiple times a day thing, it might contribute... if you did decide to take him to the vet in the end, they'd probably put him on antibiotics. they work fast, in my experience. but make sure, if he does take antibiotics, that the vet gives him some probiotics as well. 
my vet only gave me antibiotics, and they scewed the bacteria balance in Ollie's crop and she now has an everlasting yeast infection. but taking probiotics straight after the antibiotics should eliminate that possibility


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Rocko has always been somewhat sneezy, even before this panting started. It's hard to gauge what's normal and what's not.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Oh, it may also be worth mentioning that Rocko only pants when he's inside the cage. I've had him out for over an hour now and he has yet to pant at all. He also doesn't pant when he's sitting there preening or doing nothing. It's either when he's moving around, singing, or something that requires him to be active. However, even if he's being active outside of the cage, he still doesn't pant at all.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

that's so queer. i wonder if it's just a strange habit... hm i don't really know :/


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Sometimes I think he's intentionally trying to mess with me.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

hehe that'd be mean of him. maybe just monitor him and see whether he continues doing it. you could always just phone the vet and tell em what's happening? i've done that before, and they can give guesses over the phone...


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

My vet was super helpful when I called, let me tell you...

"Hey, my cockatiel has been panting for a week or two, but only when he sings... is there anyone I could talk to that could maybe guess what's going on?"

"Well, if any bird is having a change in behavior, especially exotic birds, it's wise to bring them in to see the vet as soon as possible."

"Oh ok... thanks"

"No problem! Just call us back, bye!"


Yup. Reeeeeal helpful.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

um super helpful  probably didn't know anything about birds - and they often try to get new customers.
do you think singing just puffs him out? after flying Ollie always puffs like she has asthma. she's just out of shape. I wonder if that's what's going on...


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Rocko only puffs out when I tell him to poop  He'll fluff up, shake out his feathers, and then do his business. Dunno why, it's just his ritual.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

haha that's cute.
by puffs i actually meant pants - stupid me lol


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Ah lol. I really don't know. Sometimes he pants other than when he sings, but for the most part, it's usually when he's singing.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

i wonder if Meanneyfids would know, she's really good with health stuff. you could message her if she doesn't post here...


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

She's pretty active, I feel like she's probably seen this and doesn't have anything to say... I hate to bother her when I'm not sure it's an emergency.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Your vet is right. Panting _is _a very good reason to go to the vet. It's definitely abnormal, and it can be a symptom of anything from respiratory infection to an internal problem like a reproductive tumor. Respiratory infections can also get very serious very quickly, so you really need to get him looked at now if it's already been going on for several weeks.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

good point about Meanneyfids! keep us updated


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## garynmonica (Mar 28, 2013)

Can cockatiels have asthma?? That's what it sounds like to me, I had a cat with asthma and he would pant if he was active, I don't have any idea what it could be aside from a respiratory infection, sorry I'm not much help


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

enigma731 said:


> Your vet is right. Panting _is _a very good reason to go to the vet. It's definitely abnormal, and it can be a symptom of anything from respiratory infection to an internal problem like a reproductive tumor. Respiratory infections can also get very serious very quickly, so you really need to get him looked at now if it's already been going on for several weeks.


The thing that puzzles me is that he only does it under certain circumstances. I feel like if he had some kind of illness or infection, there would be no pattern to the times that he pants.

Believe me, I want to take him to the vet. But when your parents are extremely cheap, never wanted a bird in the first place, and the nearest avian vet is an hour away... Well, my parents will want a really good reason to take him :/ I already asked once and they said no.


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

Big hugs to Rocko. I hope he's ok. 
It seams really odd - I am not an expert so I am pretty useless with any form of help apart from going to the vet. 
Hopefully someone here will read your post and be able to provide useful information for you. 
Well done for doing your research though. I hope he's ok. 
Keep us posted.


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

Is his cage in the sun or under a vent or something where the inside of the cage could be hotter than the rest of the house? If he's holding his wings away from his body when he's panting, it's possible he's overheating.

When he's panting, does his tail bob?


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

cknauf said:


> Is his cage in the sun or under a vent or something where the inside of the cage could be hotter than the rest of the house? If he's holding his wings away from his body when he's panting, it's possible he's overheating.
> 
> When he's panting, does his tail bob?


His cage is by a window, but even when the blinds are open, the sun doesn't ever shine directly into the window. He also has plenty of shade in his cage. There isn't any kind of draft coming from the window. The vent is across the room. He's not holding his wings away from his body, and he doesn't bob his tail.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

You need to explain to your parents that cockatiels are prey animals that hide their symptoms of illness extremely well. If you are seeing any symptoms at all, then chances are good that your bird is already pretty seriously ill. It sounds like he's panting under circumstances which cause increased stress or exertion, which would make sense if he had a problem that was progressing, that he wasn't always able to hide. Please, please arrange to get him to the vet ASAP. You'll find stories on here of birds with respiratory symptoms that went downhill and died in a matter of hours. You do not have time to wait and see if it gets worse.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I'll try my best. My mom just went to Nebraska for a week, and I highly doubt that my dad will take me :/ Not to mention that he gets home from work at around 6 PM and the vet would already be closed by the time we drove down there.

I'll have to wait for this weekend...


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## Clair (Jul 31, 2012)

Amz said:


> I'll try my best. My mom just went to Nebraska for a week, and I highly doubt that my dad will take me :/ Not to mention that he gets home from work at around 6 PM and the vet would already be closed by the time we drove down there.
> 
> I'll have to wait for this weekend...


Been following this thread. I hope your boy is okay. 

Just wanted to add that MY parents left for Nebraska today. How coinkidinky.


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## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

My girl budgie had a respiratory illness when I first got her. I took her to the local vet (not avian) and he put her on Baytril. He wasn't very hopeful for her, but she did get well. If your tiel has this he does need to see the vet, even if not avian maybe he can prescribe an antibiotic, which if it's a fullspectrum one should help with the panting. That doesn't sound normal to me and I just can't think why he would be panting for any other reason.... :/ but I wouldn't mess around with it.
And as for calling a vet, I worked for a couple of them, and they won't diagnose over the phone ever, so that doesn't sound unusual. 
I hope Rocko is ok.  It is hard with exotic pets, or any pets, they can't tell us what's wrong and they hide their symptoms so well. Maybe if you promise to pay off the vet visit some how?


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

flippityjib said:


> My girl budgie had a respiratory illness when I first got her. I took her to the local vet (not avian) and he put her on Baytril. He wasn't very hopeful for her, but she did get well. If your tiel has this he does need to see the vet, even if not avian maybe he can prescribe an antibiotic, which if it's a fullspectrum one should help with the panting. That doesn't sound normal to me and I just can't think why he would be panting for any other reason.... :/ but I wouldn't mess around with it.
> And as for calling a vet, I worked for a couple of them, and they won't diagnose over the phone ever, so that doesn't sound unusual.
> I hope Rocko is ok.  It is hard with exotic pets, or any pets, they can't tell us what's wrong and they hide their symptoms so well. Maybe if you promise to pay off the vet visit some how?


I do have a vet's office just down the road. Maybe they can look at him, but I'm really not sure if they'll look at birds. I suppose I could always check.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

messaged you, check your pms.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Thank you so much, Meanney. Replied!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Here's one possibility: iodine deficiency. This can cause goiter in birds just as it does in humans, but with a difference: in humans the lump sticks out. In birds it presses inward on the trachea and can cause breathing problems.

I had this problem with a couple of birds a long time ago, and the symptoms were similar to what you report: the bird would wheeze after physical exertion. The problem can be cured simply by adding a little iodine to the diet. 

My first bird with this problem died ultimately because veterinary care for birds was basically non-existent and I had no idea what the problem was. The second bird recovered - vet care was still hard to come by, but I had heard about this problem by this time and used the recommended cure - letting the bird eat a little iodized salt every now and then. Nowadays there are liquid iodine products made for birds - see http://www.morningbirdproducts.com/product_liquidiodine.html The dose is very small - two drops per quart of water! Pellets and Nutriberries also contain iodine, so if your bird will eat these products he will get what he needs. Some mineral blocks contain iodine; there's an example at http://reviews.petsmart.com/4830/11...eral-block-and-cuttlebone-reviews/reviews.htm . If none of these options are practical for you, you can do what I did and let him eat a few grains of iodized salt every now and then. Too much salt consumption is dangerous and I don't know what the limits are, so there is a risk in doing this. But leaving a deficiency untreated is also dangerous, so you will have to decide which risk seems greater.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I went down to my vet's office down the road, and they indeed do treat birds. My mom will be home from Nebraska in 3 days, so I'll get her to schedule an appointment then.

Thank you everyone!


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

So now I'm even more confused.

This morning when I got up and took the sheet off Rocko's cage, he was running around and chirping like crazy. But he didn't pant at all. And he was doing this for a good 15-20 minutes. He's panting every now and then still but there's literally no pattern to it.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If it was an iodine deficiency and he ate something with iodine in it, it might have partially relieved the problem.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Meanney suggested that I sprinkle garlic powder, ginger powder, and cinnamon powder on his food as an immune system booster. I've been doing that every day. Wonder if it has anything to do with that?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Garlic is considered to be a good source of iodine, and if this actually is a case of iodine deficiency then the spice remedy might be curing the problem.


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