# Update on Tommy



## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

I'm bird-sitting for my parents this week, while they are on vacation in Europe. So I finally got to take Tommy to the vet myself.

I put up a pic in the other thread of the bald areas under Tommy's wings where his powder down feathers are missing. The vet is very concerned about this, and said this is probably the reason his feathers look the way they do; he doesn't have powder down feathers. Tommy just doesn't have any powder - his feet and beak don't have powder on them either. She also noticed something I never detected - under his wings he has places where there are two feathers growing out of the same follicle.

I found one of the deformed tail feathers that had fallen out, so I gave her that.

We're doing the test for PBFD because of the concern with the missing powder downs and the deformed tail feathers. Just can't take the risk of not knowing, when we have a cockatoo in the house also. It wasn't terribly expensive.

She suggested it could also be a genetic defect as a result from inbreeding. He's a normal pied. He also has a bald spot on top of his head (he's always had it). He is a scrawny little fellow, topping out at 80 grams and weighed 72 at the office today. We have no idea where he came from, because we got him second-hand as a consignment through a pet store. We really don't even know how old he is, though we think he was only 1 or 2 when we got him.

I pestered her a bunch about diet, and she honestly does not believe it is related to liver function or diet. If PBFD comes back negative, I'll continue to ask about this. 

Here's the little guy. He's such a cutie, even if his feathers look ugly right now. He was a little ham in the office too - wolf-whistling at all the vet techs. When the vet tech got him out of the carrier he sang her the Andy Griffith song. A charmer


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

good luck Tommy hopefully your tests come back good.
Scratches from my flock.
That's good he wasn't scared at the vets.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Such a cutie!! Glad he was able to see the vet.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Soooo cute.


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## BabyMoo (Dec 19, 2012)

He is so cute!!!! I'm glad you are looking into what is going on with him. Wish you both all the best. 

Caro


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

Hes so adorable! I hope everything turns out fine with the testing. He looks like such sweetheart


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Aww, poor birdy. He looks pretty good though  Hope you and the vet are able to work something out


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Thanks everyone  I was worried he would be a brat to me while Mom is gone, because he's so attached to her. But he's been pretty good! Only nipped me a few times.

Oh , I also changed him over from Zupreem Naturals to Nutri-Berries. It's a start towards the correct diet, and the vet liked it better because Nutri-Berries are omega fatty-acid balanced. I was stunned; Tommy accepted the Nutri-Berries right away! I didn't even have to break them up for him, like I did with Ziggy. He attacked the whole berry as soon as I gave it to him.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That's great!
He is such a cutie


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

That's awesome


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Still waiting on test results. I feel so bad for Tommy. Having spent this whole week with him while mom is on vacation, I can tel he's very much a healthy bird. But his feathers are just in such bad shape. He goes to preen under his wings and there's no down there  It seems like he gets colder more easily, which would be a probable side effect of losing so much down. He lets me scratch his head now, but even his head feathers feel like they've thinned out.

I found these feathers in his cage. Not a great pic, as I only have my iPhone with me. They're both tail feathers... or at least, they were supposed to be  They came out before they were even half-finished growing.










I know I gotta wait for the test results, but I'm so worried for this little guy. Something is majorly wrong with his feather development, and even if we get an answer, I don't know if there's anything we can do to reverse it. And it could get much worse.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Tommy's test came back negative for PBFD. Such a relief. Still working with the vet to figure out what's going on.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

So glad Tommy's test is negative!
I've been checking back for updates on the little guy. How's everything with the nutriberries and his diet going?

I really hope you find out what on earth is going on


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm glad the test came back negative. I hope the vet can come up with some other answers for you. Keep us posted.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Thanks for keeping up with us  Spoke with the vet today again. She gave me two possibilities: one, a genetic problem as a result of inbreeding; or two, problems relating to his liver. Super frustrating because I've bugged her a million times about the liver possibility, after the advice from the people here, and just now is she think it might be a possibility. 

At this point, though, she thinks it's more likely genetic, as a result of inbreeding. Liver problems could cause feather deformities, as was pointed out to me in the other thread. However, liver problems shouldn't be causing him to lose every single powder down feather, or causing two feathers to grow from the same follicle. So we'll start by trying to improve his feather quality first, and if that doesn't work, we'll investigate the liver.

So here's the plan: He'll be taking OptOmega for two months, which is a an omega 3-6 fatty acid formula, that should improve his feather quality. If it doesn't improve within the first month, we'll try milk thistle to help his liver. If that doesn't work, more tests on the liver. 

Thanks for following along as we try to get this figured out. I know I've been a bit freaked out about this, but he just has the weirdest symptoms, and I love him, and I don't like to see him looking this terrible. But he did let me give him scritches today


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

He reminds me of my rescue bird Odette, who has permanent bald patches on her face. We think hers is genetic as well, although she's had it as long as I've had her, and the pattern has never changed. I'll definitely be curious to see how Tommy's treatment goes. Sending him good thoughts!


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

Aww he is such a handsome little guy  Hopefully everything turns out ok!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

JuliosMom said:


> Aww he is such a handsome little guy  Hopefully everything turns out ok!


second it


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

ollieandme said:


> second it


Third it. 

He is super cute. Hope all goes well. I'll keep reading.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Poor Tommy, I hope he gets well.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

It's been about 2 weeks since adding nutri-berries and the OptOmega. I'm with my parents for the holiday... and it appears to me as if Tommy's powder down feathers may be growing back!

I tried to get a pic but the little guy won't hold still long enough for me to get a clear pic. Here is what it looked like before:










Now, instead of just the little nubs, there appear to be full pin feathers coming through, in all of the areas where he was bare. You can't see nearly as much pink skin now. I'll try to get a clearer pic, but it looks like it might be working. It would be wonderful if he got his powder downs back!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

That's great that he's improving!!!


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Amazing news!!!
Glad hes improving


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

:clap:that's great!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Here we go! This is blurry because he wouldn't hold still, but you can DEFINITELY see improvement. All the pinfeathers are growing in at once, indicating that they just started growing again all together. Yay yay yay!


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

So glad to hear that Tommy is improving.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

That's wonderful he's getting better


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

I visited Mom and Dad today and checked out Tommy. No dust yet  His powder downs are still there, coming in, but it looks like the keratin hasn't broken down yet at all. I felt them and there was definitely dust on my fingers afterwords, so for sure they're coming back, but I guess they'll need more time to fully develop.

He also has two brand new tail feathers that are full length but still mostly in the sheath. They look kind of ratty, not like fully developed feathers. I hope as the sheath comes off they develop more.

Here's a pic, blurry again because he's a wiggle-butt. Not a big improvement over the last pic, but still some progress.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Actually, looking at the three pics, the pins in the last one do seem more dense and more full. So hopefully it's steady improvement, even though it's slow!


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Yup, I can definitely see great improvement!


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

It does look a lot more dense
I hope they come in good 
I wonder how long it takes for those things to fully develop usually


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

Does he like bathing? A warm shower/bath might help break the keratin sheaths and soothe his skin a little (I'm sure all those new feathers coming in itch!).

So glad he's improving!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

cknauf said:


> Does he like bathing? A warm shower/bath might help break the keratin sheaths and soothe his skin a little (I'm sure all those new feathers coming in itch!).
> 
> So glad he's improving!


He hates baths, but I think that's a really good idea. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to mist him down, and have my mom start doing it more.

These powder downs must be like being a baby again - it's such a huge, dense patch of feathers. Tiels gets grumpy with just a few pin feathers coming in, and this is a patch over an inch long on both sides of Tommy's body!

Also, I don't know anything about how long they take to grow in. I've looked all over the Interwebs for information but this seems to be a really unique circumstance. Next time I call the vet, I will ask.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

I spent some time with my family this weekend at the cottage. Tommy appears to be doing even better. He's lost the "shiny" look and his feathers look like they're starting to accumulate dust again! He doesn't look as dark and damp as he did before.

I've also seen him start using the powder downs for preening again - rubbing his face on them and nibbling them, as I've seen Ziggy do. While they're still largely pin feathers, it seems they're starting to do the job.

Unfortunately, I think this process is going to take a whole lotta time. Many of Tommy's feathers are in bad shape, also because of the condition, so until he replaces those, he won't look healthy. Might be a couple of molts before he gets back to normal coloration. His cheek dot especially looks dull, and he has a few tail and wing feathers that did not develop correctly.

Here's some update pics. I got to play with Dad's fancy-shmansy Canon Rebel T3i camera so the quality is awesome 

EDIT: Oops, some of these pics are on the 52 Weeks thread... oh well, this is a good place to have them linked too, so I can keep track of his progress in one place.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

:clap: that's awesome he's doing better

He's so freakin cute!


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

What a cutie! 
Chirps and scratches coming your way from Skiddles and I xx


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

he's gorgeous! i'm so glad he's starting to pick up


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

So glad to hear that Tommy is doing better.


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## catalinadee (Jan 1, 2011)

I just read through the whole thread and I am very pleased that he came back negative for PBFD. I have had 3 PBFD scares and each bird has come back negative  

Judging from the condition of the tail feathers that fell out, I would say that he was having liver issues. My dusky lory (who passed away last week at 20 years old with liver disease) had feathers just like that and he ended up being pretty tatty. Although lories are a bit sleek, he did look almost wet at times too

Luckily that bird has you though and just from correcting the diet you've already got him looking fantastic. Keep it up!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

I'm sorry for the loss of your lory. I do think liver issues are still part of the problem here, so hopefully the diet and the supplement will keep the improvements going.

Here's the latest pic of his powder downs. They're starting to look really good  As I was trying to hold him still to get this pic, he left a bit of dust on my fingers - the first time in a long time! 

He's been preening them a bunch; I think he's starting to remove the keratin from the pin feathers. Or as we call them in our house, his "pokies" hehe.


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

What a difference from the first picture with them coming in
Poor guy must be so itchy but its like night and day
I bet he feels a lot better with his dust!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Not much new to report, just that Tommy is gradually looking better and better.

Not much change in his powder down pinnies, although I think they're starting to open up finally.










He has molted a few feathers, but he hasn't had a huge molt since starting the medicine. The crooked tail feather he's had a long time (way before he got sick) did come back looking much better than the last time. The last time it grew in deformed and fell out halfway through. Now it looks healthy. Also, this crest feather he's growing looks nice and firm, and has a great curl to it. His current crest feathers look limp, so this is another positive change.

Although the crest looks ridiculous right now like this  










His cheeks don't have much color but he's definitely looking dustier even more than the last update


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

what a difference!

He doesn't look greasy and the crest feathers look adorable:lol:


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## catalinadee (Jan 1, 2011)

He's looking great  that crest feather sure is adorable though


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Tommy is looking so handsome.


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

New update! I'm with my family for the weekend, so the first time I've seen Tom-Tom in almost two months. He's looking even better!!!! The process is very very slow. However, his cheek dot color is coming back! He's getting his nice bright orange back, and he doesn't look greasy anymore - you can see he's getting even dustier.

Still doesn't compare to a regular tiel - Ziggy is far more powdery. But he's continuing to improve 

Mom was giving him the supplement yesterday and he jerked his face as she tried to put it in, so he got some oil on his face. So if you see a dark patch on the right side of his face, that's why.

Powder downs looking great!









Cheek dots are growing in brighter:


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## lisaowens (Oct 17, 2011)

so glad he is doing better i read through it all and watched the transformation keep use posted on him please


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## .Alexandra. (Sep 11, 2012)

Wow he looks so much better than in the beginning! 
I am glad he is improving, even if it is taking slow, he is definitely better than before.
And that second picture of him is just so darn cute


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

So glad he's making steady improvements - he's a real cutie!


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## urbandecayno5 (Oct 24, 2012)

He looks great!
The before and after pictures are amazing

Ps- I love his fluffy head


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

He is beautiful 

WOW! What an improvement


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