# Lead poisoning



## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

Hi. We took Kimchee to the vet today and they don't know what's wrong. They think it could be lead poisoning. Here are the symptoms: vomiting, watery stool, tired, lack of appetite. If it is lead poisoning, do you think she can recover? They are running tests now and she is sleeping at the vet.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Birds certainly can and do recover from lead poisoning. How was she acting when you got her to the vet?


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

She was very sleepy. If we took her out she would run around and play. While at the vet she slept on my shoulder.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

So she was responsive when you interacted with her? Was she strong enough to perch? Was she eating at all?


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

Yeah she was definitely responsive. When I came home she chirped a little and played with her toys. The vet just called and said she ate for 15 minutes. He said the test came back negative for heavy metal but if the lead was in paint that she ate the test wouldn't read it.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Those are all really good signs. Have they done bloodwork on her? 

My vet (who is very experienced) once told me that about 80% of the time when a bird is vomiting, they recover without anybody ever figuring out exactly what happened.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Does she have access to very old paint? Meaning produced before 1978. Paint produced since then is generally expected to be safe. Just keep an eye out for anything she might be nibbling on that's not appropriate.

There's some very preliminary evidence indicating that cilantro (coriander leaf) might help chelate heavy metals in the body. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/8686573/reload=0;jsessionid=n4hgQrCKK5QqsGeIgkpc.8 

So you might want to add a little to the diet. There's no guarantee that it will actually do anything, but in any case it's a nice green vegetable that my cockatiels enjoy eating. Moderation in all things of course, so don't go crazy with it.


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

They did blood work but they have to send it to the lab tomorrow. Her cage was my great grandmothers. It doesn't look too old. She died a year ago and her birds lived without sickness from what I know.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

Kimchee2016 said:


> Her cage was my great grandmothers. It doesn't look too old.


Is there any rust on it? It might not look old, but it is pretty old if it belonged to your great grandmother.
If it is in good condition you might even be able to sell it to an antique shop for a good price and then buy a new, safe cage for your birds and even keep some money...


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> it is pretty old if it belonged to your great grandmother.


It depends on when great grandma bought it lol. If she got it in 2014 then it's not so old!


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

There is no rust on it and it doesn't look old. I don't know how long she had it. How can I tell if it has lead or zinc? I might play it safe and just buy another though.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Wait until you have the test results first. It's entirely possible that heavy metals are not the culprit here.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

tielfan said:


> It depends on when great grandma bought it lol. If she got it in 2014 then it's not so old!


Yes.  For some reason I thought that it had gone down from generation to generation.... I guess I go to too many antique shops (antiques fascinate me) and automatically thought it was antique.


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

According to the symptoms I said, what are some ideas of what she could have?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

These are very general symptoms so there's no way to be sure. Even your vet didn't know, and they saw the bird in person! The best thing to do now is to just make sure that she's staying warm enough, eating and pooping well, and acting reasonably healthy. Call your vet if there's a change for the worse.


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

The vet kept her over night. Thank you everyone for your adice.


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

The vet says it could be a kidney infection. They need to run more tests. Does anyone know what causes kidney infections?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Lots of things, apparently. This article says that viruses, bacteria, and fungus can do it (particularly aspergillosis). http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=3314


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Do you know what the vet is basing that possible diagnosis on?


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

We got the confirmed diagnosis. Apparently she ate something toxic. She will come home tomarrow Andy I will have to give her medicine orally. She hates to be held! When professionals clip her nails she fights with force. Also with me. Oh well!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Do you know what she ate? If you know what it was, it will help you prevent her from doing it again.


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## Kimchee2016 (Jul 11, 2016)

I have no idea what it could've been!


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