# HELP! She's pooping out WHOLE seeds



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

EDIT: 

After a trip to the vet, she was declared to be in prime health. She weighs a good 83 grams, has no parasites, and has had normal stool for about a day now. 

Though the cause of her ailment is unknown, stress is believed to be the reason why she was pooping out whole seeds. 

We, (my vet and I), will be keeping an eye on her, but for now, the worst is over, she's seen a great vet, and she doesn't have PDD or paraistes. Thanks for your information and help!


> My cockatiel, Elizabeth, whom I got almost a week ago, is finally eating. The only problem? She's pooping out WHOLE seeds, shells and all, with hard-to-pass green WATER.
> 
> It's no longer just runny, "I'm petrified" stool. It's out of control.
> HELP!


----------



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

You need to take her to an avian vet ASAP. Pooping out whole seed is never normal, and is a sign of bacterial infection or some other problem. You need a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment.


----------



## Jessica (Mar 15, 2009)

A lot of things could cause whole seed in poop, 2 causes I have been looking in to is PDD (what my vet says Paulie has) which is not curable 
or Giardia (a parasite) which is curable but I have read that it is difficult
defiantly take her to a vet, hopefully you have better luck than I've had


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

There's more chance of having a parasite than PDD, as she came to me pooping healthily, and started this out of the blue. PDD is more gradual than this. 

If she has a parasite, however, all my birds have to be treated for it, as I haven't exactly been changing clothes when I go see her. I have been keeping her quarantined, but not tightly enough....*sobs*


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

After having read about giardia, I can honestly say she doesn't have ANY of the symptoms other than absorption problems. None of her feathers are plucked, and there's been no screaming or digging at herself. In fact, she's quiet, happy, and aside from pooping whole seeds, looks healthy.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

PDD is now sounding less likely as she doesn't regurgitate, isn't lethargic or depressed, isn't weak, and doesn't lack appetite. She does sleep a lot, but wouldn't anyone who's pooping out most of their seeds?

I really, really hope this means she ate something bad, will be sick for a little while, and then will eventually turn all her poop, (which is less liquid and more solid now, with the presence of all three healthy "parts"), back to normal.


----------



## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

The problem is, you don't really have any way of knowing what's wrong without taking her to a vet.
A problem that might seem as though it will pass, might be something more serious.
Or it may be a problem that will lead to more serious problems over time.
As someone else said, passing whole seeds is never a good sign. If it is a bacteria infection, your bird may not be able to fight it off on her own.
Take her to a vet. At the very least, it will ease your mind. At the most, it will save Elizabeth's life.


----------



## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

> Undigested food. If you notice any bits of seed or pellets, be worried. These symptoms could mean parasites, an intestinal infection, proventricular dilation, or a disease of the pancreas or other internal organs.


http://www.parrotchronicles.com/septoct2002/droppings.htm


----------



## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

The first thing I thought of when I read you post was a bacterial infection but an avian vet would be able to do tests and tell you for sure what it is and get your tiel the proper medicine. Please don't wait until your tiel is acting ill, as birds hide that they are sick for as long as possible.


----------



## ReniLyn (Mar 30, 2009)

So I would hope that she was seen by an avian vet-how did it go? Is she ok?


----------



## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

xxxSpikexxx said:


> The first thing I thought of when I read you post was a bacterial infection but an avian vet would be able to do tests and tell you for sure what it is and get your tiel the proper medicine. *Please don't wait until your tiel is acting ill*, as birds hide that they are sick for as long as possible.



But the bird is already showing big red flags of being Ill, the undigested food isn't something to play around with as soon as its seen they need to get to the vet A.S.A.P


----------



## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

You need to take the bird to the avian vet! Any time you waste trying to diagnose the bird your self could cost him his life.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

I had to WAIT an entire day to see the vet. All the vets in my area work on birds PART time. I've been a wreck. 

The good news is that she will be going tomorrow at 2pm!

Note to self: Save $100 for gas emergency and go to Buffalo, (an hour or more away), to the emergency center next time. (I was low on funds, *sigh*)

She seems much better. She has Urine, Urates, and Feces showing in a slightly watery poo with only ONE seed, and it's half-digested. 

I've taken advice from a local breeder and kept the fresh water and fresh food coming in an effort to get her metabolism going again. It seems to have worked. On top of that, she spent time in the sun today, and a lot of time being talked to and coddled. I did my best to keep her warm and safe all day.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

sweetrsue said:


> You need to take the bird to the avian vet! Any time you waste trying to diagnose the bird your self could cost him his life.


Thank you for being very adamant! It's important to know that people will when it comes to health. 

For two days I've been to emergency care centers, and called each vet in my area multiple times. I've done my best to get her to care, but failed. She will be going tomorrow. I NEVER had ANY intention of diagnosing myself. I needed info because I was frazzled.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

atvchick95 said:


> http://www.parrotchronicles.com/septoct2002/droppings.htm


Thank you for taking the time to find this for me. Now I know more than I ever have about diseases.


----------



## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Eikoden said:


> Thank you for being very adamant! It's important to know that people will when it comes to health.
> 
> For two days I've been to emergency care centers, and called each vet in my area multiple times. I've done my best to get her to care, but failed. She will be going tomorrow. I NEVER had ANY intention of diagnosing myself. I needed info because I was frazzled.


Sometimes finding an available avian vet is a pain, especially in an emergency. There aren't many emergency vet clinics that specialize with birds. I'm glad you have an appointment set up and I hope everything goes well. <3


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

She's been pooping normally all night, and seems much better. Off to the vets in about 15 minutes! *cheers* I feel MUCH better knowing that I can finally do the right thing.


----------



## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Eikoden said:


> Thank you for taking the time to find this for me. Now I know more than I ever have about diseases.


your welcome it took me a while, my computer crashed this week and it wasn't saved any more but I knew i'd posted it on another forum just had to go find it then find the website again


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

Good News, Folks. She's going to be ok. There seems to be nothing wrong with her other than a lot of stress. 

Though she seemed to be adjusting fine, all the new animals, (cat, dog), new cages, (two), and the new-then-gone play gym must have frazzled her poor mind. 

So, in order to make things easier on her, I will be leaving her alone, (save for water/food changes), for a few days. I hope this continues to bring her health back to normal.


----------



## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Glad everything's okay, and I hope she feels better soon!


----------



## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Glad to hear she's OK! A calm environment should help. Your on the right track.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

Thanks, Sweetrsue! She seems even better this morning. Since she was quiet, and content, I took her downstairs for some sun, (and alone time), and she's seemed happy just to enjoy the warmth.


----------



## ReniLyn (Mar 30, 2009)

Well GREAT! Glad to hear that she's doin' ok!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

A note: She will be under close watch for any signs of a come back. I will be calling our vet on Monday with her progress, as the vet wants to be sure of her health.


----------



## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Iam glad that she is doing alright  Did the vet take a poop sample?


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

xxxSpikexxx said:


> Iam glad that she is doing alright  Did the vet take a poop sample?


The vet did two samples. One was a smear, the other was a "flotation". Both turned up negative for parasites.


----------



## Tielzilla (Mar 31, 2009)

I came on this rather late but sure glad she is ok..


----------



## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Ususally an imbalance of intestinal flora will cause a tiel to pass whole seed.

A few days to a week on probiotics should help. You can find some acidophilus capsules at the drugstore and lightly sprinkle a 1/2 capsule per day on food. Or mix 3 capsules in 1 gallon of water, (refrigerate between use) and use as drinking water for a week.
Below is alittle general info I had saved on my computer...
----------------------------------------
Not long ago I was researching probiotics and was dismayed to learn that it is not a word in the dictionary, but is a term comprised of 2 words: Pro meaning 'for', and biotics meaning 'life' And if you go looking in avian, animal, and human drug books the actual word probiotics is not listed. Therefore probiotics is a term used descriptively that describes a class of non prescription oral medications/supplements (such as acidophilus, lactobacillus) which are used primarily to boost the population of live bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which flourish inside the birds digestive tract. Probiotics can be used preventively during periods of stress, such as breeding, molting, when chicks are weaning. With a sick bird, pathogens (disease-causing bacteria) take the place of the good bacteria. They consist of naturally occurring organisms that aid in digestion and inhibit the production of disease producing bacteria. Probiotics help to supplement and replace used up beneficial bacteria in the GI tract. Thus what is happening, especially after antibiotic treatment, is the replenishment of good bacteria which acts to lower inhibit the levels of bad bacteria from becoming pathogenic. Probiotics such as lactobacillus also lower the pH. 

This is beneficial when dealing with slow crop, or when yeast or bacteria is suspected. When pH is reduced this in turn increases the effectiveness of existing good flora in the GI tract. I'm also learning that one of the reasons why heat is so beneficial to sick babies is because it helps to decrease the time needed to kill harmful pathogens when antibiotic and antifungals are used. 

<<<Some people felt that the birds make their own good bacteria and supplementing it is not needed.>>>

When a bird is healthy there is no need for probiotics. The body is continually producing and replenishing and maintaining the established population of resident bacteria. When everything is in balance not only does the normal bacterial flora create an environment that is non-supportive of pathogens, it is necessary for the proper assimilation and absorption of nutrients. Things that can disturb this balance are stress, diet changes, vitamin deficiencies, indiscriminate preventative treatments and antibiotics to name a few. Secondary problems such as vitamin K deficiency can result when the bacterial flora is upset because this interferes with absorption/utilizing of K. About the only time you really need to use probiotics is in conjunction with some of the above listed that contribute to disturbing the intestinal balance.

It helps to keep in mind that it is just another non-prescription 'treatment or medication'...and should only be used accordingly. If the bird is healthy there is no need for supplementing with probiotics. Let their body do what they were designed to do, but have on hand the 'tools' to help assist them when it is needed.


----------



## Eikoden (Apr 6, 2009)

I never thought of using acidolphilus for a cockatiel, but I'm going to add it now that you've explained the usage. She's been fine since the three day sickness, but if it was a bacterial unbalance, I'd prefer to avoid it. I myself take acidophilus for such a digestive malfunction.


----------

