# Bad breath?



## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

About a week ago I was holding Cookie and noticed that there was a bad smell coming from her beak area. I'm not sure if it's bad breath or if was her beak that was smelling bad. I can't describe the smell. I kept an eye on it and it was back to normal the next day. It has continued to be normal until this morning, when I noticed the smell again. I checked inside of her mouth and it looks normal- light pink. She has been acting normal, her droppings have been normal, and she is eating fine, although there was 1 day this week that she didn't have her breakfast. The smell of her body is also normal, it's only around the beak area that smells bad....
What could this be? I am worried


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

You should take her to a vet ASAP 
Bad breath is a sign of yeast infection


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Even though it is on and off, and not constant bad breath??


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

When was the last time he had a bad breath
Cockatiels tend to hide their illnesses very well but if he didn't have it for a while already then maybe you just need to keep a close eye


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Well, the first time was a week ago, and the last time was this morning. I just spoke to my vet and he said that it could possibly be a bacterial infection, but it could also be related to the foods that she eats. Cookie has been eating table food and some junk food, so he said it could very well be related to that. He told me to keep an eye on her and see if this is related to any food that she eats. If the bad breath becomes consistent or if her behavior changes, he wants me to bring her in. What do you guys think?


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Try not giving her junk food or table food for a few days. If the smelling stops then its because of the food but if she still has bad breath then it's because of an infection


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Yeah, I will stop the food and see if it improves... I mean, I have been reading that a bacterial infection causes fishy breath, and cookie's breath is not fishy at all, it's just plain bad. But I will keep a close eye on her. I hope it's just the food!!!


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Keep us posted


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Personally I would go in for a gram stain now. Bad breath is always a sign of illness in my experience.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Enigma, based on your experience, if it is not the junk food that is causing bad breath, what could it be? What type of bacterial infection? I just want to know so that I can look for other signs that would indicate a different problem.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yeast might be causing it and I know diabetes causes bad breath in humans (but I think its sweet smelling more than anything else.) I would definitely take a sample of her poop in and ask for a gram stain.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I'm not experienced enough to say what kind of bacteria smells like what, but I do know that different types of infections have different kinds of smells. If it's a smell that you're identifying as noticeably unpleasant, I would definitely get it checked. My birds will occasionally have breath that smells like what they've been eating (celery, for example, or sweet potatoes) but it never smells bad. It just smells like the food itself.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

But then, if it's yeast that she has, it is AGY, correct? And isn't AGY a secondary infection? Meaning.....if she has yeast then she most likely has another infection? 
The smell is very foul...almost like dead beetles, if you've ever smelled one.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

No, it could be just plain yeast. You probably wouldn't smell AGY since it's in the proventriculus and not the crop. Yeast smells yeast-y, though, like if you've ever baked bread and smelled it? The smell you're describing says bacterial to me.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

oh no....
so in this case, would a gram stain detect a bacterial infection?


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

It would depend on whether the bacteria was being shed in the feces or not. But hopefully it would. I would probably just take her in for an appointment and see what the vet wants to do. Most likely they'll start with the gram stain and if that doesn't detect anything then either start her on a broad spectrum antibiotic or do more labs like a crop wash or blood panel. If her only symptom right now is bad breath then you have the chance to catch this early, but you need to be proactive about it.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Then instead of doing a gram stain, would it be better to go straight to a full blood panel? Would that detect both yeast and bacteria?


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

If she were my bird I would start with the gram stain. But see what your vet says.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

ok...it's because I'm in a very tight budget so I want to use my money in the best way that I can. So, if a blood panel can detect both yeast and bacteria, I would prefer to do that instead of doing a gram stain AND a blood panel. Does a blood panel detect both yeast and bacteria?


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

The blood panel is only going to detect whether there's an immune response to _something_. It won't tell you what the specific something is. It also can give false negatives if there's an infection that her body isn't fighting, so unfortunately there's no 100% conclusive test. This really would be a better question for the vet, though, because only they can tell you what would be most cost effective.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

ok, I understand. Thank you for the very helpful information. I just got home (I've been so worried about this alllll day!!!!) and Cookie's breath is back to normal. It smells just like the rest of her body...I also checked her droppings and they have no smell... She is acting normal right now, trying to destroy everything that crosses her path. 

This is mind-boggling...I really wonder if it had something to do with the food, or some random thing that she found on the floor and ate. By the way, I did find an insect crawling on the floor today, so I wonder if she ate one of them...But because she is acting completely normal, her droppings are fine, and her breath is normal again, I will keep an eye on her and if I notice any other symptoms, I will take her to the vet right away.


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

poor Cookie. keep us posted!
Ollie has a recurrent yeast imbalance, and she smells really horrific some days, and other days she smells like a normal bird. it's weird. if Cookie starts smelling bad again, it's probably best to see a vet (and i know it sucks since they cost so much!). i've learnt from other people's experiences though - it's better to go sooner, and catch it, then later, when all treatment is much more expensive.
 good luck!


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Yes, I agree. Right now we have cut all junk food. Today she is very energetic and is very happy, and she smells normal (like a chicken lol). We were doing harness training, but we have put that on hold for a few days too because we don't want her to be stressed at this time. If her bad breath comes back, I will know that it's NOT because of the food, and will take her to the vet.

By the way, what do you do for Ollie's yeast imbalance? Is she on meds?


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