# Sick cockatiel passes out, looks weak and has odd behaviors.



## StephStorm (Dec 26, 2012)

Hello, My name is Stephanie and my Bird's name is Bastion, who is an 8 year old cockatiel. 

I brought Bastion to the vet about a month and a half ago because he looked like he was falling asleep, even though it was the morning, his eating was off, and he was showing many weird behaviors. Unfortunately our vet said there is not much they could do diagnostically to see exactly was wrong but they put him on oxygen and that really helped him a lot. They said there might be something genetically wrong with his heart and gave us the medicine Metacam to give to him by mouth, .02 MLS everyday. We were hoping this would help him or at least make it so we only have to go to the vet farther on in the future.

Unfortunately he seems to be showing signs of this again, only a month later. I'm currently home on spring break and we planned driving back up to Orlando where I live to attend school which is a 3 hour drive, and that is where the vet we've been going to is. 

I'm very worried about him an I've been watching him very closely since he's come home from the vet and last night he made the same odd movements with his neck before I put him to bed and I was very worried about him. Then this morning he seemed very sleepy again even though I put him to bed at 10pm and let him out at 10am the next day. 

He seemed extremely out of it before but seems to be doing a bit better since I let him have his morning seeds (we're currently trying to get him to switch to pellets but he still is resisting the change). He still seems weak though and keeps trying to sleep (not sure if he is just really tired for some reason or if he's passing out). 

I decided I would post about this to see if there is anyone that possibly had some of these same problems or get more information on how to make him more comfortable.

Once I am back home an settled in I will post a vieo of what he was doing with his neck.

Some of the symptoms (they might not all be related but these are just some things that I have noticed recently) :

Passes out
Seems weak
Doesn't poop often
Chirps at random times (seemingly for no reason)
Seems to have trouble swallowing (his crop moves around a lot when he eats, I'm not sure how much it is supposed to move)
Rests his butt down on my finger when he is perched on it, as if he isn't able to hold himself up as well
Foot twitches at random times (this has gone on for awhile though, before the other issues)
Relatively uninterested in many things
Not that much liquid in poops 
Bubbles in poop (I know this is a sign of kidney disease but I'm not sure how bubbly those types of poops are)
Resting on both feet instead of one
Staring into space
Redness around eyes

Like I said before, they might not all be relevant but these are just some things that I've noticed that have changed for him recently.

The vet told us that this might just be episodes and he will go in and out of them, but I don't want to wait too long for him to get better on his own and have him be too sick to get better. Any suggestions, tips, questions, or help will be GREATLY appreciated.

I love my bird with all my heart and would hate to see him suffer if there is something I can do, as I know you would all understand.

Thank you very much for reading this and I will respond to posts later on today. If he still looks very sick by the time we make it back to Orlando then we might admit him to the vet again, but I do not want to constantly be spending my parents money on visits (as I'm only 18 years old) if I could get some more insight into what is going on with my precious little boy.


Thanks again!

PS. I was able to upload the video before I left of some his symptoms. This was when we first brought him to the vet, he does not look nearly as bad right now. it can be seen here: http://youtu.be/ix1Y6F5KlrE

It is unlisted so please tell me if i does not work. As well, I made it low quality so I could get it uploaded ASAP. If a higher quality version is needed, just say so and I will upload a better one once I am home.

(I was concerned and confused in the video so that was why I was bugging him so much, I don't usually pester him like that.)


----------



## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm so sorry your tiel is sick. Was the vet you saw avain certified? These symptoms seem very serious to me. I believe bubbles in the droppings is also a sign of infection. I would try to get him to a vet as soon as possible. Also, if he's sick, let him eat whatever he will eat to keep his strength up. I don't think I would worry about pellet conversion until he's feeling better.


----------



## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

There are things a vet can do to diagnose a cockatiel. I'd look into another vet. Yours doesn't sound very knowledgeable about birds. Respiratory distress is an emergency in birds and it shouldn't be dismissed as an episode he'll come out of. You can find vets using this tool, or there are some members in the FL area who might have ideas.

It sounds like he might have an infection, but birds' symptoms are usually very generic--all illnesses look pretty similar. He is definitely showing signs of illness though. Bubbles in the feces can be a sign of an infection.

EDIT: I looked at crop stasis, which kind of sounds possible. I'm wondering if there's something going on with his crop because of his odd neck movements and irregular swallowing. I haven't dealt with crop stasis though, perhaps a more experienced person would have ideas.


----------



## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

He sounds like he is going downhill quickly. Birds die from diseases within a couple days of showing symptoms. You do not have much time.

If I was your vet, I'd immediately run a test for chlamydiosis. CHANGE VETS! If your vet is unable to do diagnostic testing, then this is not a avian vet or one that specializes in birds. Find a new vet. Which area would you like your vet to be located in? We can help you find a good one. 

If you are unable to find a reputable bird vet then at least discuss the possiblilty of your bird having a disease like chlamydiosis with your current vet. If he does not know how to treat chlamydiosis, but diagnoses your bird with it, the treatment is doxycycline. He should be able to find the correct dosage amount for your bird as determined by body weight.


----------



## StephStorm (Dec 26, 2012)

Thank you all very much for the fast responses! We just got home and he's really exhausted (As expected for a long car ride) and I'm letting him get some rest. 

I currently live in Winter Park, Florida (my zip code is 32792). Any help in possibly finding someone who might be of more help would be very appreciated. I don't want to sit by and let him suffer if I'm able to help him in any way. 

I currently go to Winter Park Veterinary Hospital, there are mixed reviews regarding but I think that our vet seemed quite knowledgeable.


EDIT:
Some of the symptoms that I mentioned before are not current symptoms, but what was happening before

Right now he seems quite stable but I'm going to be keeping an eye on him. I'm hoping after he gets some rest he'll feel better.

The vet sent us home with Metacam (they said it will thin out his blood and help it flow better if he does have a genetic heart condition) and also gave us Antibiotics to rule out any bacterial infection. He has been off of the antibiotics for about a week and a half now but is still getting the Metacam every day. 

I'm pretty sure our vet is an Avian specialist and it's not like he did nothing for him (he was on oxygen until he seemed stable and was tube fed until he was eating on his own) so I don't want it to seem like my vet doesn't know anything. 

I will post any updates on his condition. Thanks again everyone!


----------



## StephStorm (Dec 26, 2012)

sunnysmom said:


> I'm so sorry your tiel is sick. Was the vet you saw avain certified? These symptoms seem very serious to me. I believe bubbles in the droppings is also a sign of infection. I would try to get him to a vet as soon as possible. Also, if he's sick, let him eat whatever he will eat to keep his strength up. I don't think I would worry about pellet conversion until he's feeling better.


How can I go about checking if my vet is Avian certified?


----------



## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Which vet are you seeing at WPVH? You can PM me if you're not comfortable posting the name publicly.


----------



## Cybird (Feb 13, 2013)

StephStorm said:


> he vet sent us home with Metacam (they said it will thin out his blood and help it flow better if he does have a genetic heart condition)


whoa whoa... if? i'm not a bird expert myself, but "if" for a heart condition is in all senses... iffy. it means he could or could not have a heart condition. if he does have one Metacam would help, but what if he doesn't? it could make it worse. if it's working so far then i guess it's ok. but do be careful. no one likes losing a bird.


----------



## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Any update on your tiel?


----------

