# Help!!



## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum, but I have a sick tiel. Her name is Molly. She's normally extremely hyperactive, but today she's much slower moving and is vomiting. I've searched multiple bird health websites and some say that just watch her and take her in if a droppings change accompanies the vomit, some say other things. Her regular bird vet isn't in today, but (an extremely expensive) emergency vet is. I'm not sure what to do...Has anyone else experienced this? She is an egg layer, and I initially thought she was regurgitating for them (tho they're not fertile, but she doesn't know that). But it seems whenever she eats she vomits. She's also drinking quite a bit of water. She laid one egg last week, and that was it. Normally she lays 3-6...


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## colorado4bjh (Dec 2, 2008)

She may have ingested something that could be blocking her system up (i.e. thread from a comfy perch, ect) or she is ill from a viral or bacterial infection. Do her nares (nostrils) look clear? Is there any discharge? Is she breathing hard? Has she had diarrhea? Both of these could be an indication of viral or bacterial but if none of those things exist I would think it's a gastrointestinal blockage. 

I don't know about egg laying so I hope some else responds here as well. Is there no other avian vet in your area besides the emergency? 

If it were me, I would take her in to be safe despite the cost because you don't get too many warning sings from birds before it is too late to do anything about it.


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Her nostrils are clear, no discharge. She does have a bit of diarrhea, but that is caused by the vitamin supplement she's on - every time she gets the vitamins she gets diarrhea. Her breathing is normal. I just called the emergency vet and he's not even in until 11:30 am.......
I found another emergency vet. I'm going to take her there now.


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

good luck i think taking her to the vet is the right thing....better safe than sorry


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## MomoandMillie (Dec 3, 2008)

Good luck, I hope all goes well for you both.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I hope Molly is OK!


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Hi all...
I took Molly to the emergency vet yesterday. She did have an egg stuck in her. It was sideways and the shell wasn't completely formed. They tried painkillers and calcium injections for awhile, and that didn't work to kind of "induce labor". He ended up sedating her and forcing the egg out. She woke up great. He watched her overnight. He called this morning. He said she's doing pretty good, but is still a little quiet (she's normally extremely hyperactive) and she's not eating great. He lavage fed her this morning and is going to do it once more today. She also has a bit of a bloody discharge. She's on antibiotics and an anti inflammatory. He says it may be extra irritation due to the egg being in there for awhile (it had been a week since her last egg). He wants to make sure she's eating ok and doesn't get an infection. He'll call me later, but he says she may be coming home this afternoon. Thank you all for your concern and let's hope for the best!!!


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## Lola's_mommy (Nov 30, 2008)

Lola has had trouble passing eggs in the short time that I've had her and her eggshells don't calcify making them difficult to pass. After her last egg, she suffered a complete prolapse. It's been about 2 weeks since that day and so far she is doing good. I am making sure I up her calcium levels, shorten her days, and have removed any nesting materials out of her cage to help discourage her from laying any more eggs. 

At least you noticed earlier than I did that your tiel was having a problem and you got her to the vet before major complications began. I hope she continues to get better and thrive!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I would make sure she has a constant supply of calcium. A Cuttle bone should be available at all times as well as a mineral block. Most cases of egg binding are due to a lack of calcium. If you can keep her calcium levels high she should be OK. Also I would make sure to give her probiotics (Ornabac, Benebac) after her round of antibiotics. Antiboitics kill the beneficial bacteria they need for proper digestion. I hope she's back to her old self soon!


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## colorado4bjh (Dec 2, 2008)

I am soooo happy to hear that things are going in the right direction and that your baby is starting to turn around! You did very right thing by taking her into the vet and it's good to learn how to care for her in the future! All my VERY BEST to you both!

Please keep us up to date on her progress! It's always great to hear that beloved friend can recover from some tough trials!


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Hi everyone. Well it's been a rough day today. After getting her home yesterday I got her to eat a tiny bit of scrambled egg. She wasn't very hungry after being forcefed at the vet. She woke up on her own this morning, but I found vomit in her cage, and the vet said to bring her back. I did, and had blood drawn as well as a crop smear. Turns out the bound egg had lowered Molly's immune system and she got a bad yeast infection in her crop. She's on meds for that now too. Should get the bloodwork done by Monday morning to see her calcium levels as well as any other problems. She still isn't eating on her own. The vet wanted me to forcefeed her at home, but I tried and I just couldn't do it. She was forcefed again this morning when I brought her back to the vet, and I have gotten her to eat several Cheerios, a couple rice Chex, and some scrambled egg. So at least she has some nutrition in her. She is pooping, which is a good sign that somethings going through. I am to call the vet again in the morning, they're closed Sundays but the doctor wants updates. Molly's sleeping now, and she is perched, whereas she wasn't earlier, so that's good too. I just hope she gets some good rest and keeps eating even a little at a time just to keep nutrients in her. Hopefully when the medicine helps the yeast infection Molly will want to eat again on her own. I'll keep posting on her progress.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Be careful feeding her cereal. some of them are high in sugars which can contribute to yeast infections. I hope she is better soon! Did the doctor say anything about probiotics?


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Maybe see if she'll eat off a spoon instead of Force feeding her if her normal food is seed wet the spoon a bit and dip it in her seed and see if she'll eat it that way I have a friend on Talk budgies, who got a new budgie a while back and the bird refused to eat (she was a social bird at the breeders and never went with out eating) she dipped her finger in water then seed and sat it in the cage and the bird ate all of it but being a teen in school and working She couldn't much less sit at home all day doing that So i suggested a plastic spoon - that way if she would eat off the spoon her mom could at least go in several times and do it that way. or she'd be able to make a "seed treat stick" with it and she'd eat it 

Also Millet is good for sick and breeding birds it is actually high in a lot of vitamins, and minerals and low in fat


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Well I called the vet this morning. Was told to just keep doing what I'm doing for now. I squirted some of the formula into her mouth that was originally for forcefeeding. I just took off the lavage part and used the syringe. I don't know how much she actually ingested, but was worth a shot anyway. She also ate about 1/3 of a tiel sized avicake, and I got her to eat some larger seeds one by one. My other bird eats apple juice/pellet mush that Molly likes dried, so I am in the process of drying out some mush, hoping she'll eat that. She did a little bit this morning. The vet said that if she keeps going even just a bit at a time then that's what we need. If she doesn't eat even like this though, by afternoon, we'll have to meet at the clinic for a forcefeed. Molly has gotten her second dose of anti-yeast meds this morning so I am hoping that they'll kick in and Molly will want to eat a little more. Baby steps.... 
Oh, and I haven't been told about probiotics yet. I think that'll be something I will bring up. Also, I am picking up some millet soon, so hopefully she'll eat that also.
Thank you all for your advice and concern!!!


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

It's really good that you got her to the vet so quickly after you noticed something was wrong.  I hope that she starts to get better on the meds, i'm sure she will. Keep us posted with any news on Molly.


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Another day!!! Molly slept perched the whole night, which is always good. Still isn't really eating on her own. I did get some millet and she ate three of those little bulby pieces. I also gave her about 10 seeds. She was also syringe fed 3cc of formula this morning, which she took about 2 1/2 of probably. Smeared the rest all over her face fighting me. But it's a start. I think she knows she needs to eat, but she's soooo tired that she can't stay awake long enough to put in the effort. I dunno. I'll keep updates. This is so frustrating..


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## colorado4bjh (Dec 2, 2008)

I am sooo sorry Angela. I am sure the worrying can be hard on you too because you love her so much! You both are in my prayers! Just keep up the good fight and know that you are doing the very best you can for your precious one.


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## MomoandMillie (Dec 3, 2008)

It sounds like you and Molly are both having a stressful time of it, I do hope everything turns out well for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, best wishes x


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

The vet called again this afternoon with the bloodwork results. Her calcium levels are surprisingly good. I think it's because she got several calcium injections while they were trying to induce the laying Thursday night. Her kidney and liver levels are elevated. They want me to get her started on Pedialyte or Gatorade to help with dehydration, and to bring her in tomorrow for a little outpatient birdie IV fluids. It will help rehydrate her as well as flush out anything in the liver and kidneys. They also want to redo the bloodwork sometime next week to make sure that it worked. I sure hope it works! They also want her started on alcohol free milkthistle, so I have to go find that. If this all doesn't work, I think we've kind of hit a wall... But thank you all for the prayers and support! Wish us luck!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

What you described as her diet today sounded pretty good! a 'tiel generally only eats two tablespoons of food a day. She's right in there! I would also see if you can get her to ingest some Ornabac or Benebac to help replenish the beneficial bacteria that is killed by antibiotics.


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

oh i hope she starts to pick up soon!!! poor baby girl


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Well it's been a good start to the morning! Molly was fed her formula this morning, early, around 8 am as usual. She also got her morning meds. I spent the last hour handfeeding her. She ate a small chunk of bread, and a little of the dried apple jucie/pellet mush I feed my quaker. She also took and chewed on (how much she actually ate, who knows!) five green Zupreem pellets. She chewed on one and a half pieces of rice Chex. She ate a bit of avicake (I think she was trying to get at the seeds in it tho.). That was all handfed. She ate 3 bulbs of millet all by herself!!!! So things are beginning to look up!! We have a vet appointment at 3 this afternoon for IV fluids to flush her liver and kidneys out. I haven't been out yet so I still need to get the Pedialyte and milkthistle. I also would like to try her out on that probiotic that sweetrsue suggested. I'll post again tonight and update everyone on the vet trip and her (hopeful) continued eating attempts.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Probiotics also have the effect of increasing the appetite! I think it's because they are able to absorb more so the feed more freely.


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Molly took her afternoon syringe formula well, as well as several more bulbs of millet (thanks to atvchick95 for suggesting that). She also ate a couple more green Zupreem pellets. I got some new formula with a higher calorie content for her. Her weight is 85 grams right now, so she's holding steady. However, the vet didn't go so well. Molly took the IV fluids well. But the vet elaborated a bit more on her bloodwork. Molly's liver and kidney enzymes are dangerously high. Number one goal now is to decrease the levels. She has milkthistle now for her liver. She gets more IV tomorrow late morning. Another bloodtest is scheduled for next week to see if her levels have dropped. They're hoping for a good decrease. That will show that the levels were elevated because of the egg. If not, Molly may have run out of options. The vet said that if Molly's levels don't show a decrease, the best thing to do then is to just make her as comfortable as possible, and then they aren't sure how much longer...... 
So needless to say, Molly is in my constant prayers....


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Hello all. It's been awhile since my last post..holidays and all! Molly is doing ok, put a bit of weight back on. No vomiting at all, which is good. Pooping regularly. Only current problem is that she doesn't seem to want to eat on her own...all hand fed and she's very picky about what she is eating.. Still feeding her formula with a syringe, now twice a day. Hoping to get her to eat more pellets on her own. I go back to school in two days, so she's gotta pick it up. Had blood redrawn this morning, will have the results on her kidney and liver in a few days..Hoping for the best!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

We're all hoping for the best as well! Keep us posted.


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

Yaaaay! Molly's second bloodtest came back good! Her liver enzyme levels have decreaed, and the kidney levels (which is what we were really worried about) have decreaed by half!!!! From 30 to 15!!!! I'm sooo excited!!! She's doing much better. She's eating her pellets again (handfed only, but whatever). She is still syringe fed twice a day to supplement, but only about 1-1.5 cc each time. Her weight is averaging about 88-89 by the end of the day. She consistantly loses 4 grams overnight, which seems like a lot to me, but it's every night, so it doesn't really worry me. Still subcutaneous fluids, now every other day for another two weeks. She has another and final bloodtest in two weeks to make sure her kidney levels are still decreasing/back to almost normal. The doc said if they're still high, that may be an indication of a touch of kidney disease, in which case there are special foods and things we can use to treat it (which she won't eat but ok). So until then...YAY!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

That is so good to hear. I sent your post to Kimmikefids as she still can't get on still. I'm sure she will be happy to hear it as well.


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## superluvrgurl (Sep 7, 2008)

woo! go molly!


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm really glad to hear that Molly is doing better!!


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

thats fantastic....yay molly!!!


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## AubieBird (Oct 5, 2008)

This is my first time reading about your experience with Molly. Sounds like you two have really been through a rough time. I am so glad that she is doing better and I hope she continues to improve. Please keep us posted about the results from her next blood test.


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