# Ill female cockatiel. Please read and help!



## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

Hello everyone.

I'm sorry if the post is too long. But I thought I'd be better to explain my bird's illness in detail as it's been quite a long time since she is ill and there is no Avian vet I can consult.

Below are some photos and I have written the details also.

These are the main points of her illness:

1) The featherless patches on her chest. Around 3 weeks back it was not so featherless.

2) The brownish-red pigmentation on her beak is also quite new.

3) The texture of her feathers has gotten worse. They appear very dry and messy. If zoomed in to the photo of close up of her chest, the small dry feathers can be seen which appear as if they're just about to drop. Also her skin appears to be very dry.

4) The color of her feathers is little better than before. But still very dark and muddy.

5) The claws are now smooth have wheatish tone. Unlike claws of healthy bird which are pink and have powdery texture.

6) The photo in which she appears to be dozing off is the latest symptom. The same thing happened in September 2012.
Since last 3-5 days the urine content in her stool has increased a lot. Also she drinks more water than usual. And has become dull and less energetic too. The last time this thing happened was when I put in a breeding box and she laid a lot of eggs. She was not eating much and used to sit on the eggs all the time which led to decrement in her health. I removed the breeding box and her state improved in some days. I consulted an Avian Vet online for this problem and she prescribed Metrogyl syrup and asked to get take her stool sample for testing. I checked with around 10 path labs in the city but none of them are doing those tests.

7) The last time I showed her to a vet was about a month back when her itching problem started again and she bit her wing while itching. The vet prescribed anti-bacterial and antibiotic tablets with multi vitamin syrup to be given regularly. And he also gave an anti-fungal ointment to apply daily.
Her itching problem starts when her skin gets dry after bathing. That is why I started applying an aloe vera ointment to keep the skin moist.


I think this is all I can think of right now.

Any kind of help will be appreciated. :tiel4:
Thank you!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

What has the vet tested her for? Giardia? PBFD? Either one could be the cause...


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

She has a bald patch on her back as well. I would first separate her from your other birds. If she is sick, you do not want her to pass her disease to them. She looks like she is in poor condition overall. She needs to see a vet quickly.

After the vet check/diagnosis..I would be adding Brewer's Yeast to her diet to help with stress and other vitamins. What is her diet like? Poor feather quality can be a result of disease or of diet. Her beak also appears to be slightly overgrown and her feathers appear to have a green wash over them..she may possible have fatty liver disease.

I would not be putting her back with the rest of your flock. If she had Giardia is is very dangerous and if she has PBFD this is not curable and is fatal. There are meds that can keep the birds symptoms at bay so they can live a comfortable life but ultimately it is not curable.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I think she has PBFD, unfortunately, although I am not a vet and of course can't say anything for certain. But her symptoms fit all of the diagnostic criteria. Can you find a lab like Avian Biotech that would allow you to mail samples in to have her tested?


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

Firstly, thanks to all of you for replying so early.

@roxy culver:
The vet asked to get the tests done for Coccidia and Intestinal Parasites. She could not tell exactly what to do because I was consulting online. But none of the 10-12 labs I asked are doing those tests.

@bjknight93
Okay. I will separate her at the earliest possible and start adding Brewer's Yeast to her food.
Her diet mainly involves bird seeds, spinach, chopped cucumber and apple. Sometimes baked rusk toasts and boiled rice also.
About the beak, even I found it a little overgrown compared to other cockatiels.

@enigma731
The problem is, I live in India and there are only 2-3 Avian vets in the country. There are a number of path labs but none of them are doing these tests for birds' stool samples.

I think I will start with Metrogyl for now as it was this drug that saved her last time.

Also, I don't know if it's common but whenever she is given a new medicine or an ointment is applied, the urine content increases in her stool. Also, at many times the urine is chalky like some white powder is mixed. And after drying up, that lime like powder gets plastered on the surface and is almost impossible to scratch and remove.

Thanks!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The medicine could be affecting her kidneys or even her liver. If you can get some dandelion extract that might help. Or chopped up dandelions as long as they aren't treated for pesticides.


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

@roxy culver

I just read about Dandelion and it seems to be a healthy thing. I think I can find Dandelion or it's extract here. I'll search for it tonight.
A few queries, if I get the Dandelion extract, how much should I give to my birds?
Can I mix it in their drinking water?
If I get Dandelion flowers, what part should be chopped for them; root or the stem?

Thanks a lot!


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

sudeedwivedi said:


> @enigma731
> The problem is, I live in India and there are only 2-3 Avian vets in the country. There are a number of path labs but none of them are doing these tests for birds' stool samples.


That is why I am suggesting a lab that does things by mail. You might have to pay extra for shipping, but if you can find a service like that, you can probably get the labwork you need and can't get locally.

For example: http://www.avianbiotech.com/DiseaseCenter.htm

I know Avian Biotech does international testing, but I'm not sure what specific regulations there might be on your sending samples from India. So you'll have to investigate for yourself.


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

@enigma731
Oh yes, I think that could be done. I'll first check with path labs outside my town and see if they will take the samples else I'll contact avianbiotech.

Thanks for that


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

Hello everybody.

Her state today is worst then before. She is dozing off in every few minutes and is kind of shaking a little, like she's about to fall down. Her feathers appear to be even more messy and dry.

One thing I forgot to mention before, around a month back I noticed a postule on her left claw, at the joint of all the fingers. It was about half the size of a pea. I consulted a doctor and he said that it'll get punctured by itself and that I should not worry about it. It did not seem to cause her any problems or even pain. Finally one day it got all yellow, got punctured and all the pus came out and she was fine again.

Now, today I am noticing little swelling on the mouth of that postule. I don't know if it is associated with other symptoms. It's making me worried now.

Thanks..


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm sorry she's still not doing well. Do you think her claw is becoming infected? And I hope you can find a lab to do testing. Keep us posted.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I realize you are not in an area with a lot of veterinarians to go to. But your vet has not treated your bird the way vets I know would. I do not know of any vet who would tell you to just let your birds infection sit on the toe and wait for it to pop. It would have been ideal if you had demanded some antibiotics instead of allowing an infection to fester on the toe joint. 

Have you separated your bird away from the flock yet? I would not, under any circumstances, allow your sickly bird around any other birds..then you might have an entire flock infected with a deadly disease.


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

@bjknight93
Actually there are a lot of vets around here but none of them is a bird specialist. Some people suggested me to go to this vet that I have been going to. Actually cockatiels and other exotic birds are kind of new pets here.I think they were first seen around5-6 years back only.
Yes, I have separated her.

For 2 days now, since I started giving Metrogyl and Haem Up syrup, her stool is now normal but her state is still dull and fatigued.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Also, at many times the urine is chalky like some white powder is mixed. *
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My very first impressions when looking at your pix and seeing the plucking on the lower back is renal/kidney problems, and if the urates are as you described this is also another indicator.

My next thought is what is the diet? If it is too high in protein this can affect renal/kiney function. 

Another thought is do you supplement with vitamins? if so, some birds can have allergic reactions to synthetic vitamins and pluck various areas of the body. Also food such as corn and soy can also contribute to food allergies and thus plucking.

*<<< It was about half the size of a pea.>>> *

This could also be from excess protein in the diet. When a bird has renal problems or gout they will have swollen joints that will look like there may be whitish matter under the skin, and they will start plucking above the tail, and flanks.

If there is suspected kidney function these are some things that have worked for me.
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Excess protein in the diet can contribute to to renal problems and failure. A breeder friend of mine added powdered protein to her hand-feeding formula to beef up her babies. Within 24 hours 11 out of 12 babies went into renal failure. 
Pesticides or toxins can cause renal failure. 
Symptoms to watch for that could indicate the bird is at risk of of renal failure: The bird acts lethagic. The muscles feel bunched and tight. The eyes are slitted from excruciating pain. There is either blood (pinkish discoloration) in the urine, or the urates will be thin, gritty, and chalky looking. 
Quick action of Sub-Q therapy can actually reverse the renal failure and save a bird. 
The following helps with Gout and impaired Renal/Kidney function.
1…Initial treatment would be a medication called allopurinol. Usually you will see a dramatic improvement with the bird within a day.
2…Other helpful things are adding a small amount of cranberry or cherry juice to the drinking water. This helps to break down some of the crystals formed from the uric acid. 
3…Hulled oats (oat groats) helps to reduce uric acid levels. 
3…Celery greens and seeds, or herbal extract are good for renal problems and act as an antiseptic to disinfect the urinary tubules. Celery is an excellent food that digests well with almost anything else. It contains the necessary mineral sodium, which is present in a ratio that can be easily accessed by the body. Sodium is critical, along with the mineral potassium, in managing the body's electrolyte balance. Electrolytes create electric osmotic pressure which helps the body to move fluids through the cell's membranes. 
4…The silk from ear corn (organically grown or a herbal extract from a health food store) will sooth the damaged urinary tract, and improve urine flow. Plus corn silk is a source of potassium, Vitamin C and K. 
5…Plain grass, roots and all (no joke, cats/dogs will eat this if they have urinary problems) will benefit both the liver and kidneys.
6…Dandilion greens or herbal extract helps with the liver, but it also aids the kidneys by stimulating them to remove toxins in the urine. 
The above is a few simple things to help those with renal/kidney problems. I've personally used many of the above things to help the bird and not lose it.


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## sudeedwivedi (Jan 4, 2013)

@srtiels
Thank you for the reply.

Her diet mainly includes bird seeds, chopped salad (cucumber, carrot, apple), spinach, coriander stems. They absolutely love baked rusk toasts and sometimes I give them sprouts and legumes also.
I never give them any multi vitamin unless she'd fall ill and the vet would recommend mixing multi vitamin drops in her drinking water.
I did not know corn is bad for them! For about 2 winter months I used to feed them boiled and sometimes raw corn. And they loved it a lot.

Fortunately my bird is free from the symptoms you have mentioned. She seems a little lethargic though.
Like you said, high amount of protein is also bad. Should I stop feeding her sprouts and legumes?

I will definitely try to find the food items and Allopurinol drug tomorrow. I just read about allopurinol and read about the temporary side effects (http://www.rxlist.com/zyloprim-drug.htm) It kind of worried me.
I doubt I'll find celery or celery seeds. Do you think coriander is equally good for them?
One thing about cranberry and cherry juice, we don't get these fresh around here. Only the tetra packs. I don't know much but I doubt the juice in branded tetra packs would be any good for them as they may contain added sugar and preservatives.

Thank you so much for your help. I'll keep updating.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I did not know corn is bad for them!


Corn is fine in moderation for most birds. Corn tolerance is something that needs to be checked when a bird is showing symptoms that may be related to food sensitivities, but it's not a problem for most birds.


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