# Respiratory Infection in Young Tiel



## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

Hey all. I haven't been on in quite some time. 

My tiel Finley is only 4 years old, and this morning presented with pretty severe labored and rapid breathing. I got a vet appointment and went there at 3. While I was waiting for the appointment I gave Finley 3 steam "baths" (filled the bathroom with steam but did not get him wet at all) for about 10 minutes a piece. These seemed to really help, and his breathing was much less labored, he preened a little bit, and he was picked at some food afterward. 

At the vet, she seemed very concerned. His breathing was worse at the clinic, and he started panting despite them doing a very quick exam to avoid stressing him. He was put on oxygen for about an hour, given a shot of doxy, and I elected to bring him home with oral Enrofloxacin/Baytril. They did want to keep him overnight on oxygen, but I could not afford it (over $1000) and felt he would at least be less stressed and with me at home. The vet told me that I should prepare myself for him to not make it through the night 

I have his room very warm and he's on his cage bottom on blankets. He is very lethargic and clearly very sick. My questions would be, how bad of a respiratory infection can they come back from? I think if he makes it through the night, his chances will be better than they are now, but he is my first parrot and I don't know how bad they can look and still be able to recover. The vet said the antibiotics will take 24-48 hours to kick in, and I should start seeing improvements by then. 

He had one nostril partly blocked, which she cleaned out, and the heavy, rapid breathing but no wheezing or discharge otherwise, no swollen eyes or anything like that. 

I guess I am incredibly sad, confused as to how he is so bad off right now, feeling guilty if there is anything I could've done differently or noticed symptoms earlier, and very worried about whether he will pull through tonight. He's just a baby still, and I've had him since he was few months old. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome


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## Kzall (Jul 30, 2017)

I am so sorry to hear Finley is unwell. He is a beautiful boy!
Did your vet say what may have caused the issue or what the respiratory issue is?
All you can really do right now as far as I know is follow the vets advice.
Keep him warm and comfortable.
Will you be with him tomorrow also?
I have had a bird fall ill from respiratory problems and sadly it went on a while on antibiotics and started with their eye but they were an unwell budgie baby due to breeding. So I cannot offer much advice other than what you are already doing unfortunately.

It is good you have a good vet to go too. Follow their advice and keep a close eye on Finley.

Stay strong. I know it is very hard and I feel your pain. I wish Finley a quick recovery and hope he gets better soon!


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## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

Kzall said:


> I am so sorry to hear Finley is unwell. He is a beautiful boy!
> Did your vet say what may have caused the issue or what the respiratory issue is?
> All you can really do right now as far as I know is follow the vets advice.
> Keep him warm and comfortable.
> ...


Thank you so much! The vet said she thinks it could be either Chlamydia or some other bacterial infection, hence the doxy and Baytril. He is molting and it has suddenly gotten extremely cold compared to the unseasonably warm weather we were having - the house is heated, but we lost power exactly a week ago for over 24 hours in really cold weather, so that certainly could've run him down. 

I am following all orders from the vet, and will call back in the am. About 8, he really perked up and got more alert, ate a little, took a drink, then started chirping to go to bed since I had the lights dimmed but not off. He is sleeping now, and his breathing is much better than it has been all day! He is still very lethargic, but I think that is to be expected, and I do not know for sure about birds, but know antibiotics can add to the lethargy in other animals.

Keep jingling for the little boy and let's hope he is able to fight through the night! I am in grad school, so have classes tomorrow, but can certainly stay home if he is not drastically improved, and am planning to do so as of now.


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## Lore (Dec 5, 2016)

Fingers crossed here that your boy pulls through!

Careful if it turns out to be Chlamydia, as some versions of that (the one which in Dutch we would call "Parrot's disease") are transmittable to humans. Not necessarily dangerous, but you could get flu like symptoms yourself, and could possibly transmit it to other birds and animals.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Honestly, tiels hide their illnesses so well you wouldn't have been able to pick up on any signs any early than you did. Him being home is best, they tend to hang in there if you are around because they don't want to leave you. I had a baby I nursed through the night, took to the vet and had to leave because I had class, when I got back the bird had passed. I think that Finley is showing great signs, perking up and breathing easier. Sending good vibes your way.


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## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

Thank you all!

He is doing sooooo much better today. His breathing is still not perfect, but not far off. He is preening, talking some, drinking well, and not eating great but we're working on that. I did another steam shower and that helped a lot. I'm keeping his room up at ~85° and have been hanging with him all day. He was yelling at me to come out, so I put him down on the floor, and he was ready to fly but settled for running across the room and climbing up a pile of stuff I had thrown in the corner. Lol

He's been up on his perches all day rather than the floor of his cage on blankets. He's still very sleepy, but much more normal when he is alert and active. The vet said to give him anything he wants to eat, and we should do another couple shots of doxy over the next few weeks assuming he continues to improve. She did say that it could be transmitted, so I'm aware of that. I am not around any other birds, so no worry on that front.

Could the bacteria have infected him due to being run down? They always carry it right? There's no other place he would've gotten it from, if it is Chlamydia. He has now gotten 2 doses of Baytril, so it could be another type of bacteria too. Everything has been disinfected. I didn't see the sense in testing unless these antibiotics didn't work, considering I'm not in contact with other birds. Thank you all again! I'll keep updating on my strong little man!


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## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

He's doing even better today! He's still napping more than normal and not eating as much as normal yet, but has been eating, drinking, and pooping! He's back to being very active when he's not napping, and was apparently singing when I wasn't home!

I went up to the store I got him from (a family owned store that hatches a limited number of babies each year), knowing they'd have everything and would be super knowledgeable. They recommended electrolytes for now, an immune booster for when he's eating well, and probios for when he's off antibiotics. The immune booster is DAG - does anyone have info on that? 

I also decided to bring him to his next appt at a different vet's office, because they're closer so will be less stressful and I honestly prefer them. The other vet said he should get weekly doxy shots the next 3-4 weeks, but I read anything over 42 days is actually detrimental as it rids them of all the bacteria which makes them more susceptible in the future. Anyone have input on that front? I'll discuss it with the new vet obviously. 

I'm so glad he's doing so well and I'm able to breathe better (as is he!!!)


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## Kzall (Jul 30, 2017)

So glad Finley is feeling better!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

So the probiotics will help build back up the gut bacteria. ANY antibiotics you give is going to kill off the gut bacteria because it kills off ALL bacteria. The probiotics help put it back. As for the immune booster, I always just put a little garlic powder in their food for that. Antibiotics can cause an upset stomach so don't worry too much if he's not super interested in food right now. I'm really glad he's doing so much better.


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## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

Yes, and this probiotic is avian specific with a good variety of probios, so that'll be good once he's off all antibiotics. That's good to know that not eating great can definitely be antibiotic related. He's been picking, and definitely eating, just not up to normal. His breathing is still a little labored, where he has a teeny tiny tail bob, but he is acting better and better and is breathing better than he was by far. I am sure it'll take a couple more days to clear it all out. He also LOVES his electrolyte water!

Thank you everyone!!! ?


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## The Skittle (Feb 7, 2017)

Sadly, my tiel passed from a respiratory infection, since his was very extreme, and it was un-treatable, and was born with it. Not to make myself a center of attention, but make sure he isn't near a window, because germs can easily access your tiel. But, if he has lived 4 years of his life without having a deadly outcome, then I suppose he will live a great life. Also, if there is treatment closest to an infection, then you should take it.


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## Finley13 (Oct 24, 2013)

We had his vet appointment this afternoon, and I love, love, love this vet. She was super knowledgeable and had lots of recommendations but was not pushy about it at all. He got another shot of doxy, and needs one more per week for the next 2 weeks, then 3 more, one every 5 days after that... Poor guy. And he has 14 more days of Baytril for at home but in a smaller amount (just a more concentrated dose) so that'll be nice for both of us. His lung sounds were good, and he lost some weight since Sunday but she said he was in good condition regardless. He is getting the doxy because he'll test negative for Chlamydia at this point most likely, but that doesn't mean it was all or part of the culprit, so we'll continue those.

He also got a vitamin A/E/D shot. She noticed that his skin is very dry (I agree and it always has been) and his feathers were not as sleek and sheen as they should be considering his good diet (I also agree). He also has long molts it seems, which I think can be related. So she recommended an aloe juice dilution spray bath daily for his skin along with red palm oil (AviGlo) which is a good source of vitamin A. Those are ordered!

She said if things regress at all, we can do bloodwork, xrays, etc. I felt so bad for him. He was absolutely hamming it up (and i mean HAMMING it up. Lol) stepping up on everyone's finger, chirping away, just the perfect little boy. Then they had to towel him and he was still good but was clearly very offended that they were so mean after he made it clear that he was a very good boy! They said the next patient most definitely would not he as fun and sweet as him


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