Jaz - Good News & Bad News

[jojo]

Jaz went vets again yesterday.  Good news is he handled the anaesthetic well, bad news is x-rays and blood tests showed up an enlarged liver.

He's been given two lots of meds, one in case of infection and the other is a mixture of milk thistle and something else.  I'm having to put these on food as there's no way he will let me hold him to put directly into his beak.

Still waiting for results of some blood tests, will know by Weds.  These will determine if he has any sort of tumour or anything else. The vet said to see how he goes and if he doesn't have anymore fits within 2 weeks, then she will probably give us another 2 weeks of meds.  Then she wants to do more x-rays and bloods to see if the liver has gone down any.  This was at a cost of £248.00 so it's all mounting up, and if we have to repeat the process he's starting to become a very expensive boy! Also it's a 2 hour round trip, then 3 hours to kill while waiting.  I want what's best for Jaz but not sure where this is going right now. 

Trouble is I can't guarantee that he will be taking the meds because if he decides he doesn't want to eat the food with it on, what can I do?  I suppose we'll have to wait till the results tomorrow, see what they show up.

He is very tired today so a quiet day for us I think.  I'm off to have a tooth out, so I won't be talking much either.  I think both of us are feeling a bit sorry for ourselves at the minute 

[suesbird]

Oh dear, I hope he picks up quickly and your tooth out was not too painful. I think you are both allowed to feel sorry for yourselves. Big wing hugs from Pippin and JoJo and a hug from me for you all.

[Marianne Marlow]

Thanks for updating us on Jaz jojo.

I'm very glad that he managed the anaesthetic well he's a brave little bird.

I hope that the new meds help him. Well done for doing the best for your little bud.

[Tacey]

Hope you both feel better soon.

[columbo]

Poor jojo and Poor Jaz, I know how you feel regarding giving him his meds. I had to chase columbo hold him and syringe them into his beak(no needle!) It wasn't a nice thing to do but within a couple of days he improved. I found it easier when the blinds were down and he was more subdued. Did the vet show you how to give the meds? My vet was very quick and confident, he draped a cloth over columbo and held him like that-I couldn't do that!! All the time I was doing it i did hate it but knew it was the only way to get him well, kind of cruel to be kind.
I wish you luck. It's a hard thing to get on top of but I can honestly say it will be worth it.

Budgie love to jaz.

[sweetpea]

I'm sorry to hear that Jaz has an enlarged liver. This can be reversed though. Bezukhov's x-ray showed the same but his follow-up x-ray showed a big improvement. The meds will definitely help. You might want to look into Aloe Vera Detox as a supplement too (it also has Milk Thistle in it).

I hope you get good news on the blood tests.

[budgiefriend]

Poor little Jaz, but he is a good boy. Hope the meds work quickly. Hugs to you both.

[rio13]

I'm sorry to hear Jaz has an enlarged liver. At least now you're getting some answers. I hope Jaz makes a quick recovery with his new meds. I know how overwhelmed you must be. Rio and I are sending healing vibes. Please keep us updated on Jaz's progress.

[ffiscool]

Ouch, all round. I can never hold Bailey. But when I had to give him meds, I first made a game of the syringe. I had it in my lap and kept touching it. I said this is nice or ooh look. Bailey then decided he had to bite it. So after that when I put meds in, I waited til he had it in his mouth, and pressed. It def meant more than not, went it

I hope It all works and his liver goes down.

Hope you both are ok

[Hezz]

I can only agree with columbo's post. You are going to have to toughen up and get the meds into him one way or the other, otherwise you are only wasting your time, the vet's time and your money, and that isn't even bringing Jaz's health into it. I am sorry if that sounds harsh, but you need to do this for Jaz, otherwise you are going to lose him sooner rather than later.

[criswell]

I'm glad you have a better idea of what is wrong with Jaz and I hope he takes his meds like a good boy. It wasn't easy giving Criswell his meds but we managed even though we all got a bit stressed at times. My OH got very good at holding Criswell although catching him was often a struggle. And I gave him the meds. It was definitely a 2 person job.

[jojo]

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and suggestions on how to best give Jaz his meds. He is taking them, I put them on his cucumber and he quite happily eats it.

However, the vet has just phoned with the results of the remaining blood tests and unfortunately it has showed up a very high white cell count. She said it could possibly be a tumour of the liver, in which case operating is not an option because he is too small. Also chemotherapy would be out of the question. She said to carry on with the meds and phone her next Weds to see how he's doing.

She now doesn't seem to think it's any sort of infection, but to carry on with the meds for that because it won't do him any harm. We will also carry on with the milk thistle.

He is mostly very chirpy today and his usual loud self, so while he is not having anymore fits all we can do is keep on with the meds, and just monitor him until next Weds as the vet asked.

Thanks again everyone for all your help, everyone is so kind on this site, you are all a great bunch of people. Hugs to you all and your lovely little buds. x

[Hezz]

Good luck for next week. Please let us know how you get on.