Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 19, 2022 16:10:20 GMT
Please don’t worry, it could be many things. The more experienced members will be able to advise better. He is young to have liver disease…and even if it was…yes it is treatable. Just remove the fruit and veg for now, it should help. Thanks for the reassurance. Found a vet that treats birds that’s closer to us, but the reviews which mention birds/parrots are very negative, which is a bit of a worry. The other vet in northwich is very well reviewed but according to their website not accepting new patients that aren’t local.
|
|
Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 19, 2022 16:13:38 GMT
How are his toenails - can you get a good picture? I would suggest you not use baby wipes as it could leave a residue which could be harmful if he preens that area. As ladybird suggested, use damp cotton wool. If that doesn't seem to clean him enough, others will have additional suggestions. He will need to see a vet to trim his beak. Thanks, just hope we can find a vet that knows what they’re doing. Yeh we did note the toenails are pretty long too but thought that was mainly due to having smooth dowel for perches, rather than rough ones. I’ll add photos this evening.
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Sept 19, 2022 16:27:43 GMT
If a vet has negative reviews, it might be worth finding an alternative.
Some non-avian vets might be prepared to seek advice from a non-local avian in the form of a telephone consult. You could ask local practices how they feel about that.
|
|
|
Post by tweetiepiesmom on Sept 19, 2022 16:45:56 GMT
Some pet bird stores have someone very skilled at trimming beaks and toenails. You could check on that just to get him groomed but you'd still need the vet to diagnose his problem and give you a treatment plan.
|
|
|
Post by ladybird on Sept 19, 2022 17:30:20 GMT
Chuckie…..do you live far from Blackpool, St/ Anne’s? This is where I take my budgie and she has a very good reputation. Takes me an hour to drive there.
|
|
Aug 26, 2022 17:46:24 GMT
magpie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 36
|
Post by magpie on Sept 19, 2022 17:44:34 GMT
My Charlie who I lost recently had the same for a few weeks and this (I think) eventually caused him to prolapse. A few days before I lost him, he developed a constant spasm which I now think was a pain reaction and this kept him from being able to sleep. I would keep an eye on your budgie's vent to check it doesn't become swollen or prolapsed and do as others have suggested - ie cut out all greens and watery foods - hopefully he will be Ok.
If you get into a situation where you feel you need to call a vet, you could try calling an avian vets and ask if they'd be able to advise over the phone as some practises have remote consultations in place now.
|
|
Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 19, 2022 18:03:14 GMT
Chuckie…..do you live far from Blackpool, St/ Anne’s? This is where I take my budgie and she has a very good reputation. Takes me an hour to drive there. Thanks, I live near Birkenhead so Blackpools about 1.5 hours. Tomorrow I’m going to call a local vet and the nearer highly rated avian vet and possibly the one you’ve suggested depending on how that goes.
|
|
Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 19, 2022 18:05:32 GMT
My Charlie who I lost recently had the same for a few weeks and this (I think) eventually caused him to prolapse. A few days before I lost him, he developed a constant spasm which I now think was a pain reaction and this kept him from being able to sleep. I would keep an eye on your budgie's vent to check it doesn't become swollen or prolapsed and do as others have suggested - ie cut out all greens and watery foods - hopefully he will be Ok. If you get into a situation where you feel you need to call a vet, you could try calling an avian vets and ask if they'd be able to advise over the phone as some practises have remote consultations in place now. Thanks for the reply. That’s worrying, and I think after weeks of this there’s a risk of prolapse too. Hopefully I can get him looked at by a vet in time. Will be ringing round vets first thing tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by ladybird on Sept 19, 2022 18:18:06 GMT
If you manage to get an appointment, try and take a fresh sample of his poo with you….or don’t clean his bottom up before you go. Also if you can’t get an appointment for a while, you could add some Guardian Angle to their drinking water, it would definitely help soothe his guts…….Try not to worry too much
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Sept 20, 2022 1:10:43 GMT
Restrict his diet to just seed and millet spray for now. Separate him from his cage mate and give him a heat source that he can use or not, let the choice be his. Even though you say he is still acting normally, his body is struggling with whatever is the problem. A couple of things to consider doing if a vet visit isn’t on the cards quickly: Apple cider vinegar in his water - 3-5 drops into 100mls of water - helps keep his crop and digestive system healthy and yeast-free. If you have a probiotic, even a human one, add a little of this to his water every day (I should have put this first) to help normalise his gut flora. If not see about the ACV. Considering the over-grown beak and possibly claw length you need to consider that he is suffering some form of liver problem, usually fatty liver disease, it is very common in budgies on a mainly seed diet. A milk thistle extract is something many of us have found to minimise the effects of this. I can’t give a direct link to a site you can order from as only Australian sites show on my search, but this is the product you are looking for: au.iherb.com/pr/nature-s-answer-milk-thistle-seed-fluid-extract-alcohol-free-2-000-mg-1-fl-oz-30-ml/5159If you don’t get to see a vet soon, and the milk thistle arrives, I’d suggest you start with three drops into 100mls of water every day until you see positive changes. Once that happens you can reduce the dose for every day and perhaps in the future reduce the number of days you give it. Normally I wouldn’t suggest you start something before a vet visit, but if it isn’t going to happen soon or ever, I think it unfair on Tweety to suffer needlessly. Remember these are only possible scenarios and Tweety may have a different issue altogether, but fatty liver disease is the most common cause of an over-growing beak and claws, he may also appear to have what look to be bruising on both his beak and claws … another FLD symptom. For the time being, I wouldn’t do anything about his beak, as long as it is not obstructing his ability to eat, and at that length I think he would be fine. It’s an issue that can be tackled later and it would be helpful for a vet to see it at its real length.
|
|
Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 20, 2022 5:43:25 GMT
Thanks for the detailed reply. I’m going to start with the acv and get the milk thistle and guardian angel ordered. I presume it’s ok to give all three together in the water? Any advice on how to provide the heat? Is one of those microwaveable heated pillows ok? Or a hot water bottle placed close to the side of the cage?
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Sept 20, 2022 6:26:44 GMT
I feel sure that Hezz would suggest a suitable heat lamp placed on one side of the cage, which gives the budgies the option of sitting in the warmth, or away from it, as they prefer. Other options won't be as efficient as this method.
|
|
Sept 19, 2022 10:41:47 GMT
chuckie
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 21
|
Post by chuckie on Sept 20, 2022 17:52:51 GMT
Quick update, got an appointment for Saturday with a vet a couple of miles away, vet was suggested by the avian vet at northwich. Tweety’s poos are somewhat more solid than at the weekend but still not right. Hoping the acv/guardian angel/milk thistle combo will have an effect.
|
|
Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,805
Member is Online
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Sept 20, 2022 22:21:05 GMT
I don't think you can give all those things at once in the water together? Hezz?
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Sept 21, 2022 0:58:40 GMT
I wouldn’t use the ACV with guardian Angel as the GA is an active probiotic, If you have the others and use them, once he is back in good health by all means use the ACV on a regular basis. I add ACV and MT to the water together all the time.
Also as you now have a vet appointment, I would suggest holding off on the other supplements until you hear what the vet suggests. Any supplement added now may reduce the vet’s ability to properly diagnose Tweety’s problem. And since he seems to be a bit better, you should feel more comfortable doing so. Definitely intervene if he seems to go backwards over the next few days before you see the vet.
A heat lamp is by far the best form of heat for a bird. Even if you just have a lamp with an (old) incandescent bulb, you know the ones that would get quite hot, this is better than either a heat pad or hot water bottle. Anything underneath them can potentially burn their feet to be hot enough to warm the air around them, plus they can’t escape it if they want/need to. A heat lamp at one end of the cage, so he can move in or out of the warmth as needed, and wrap a blanket around the rest of the cage to keep some of the warmth in. Often a budgie will try to move away from the scary thing at first, so trapping some of the heat initially can be helpful. If you notice him at the other end of the cage showing signs of overheating, remove the blanket or even turn off the lamp. A sick bird will gravitate towards the warmth, a well bird won’t need it. Of course don’t wrap the blanket around over the lamp as this would be a potential fire hazard.
|
|