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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Mar 13, 2023 14:54:12 GMT
So sorry about the bad news from the vet on Chichak's condition. There is a lot of controversy about whether to feed pellets vs seeds, even among the vets and food suppliers. I think the best we can do is try to feed a good diet, watch them and hope they are healthy. I've not experienced the pancreas issue but my two don't eat much of the pellets that I feed them. You could try to feed more of the fresh foods and less of the pellets to see if he improves.
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Post by Hezz on Mar 14, 2023 1:05:07 GMT
I agree with TPM with giving more fresh food and seed, and less if any pellets. Pellets should only be part of the diet; sprouts are a great fresh food for them if they will eat them. You can even sprout their own seed, otherwise anything that is deemed sproutable for humans. Few people on this forum feed pellets and certainly not as the main portion of the birds’ diet.
Most pellet manufacturers focus on the rainforest parrots when designing their pellets, which doesn’t help our desert parrots such as budgies and cockatiels. Their diet has evolved to be something altogether different. A quick look on-line suggest fresh foods are the way to go if you are trying to reduce amylase levels as well. Spinach, broccoli, grapes, sweet potato, blueberries, lemons, and oregano are some of the more common suggestions I have seen. I’ve culled out things that I am not familiar with or sure of their compatibility with birds. I’d be hitting the vet up for a list of recommendations.
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Feb 20, 2023 2:15:46 GMT
BirdLady
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 26
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Post by BirdLady on Mar 31, 2023 1:47:57 GMT
Thank you so much everyone for your kind words and advice. I have stopped all palliative medication and am focusing on giving Chichak the best quality of life in the time he has left. I have eliminated pellets from his diet, introduced camomile and decaffeinated green tea (good for kidneys, pancreas and tumours) every other day and am also giving a digestive enzyme and probiotics. Leafy greens and other veggies have always been a part of his diet.
Chichak is doing pretty well. He still limps/lifts his leg and I have noticed a lot more water in his poo over the past week (kidneys probably failing…), but he is still active and happy: comes out to play every day, flies around, sings and chirps, preens and cuddles with my other budgie.
It was a difficult decision to stop giving palliative meds but seeing how well he’s doing, I am glad I made that choice. He was undergoing so much stress in being captured and forced to take medication twice a day, that I sincerely felt that continuing to do so would have precipitated his decline. I spoke to the vet twice to make absolutely sure than none of the meds she had prescribed were curative. They were not.
When I feel that Chichak is no longer enjoying his life, I will likely have him put to sleep so that he does not experience any prolonged suffering.
I feel grateful for this additional time we’ve been given and that I am slowly rebuilding the trust I lost while I was capturing him and giving meds.
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Post by Hezz on Apr 1, 2023 0:51:16 GMT
You have Chichak’s best interests at heart and it sounds like you have made the right decision for your situation. One of the hardest things to do for a beloved pet is to let them go calmly, but hopefully you will plenty of time yet to give him all the TLC you can. Take care.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,780
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Apr 1, 2023 8:15:40 GMT
You are a very good bird owner, helping him like this. Your decisions have obviously been well considered. As Hezz says, it's a very hard thing to make choices like this for your pet. He's lucky to have you caring for him. I agree that forcing them to take medicine when they have a long term illness is not always the best thing for them, especially if it will not cure them.
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