11 year old Joey

[johnh]

Hello All,
Must be 12 - 18 months since I last visited the site requesting advice about my pet budgie Joey.
As the subject title states, Joey is 11 years old and despite having had a number of strokes is still with us and putting up a good fight.

We have always taken him to the vets whenever he has appeared to be down in the dumps so to speak and to have his beak and claws clipped - due to a recent stroke we decided not to stress him out in taking him to the vet for his beak and claws clipping and to enquire about a 'Fishy ' smell he has developed.

My wife and I observed him having difficulty in eating his seed and thought this was due to his beak being overgrown, so we did take him to the vet.....his claws were clipped but the vet wouldn't touch his beak, we asked what the ' Fishy ' smell could be and the vet had no idea. We are taking him back to the vet again on the 5th Feb but seeing another vet.

Having searched the web we think Joey may have Canker - we have no idea how he could have got this, as we clean his cage etc on a regular basis, and due to his lack of mobilty ( the strokes ) have to hold him in the hand and wash him.

He has never been near another bird and has for the last 2 years been handwashed - any ideas how he could have contacted what we think to be canker ?

[Nani]

I am sorry that no one has been able to provide some answers. I am sure someone more knowledgeable will come along soon. I do not know how Joey could have gotten canker..as it does sound like it.

I wish him and you the best of luck.

[Marianne Marlow]

Hi John and Joey,

barrieshutt and BudgiesBuddy might be able to help when they are online.

I hope your new vet is better.

[Hezz]

The fishy smell certainly can be an indication of canker, but may I ask why you need to wash Joey?

[johnh]

Feb 4, 2013 0:57:12 GMT Hezz said:

The fishy smell certainly can be an indication of canker, but may I ask why you need to wash Joey?

Hello Hezz,
Joey needs to be hand washed because having lost the use of his left side, the only way he can get down onto the cage floor and to his seed and water pot is by flopping down onto his stomach, then with a combination of hopping on one leg and rolling over onto his back then onto his stomach again he makes it to his pots.

In doing so, the droppings on the cage floor stick to his feathers and the only way we can get them off and make him look presentable is to give him a little hand wash.

He's never been one for going in his bird bath in all the 11 years we have had him, until he bagan having the strokes we use to use a hand spray and shower him, but cannot do that now as it would cause him stress.

Normally he sleeps throughout the day ( and night ) with his head upside down due to having lost his sense of balance, today (3rd Feb) we gave his cage a good clean out, gave him his usual hand wash and he appeared to be a bit brighter....his head was fully upright and the 'fishy' smell had disappeared.

Much later in the evening we checked him again and the 'Fishy' smell has still not returned - can't understand it ?

[Hezz]

Poor Joey ....... Hope the fishy smell is gone for good then. Bless the old fella ......

[barrieshutt]

MY OPINIONS may not always be welcome but i feel your bird has lost all quality of life and needs to be relieved of his suffering.

[johnh]

Hello barrieshutt,
With respect you are quite right in what you say about your opinion not being welcome, if you were the same age in human years has Joey is in budgie years and had only had a stroke, would you like to be taken to a doctor, have your neck rung then thrown in a bin ?

We ( my wife and I ) believe that if we can get him over this Canker, then we will have him for a few more years. Despite his present sickness and lack of mobility, he still comes to us for affection and the odd grape now and then.

We want to preserve his life - not end it.

We have been in touch with the Budgerigar Society who have supplied us with a lot of information as to what we can do with him and places we can get medicine in the UK to treat him.

[BudgiesBuddy]

Barrie is a budgie loving person and have been keeping budgies for over fifty years. I know that he means good.

It's just that budgies don't have same medical care as human. So whenever people say that a bird should be put to rest, it is because they don't want them to be in pain or suffer from any other discomfort.

I hope you find the best medicinal care for Joey. Best of luck.

[johnh]

Joey Update: Having spent the last two days searching the web for Budgie information and asking a lot of questions, I have been told by a number of people in the know that Joey can't have Canker as he has never been outdoors or near other birds, having described the symptoms, have been told that the most likely cause of his illness is 'Sour Crop'. Not to waste money on purchasing treatment for Canker but to put a pinch of Epsom Salts in his water daily. Some people have said he has Canker - some people have said he hasn't.
No point in taking him to any of the vets here in Sheffield including our own vet to get his illness confirmed
what they know about budgies can be written on your thumb nail.

[BudgiesBuddy]

A general vet is no help with budgies. However, some avian vets can do wonders with diagnostics.