seems like we're not out of the woods

[birdguhl]

Budgie-human morale has taken a downturn here as it becomes clear that Luee is not right. He's been quiet, fluffed up and less interested in food over the past few days. Both his breathing and Berry's seems too rapid.

Berry is lively as usual but missing the interaction as Luee just wants to spend most of his time sitting quietly. The cage is very quiet when it is normal for Luee and Berry to keep up a near constant chatter.

And Woody hasn't been so good since around the time of his last injection. He was sitting on the outside of the big cage this morning having a nap only about an hour after they had their breakfast.

Luee and Berry are booked in for a vet visit on Wednesday morning.

I am getting near the end of my resources (including money) for managing this situation.

Sorry for sad post.

[lousette]

Oh no, so sorry for you all. Don't know what to say Hope the vet can shed some light.

[stace]

Oh birdgurl. I hope things start looking up for your buds soon.

[budgiefriend]

I hope the vet will have solutions for you. Only my best thoughts and prayers for you, Woody, Luee and Berry. You all deserve some good news.

[Hezz]

I too hope the vet has some solutions for you all. All positive vibes being sent on their way .......... Hope there is enough to go round.

[mizloco]

Hope things get better for you

[skysmum]

Ohhh no, your not having much luck with these guys at the moment are you .

This is just a thought Birdguhl and it may have been raised before, if so im sorry in advance. You don't have any scented plug-ins, air freshener's, burn scented candles or use strong smelling cleaning products do you, im sure you wouldn't but its just clutching at straws to see if its something in the atmosphere that's making them feel unwell. Same with any cooking pots,pans or utensils that may have Teflon in or on. As i say just a thought . I hope you can get to the bottom of it.

[nat]

I am sorry its not going well for your budgies at the moment. It must be such a worry :-(

[Captain Howdy]

When you go back to the vets ask him to do a blood test for psittacosis instead of a faecal sample (as explained in my post on your other thread).

You can treat the birds for psittacosis with Ornicure given in their water every day for 6 weeks. You can also treat them orally with a dose of karidox every day for 6 weeks but for Budgies it is less stressful to do the Ornicure in my experience.

Also if you do need to give them a lot of medications ask for a prescription for the meds and buy them online as it tends to work out much cheaper. Ornicure is much cheaper online if you need a lot of it.

Don't forget if you are treating for Psittacosis you need to disinfect everything in the cage down daily, including yourself after handling them and ALL birds must be treated at the same time. Psittacosis can kill a bird within a matter of weeks of them getting infected.

[birdguhl]

Thanks all for your commiserations. Luee seems a bit livelier today, but I am glad I've got the appointment fixed up tomorrow as I've been through this a couple of times, seeing him a bit listless and then perkier and hoping it was just a moulting thing (he is very spiky on the head at the moment). IT doesn't seem like the breathing issue/tail bobbing at times can be explained by this.

Skysmum - thanks for thought - but no smelly things around and I don't use teflon. I am guessing that this doesn't include baking trays etc which are not exactly teflon (i.e. black stuff on frying pans) but are just sort of smooth metal?

Captain Howdy - thanks for your input. The injections Woody is getting are doxyclyline. I will note the info re treating with Ornacure. I took vet's advice about what is appropriate way to test for chlamydophila in birds which are not discernibly ill (as they weren't then). Blood tests involve anaesthetic as far as I am aware so not an easy option.

As for disinfecting everything in the cage everyday - whilst this might give one the best chance of controlling it - it is not a remotely practical option when the birds are in a normal environment and one is living a normal life. As far as I understand it, chlamydophila is endemic anyway. Even if they are not ill at any particular time, it can always crop up.

We'll see what happens tomorrow. I am going to have to be ready to set a limit on what course of action is proposed for financial reasons e.g. suggestion a few weeks ago of liver biopsy for Woody as next step if he doesn't respond to doxycycline. I would/will have huge difficulty turning down a treatment option for a beloved bird on money grounds but I guess this scenario may well have to be confronted. Perhaps its like going to an auction, you have to know what your limit is before you start.

[Captain Howdy]

The blood test does not require the bird being put under, vets will try this one to get more money but if you tell them your not willing to do that then they will take the blood from the toenail by clipping it too short. If they refuse to then you can do it yourself with Avian Biotech.

I have had two birds tested at the vets this way, a Budgie and a Patagonian Conure and tested 3 myself this way, a Budgie, Parrotlet and Bourke.

Disinfecting the cage everyday is actually extremely easy once you get into a routine, I use F10SC which is what vets use, it is perfectly safe when diluted correctly, I sprayed everything in the cage with it, a quick scrub down of the perches and toys - I actually had the cage very empty looking with minimal toys when I had to do this and all their other toys and play area were disinfected and stored. Then spray the cage bars with it and just leave it to dry on.

The last thing I did was to change over the cage paper - do this once damp to prevent dust etc being thrown into the air. Straight into a bin bag, sprayed down again for goof measure, tied up and into the bin. Food dishes etc were also cleaned with F10 daily. I had paper underneath and around the cage bases which was sprayed down and changed after the cage had been cleaned out. Birds were confined to cages during treatment.

Providing the treatment works the birds should no longer be shedding it after 10 daysish.

You also need to be aware that it is Zoonotic and humans can catch it, if not treated it kills. Two of the birds I treated with this were quarantined in a spare room but the last one I had to treat I couldn't do this with him due to his issues (all rescue birds), I still managed to keep him disinfected daily including disnifecting myself after handling ANY of the birds and their things. Simply spray yourself down with F10, I had a separate set of clothing to do my birds with for the quarantined ones.

Birds do not get an immunity to Psittacosis unfortunatly and can re-catch it if they come back in to contact with it, this is why it is imperative to make sure you completely eliminate it from your house and your birds at the same time, all new birds should be quarantined in a separate room and tested for Psittacosis on the day you get them, I also test for PBFD. Might seem like overkill to some but I would much rather know my birds are healthy than take a chance of infecting the rest of my flock.

[Moogie]

so sorry-i only just came across this....i do hope all will be ok....sending all our GOOD vibes to you xxxxxx