Post by shirleyknot on Feb 18, 2014 10:12:16 GMT
My poor little 4.5 year old budgie has been ill since November, when I bought a new cage mate for him. Within a couple of weeks of the new bird's arrival, Samson's poos became a runny greeny colour. I saw him being sick only twice, but other than that was asymptomatic. The other budgie at this point was completely fine.
Trip to the vet resulted in a week's prescription for baytril in the water. When this did not improve the situation, I took him to a specialist avian vet who prescribed doxycyclin (sp) in the water. This was after running tests which revealed a "parasite" in his poo. Naughty Samson would not drink the water, no matter how much I tried to disguise the taste, so he was admitted for 3 days oral administration at the vet's. Although the medicine did seem to have an effect, his poos were not normal and within a week of coming home, his poos were as green and runny as ever.
Took both birds to the vet for testing and vet indicated the younger budgie was a carrier but not symptomatic. Samson was readmitted for 3 days for further antibiotic treatment but to no avail.
He had been getting probiotic avipro in his water during this time, plus a few drops of milk thistle. Vet said that his faecal sample was not clear but perhaps he'd been left with a weak bowel. About 3 weeks ago the situation took a critical turn when poor Samson stopped singing and took to sleeping round the clock. Vet ran more tests, saying that a parasite usually found in soil came up in his faecal sample. Vet said this usually reacted well to baytril and prescribes a 2 week course to be given orally.
Samson was by now skeletally thin, but I put him in a nice dim room with UV lighting and a heat lamp, and dosed him for 8 days. On Sunday, it became clear that the medicine was not working - his poo varied between urates with no poo, or a tarry black poo with no urates. He seemed ravenously hungry but only picking at his food and not drinking at all.
I stopped medicating him, sensing that he was dying, and put him back in the room with my other birds, thinking his death was imminent. However, he hasn't died! He continues to scratch at his food, barely drinking, and producing horrible black poo.
I'm absolutely at a loss for what further action I can take, besides putting him to sleep, assuming he would even survive the trip to the vet's. Vet thought his condition was due to the introduction of the new budgie, rather than fatty liver disease. But he was hopeful Samson would respond to the antibiotics. Nothing has worked!
Does anyone have any experience of a budgie with runny green poo that has resisted every single anti biotic/pro biotic/milk thistle it was given?? I can't think of anything else I can do, and hate seeing him so reduced, thinking there must be something I've missed or should be doing.
Trip to the vet resulted in a week's prescription for baytril in the water. When this did not improve the situation, I took him to a specialist avian vet who prescribed doxycyclin (sp) in the water. This was after running tests which revealed a "parasite" in his poo. Naughty Samson would not drink the water, no matter how much I tried to disguise the taste, so he was admitted for 3 days oral administration at the vet's. Although the medicine did seem to have an effect, his poos were not normal and within a week of coming home, his poos were as green and runny as ever.
Took both birds to the vet for testing and vet indicated the younger budgie was a carrier but not symptomatic. Samson was readmitted for 3 days for further antibiotic treatment but to no avail.
He had been getting probiotic avipro in his water during this time, plus a few drops of milk thistle. Vet said that his faecal sample was not clear but perhaps he'd been left with a weak bowel. About 3 weeks ago the situation took a critical turn when poor Samson stopped singing and took to sleeping round the clock. Vet ran more tests, saying that a parasite usually found in soil came up in his faecal sample. Vet said this usually reacted well to baytril and prescribes a 2 week course to be given orally.
Samson was by now skeletally thin, but I put him in a nice dim room with UV lighting and a heat lamp, and dosed him for 8 days. On Sunday, it became clear that the medicine was not working - his poo varied between urates with no poo, or a tarry black poo with no urates. He seemed ravenously hungry but only picking at his food and not drinking at all.
I stopped medicating him, sensing that he was dying, and put him back in the room with my other birds, thinking his death was imminent. However, he hasn't died! He continues to scratch at his food, barely drinking, and producing horrible black poo.
I'm absolutely at a loss for what further action I can take, besides putting him to sleep, assuming he would even survive the trip to the vet's. Vet thought his condition was due to the introduction of the new budgie, rather than fatty liver disease. But he was hopeful Samson would respond to the antibiotics. Nothing has worked!
Does anyone have any experience of a budgie with runny green poo that has resisted every single anti biotic/pro biotic/milk thistle it was given?? I can't think of anything else I can do, and hate seeing him so reduced, thinking there must be something I've missed or should be doing.
I sympathise with you completely Shirley. I just recently had to watch as my friendly fat spoilt little budgie wasted away to nothing from not responding well to insulin drugs for his diabetes. His last two days were like what you described with the poo being either one or the other. If it's as near the end for him as I think it is spend time with him quietly and put something soft like a towel on the cage floor so that if he falls off the perch over night it won't be a hard landing at least before he dies. 
If you need to - do move the perches further down towards the floor. My budgie had trouble staying on the perch near the end so all perches were moved downwards to make it easier for him to get back up without wasting all his energy constantly climbing.
. I only hope he doesn't take the hump at me consorting with other vets for a second opinion. I don't have Guardian Angel - vet suggested I add the pro biotic Avipro to his water so I've been doing that. He's eating millet and picking his favourite seeds from the mix on offer. Seed, millet and corn is about the extent of his palate - having resisted all attempts to introduce him to pellet and other veggies over the year. Still managing to sleep on his perch, but is just withered away to bone and feather. He couldn't tolerate any more tests so suspect vet will just confirm what 1st vet said and recommend euthanasia at this point. It's a sad, miserable end for him.
Vet gave me the option of euthanasia or admission for a minimum of one week therapy - antibiotics, crop feeding, etc. I choose the latter. Given how weak and think he is, I am far from hopeful but want to give him his chance. 
