Psittacine Beak and Feather

[mythic55]

The vet just called.

Siva tested Positive.
Everything else was perfect, and all other blood tests were good. But she came back positive for beak and feather disease. I have so many questions... I cant seem to read fast enough.
Siva is on pellets, some formula, mostly fresh veggies/fruit, and some seed (avicakes and such) and i cook for her bird bread, etc. She is also on a vita powder.

I have a aviary with two lovebirds and two finches.
Someone please just talk to me.

This was today:

 

[firdy num num]

Argh, yes PBFD can be a too horrible terrible disease. I urge you to think that it is not your fault, Siva can still live a long lifespan. With healthy diet, clean environments and extra TLC Siva will be in Gods hands for now. Ask away, I don't mind talking to you.

 

[mythic55]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Environment:
I clean her cage daily (from any food spills, droppings, etc) with f10 (that means wiping down the bars, etc)
It gets a deep clean (powerwash outside and baked in the sun) once a week
Her food dishes are washed daily and changed often
She gets oodles of time out of the cage. She prefers the back of the sofa or my shoulder... likes to be within beaks reach to me.

Food:
I bought extra vitamin supplements.... which are the best? I currently was giving Lafebers... but also just bought Sunshine by Harrisons as a recommendation from my vet.
Daily: Still working on weaning- basically one 10cc of formula at night. All day she has pellets (Harrisons pepper, zupreem- every flavor- I didnt know which to buy, so i bought them all)
Fresh veggies and fruit- I think that is most of her diet (her mix now is 7 veggies and 7 fruits)
Fresh sprouted seeds
Bird bread (loves hot pepper muffins) as her morning treat
and she gets sunflower seeds as training treats, and a nutriberry or avicake a day, for foraging she get a nut partially in the shell

The vet told me to relax. I cant. Im drinking wine at 1:30 in the afternoon.

She is 16 weeks- just learned flight recall. Takes naps on the sofa with me.
Yesterday I built that new stand for her (in the picture)- I sourced the block of marble and vine. I hand sanded everything and finished the marble myself so she could come and sit in the house where ever I was.
She is perfect.

How many feather loss a day is normal? how many down feathers? tail feathers?

What is the rate of symptomless positive parrots?

 

[firdy num num]

Sorry for late reply, as you said do I know any supplements? Yes, PBFD is started because of weak immune system support, I suggest you get her immune booster supplements for Siva. I am not exactly sure how much feathers they lose each day, so I'm no good at that question.
Siva's diet, environment and life is perfect and fine, by then looks of it I think Siva has a beautiful owner. I see in your first post that you have other birds, keep them separated from Siva, and by seperate I mean different rooms. Once again, lots of hugs from me, don't worry. If God gave you an creature to keep, why would he take it back off you? Don't lose hope.

 

[mythic55]

This is her exact diet: Pellets.... and a bit of formula once a day. Plus: (she really likes red foods- as you can tell)

Carrot
Sweet potato
Corn
Zucchini
Red pepper
Spicy pepper (red chili usually)
Celery
Peas
Sprouted seeds and beans

Strawberries
Cherries
Pomegranate
Pear
Plum
Mango
Watermelon

Tiny amount of crushed egg shell sprinkled on top with Vitamin powder
In her ‘bath’ (tray of water every other day) she has leafy greens- kale, cabbage etc

Snacks: cracked walnut, pecan or chestnut
Avicake or nutriberry and plays with ricecake

This is daily- Critique would be wonderful. Im not sure what to do. Should I add anything? change something?
No symptoms yet...
Im not even sure what to expect. Im stunned and crying. HELP

 

[mythic55]

Sorry for late reply, as you said do I know any supplements? Yes, PBFD is started because of weak immune system support, I suggest you get her immune booster supplements for Siva. I am not exactly sure how much feathers they lose each day, so I'm no good at that question.
Siva's diet, environment and life is perfect and fine, by then looks of it I think Siva has a beautiful owner. I see in your first post that you have other birds, keep them separated from Siva, and by seperate I mean different rooms. Once again, lots of hugs from me, don't worry. If God gave you an creature to keep, why would he take it back off you? Don't lose hope.

I cant stop crying. I had rescues before- but moving to dubai- my husband gave me the green light to do as I pleased as the weather is always nice and we have a aviary of sorts (side patio we never use). There are lots of wild birds here outside- ringnecks, lovebirds, zebra and silver finches, etc). So I got my finches and two lovebirds for the aviary room (not all at the same time) because they are very much wild. Just beautiful. Fun to watch, but not really hands on. But should the lovebirds go? I read that it is easily transmitted to them.

Siva is family. Member.
She lives in the living room (quiet with my husband and I).... and when my husband is out of town.... sometimes the bedroom She likes to sleep by me and I hum her to sleep. We both wake up at dawn give kisses for 10 minutes before her muffin and my tea.

 

[mythic55]

Thank you for talking to me.
Im more than distraught

 

[JAM]

I am sorry you have had this diagnosis, I have been through the worry of tests and such with them coming back negative but lost three of my lorikeets and young to unknown reasons.

Whilst PBFD can seem like a death sentence it affects different birds in different ways.
As yours is young be guided by your vet. Do be aware your clock is at risk and F10 is a good defence against the spread.
The circovirus which is PBFD is spread via faeces, bodily fluids and is shed in the dander and dust. Greys are dusty birds so may shed quite a bit so you will need a daily cleaning routine and would be a good idea to have your other birds in a separate room.

Have they had contact with your affected bird?

I really feel for you, PBFD is what I was dreading but at least there would have been a chance I could have started a treatment plan and not lost the babies I did lose to something that research is being done to find out what.

Young birds can be acutely affected by PBFD and it is the secondary infections that most commonly cause the issues. Look out for any sign of illness be it yeast, bacteria, sniffles. Get to the vet and get them treated.

There are natural supplements that can support them like dandelion and milk thistle for liver. I am sure others can help with more options and supplement options to help you give Siva the best chance at Life.

Good luck

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

Take a deep breath Feel Our hugs and support Read this article about False positive results in Grey's that are NOT showing any symptoms.You need to relax ,Be strong because Siva can feel Your distress and have Siva retested in 3 weeks.
What to look for with Greys. : Grey Chat
My thoughts and Prayers are with You and Siva,that the test is a false positive She sure is a Pretty Baby Grey

 

[mythic55]

Have they had contact with your affected bird?

I really feel for you, PBFD is what I was dreading but at least there would have been a chance I could have started a treatment plan and not lost the babies I did lose to something that research is being done to find out what.

There are natural supplements that can support them like dandelion and milk thistle for liver. I am sure others can help with more options and supplement options to help you give Siva the best chance at Life.

Good luck

No contact. Siva is basically glued to me.... living room, bathroom, bedroom.... She is my 'baby dragon'

The other birds are in the outdoor aviary. And since they are wildish, there is no real direct contact between them and I. Of course I change water, food and cleaning. But it makes me nervous. Maybe I should think about rehoming my Lovebirds? ..... from my reading it seems like they can be affected more than others. It seems like finches are not as much at risk if I am careful.

 

[mythic55]

There are natural supplements that can support them like dandelion and milk thistle for liver. I am sure others can help with more options and supplement options to help you give Siva the best chance at Life.

I would LOVE to know more about this. What are the dosage? or should i grow them myself...?
I live in a desert, so they dont grow here... but I I can get seeds and take care of them. Or are the supplements better?

This is not a hobbie. She is my child- I never expected to get such a well balanced, loving little girl.
At 16 weeks makes my dog look like a dummy and the cat look lazy!

I always thought of my rescues like my own.... but it is not the same. WOW, not the same.

 

[Milo]

Retest in 3 months, not 3 weeks. If you're going with milk thistle, I would buy the extract online and either give it to her via syringe or add it to her mash. There are a lot of very good recent threads here, try searching "pbfd" and you should get some. I'll see if I can dig some up for you

information on PBFD | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[JLcribber]

Take a deep breath Feel Our hugs and support Read this article about False positive results in Grey's that are NOT showing any symptoms.You need to relax ,Be strong because Siva can feel Your distress and have Siva retested in 3 weeks.
What to look for with Greys. : Grey Chat
My thoughts and Prayers are with You and Siva,that the test is a false positive She sure is a Pretty Baby Grey

I agree. There are way too many false positive tests because the test is not that "accurate" for lack of a better term. For peace of mind I think you should have Siva tested again and preferably by a different vet.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Sunshine Factor is mainly Red Palm Oil and is a great supportive additive for any bird's diet. You may want to ask your Vet about DMG which specifically supports the immune system and heart. DMG: A Nutrient for the New Millennium. Coordinate your vitamin supplements with your vet. It can be easy to overdo vitamin supplementation. Just a mention, make sure the Milk Thistle extract that you get for her is Non-alcoholic.

Your cleaning sounds fine and F10 is the only disinfectant that will kill PBFD virus. I would wash my hands and spray them with F10 before changing the other birds' food.

Like others have said get Siva retested about 90 days from her first test. Please don't cry around Siva - she will know something is wrong, she just won't know what. The more positive attitude you can keep the more help it will be to Silva.

 

[Lady Jane]

I really feel for you, and so sorry this is happening in your life. How long have you had Siva?

 

[sunnysmom]

 

[Birdiemarie]

So very sorry to read this. You're getting such good advice and help here.

 

[alcmene]

Oh no! How scary! Big big hugs.

 

[JosienBB]

I can offer no advice, but wanted to give you a hug.

 

[Milo]

I agree. There are way too many false positive tests because the test is not that "accurate" for lack of a better term. For peace of mind I think you should have Siva tested again and preferably by a different vet.

Except that sometimes birds really are positive and don't show clinical signs. They can also clear the disease and test negative after a time, which is why another blood PCR test is recommended after 90 days. Assuming incompetence on the part of the lab and the vet is uncalled for and creates unnecessary fear for owners.