Hello Group!
I haven't posted in here for quite awhile. I hope everyone and their flock is healthy and happy!
So, my female eclectus, Chili, isn't doing too well. I'm hoping to get your feedback. Based on multiple recent visits to local vets (1st to local ER, then to Surgeon based on ER recommendation, Regular avian certified vet for 3rd opinion because she's well trusted in the area), the following has been determined:
*She has 2 collapsed eggs further down the reproductive system.
*She has one large egg sitting just above the 2 collapsed. It is up far enough no one understands how there is a shell around it.
*The large egg has no way to get out.
*Her air sacs are not visible in the xrays because of all the stuff going on in her abdom.)
*Her white blood cell count is elevated, but not crazy high.
*Her red blood cell count is low.
*Her liver enzymes are high.
*Her liver function is normal.
*Her cholesterol/phosphorus/calcium is high (but is normally when producing eggs)
*She weighs 30 grams more than usual due to what is in her belly.
ER vet says based on xrays, need surgery.
So I go to see the surgeon who does blood work and looks at er xray. He says she more than likely has had the eggs in there for awhile, and the eggs are probably adhered to the surrounding organs...that she would probably not survive the surgery. He says do nothing but xrays in a month.
Since I think doing nothing is really scary, I go see our regular vet Dr Osofsky. She spends over an hour with me discussing options. Surgery is normally risky in parrots. A parrot that cannot use air sacs, worse. A parrot with a severely compromised anatomy, worse. We can do a super Lupron implant (birdy IUD essentially) to try to stop her from producing (not guaranteed), and keep her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for the rest of her life. No educated guess on the length of time she can live like this. If she is just determined to keep producing eggs, she will definitely die. And not pleasantly. Dr admits to me that its a really hard choice and second guessing either way is inevitable.
Good news:
Chili is still eating, drinking, chattering, pooping normally, etc. She is also breathing just fine...which is surprising since her air sacs cannot even be seen on the xray...The only way I can tell there is something wrong is because she is plucked and bare on her belly....and I can see that her lower belly is gigantic. But as we all know....birds hide things until its often too late...
All of this being said....and hours thinking about it....I'm starting to come to the conclusion that surgery is the way to go. If she lives through the surgery, all problems go away. If she doesn't, then she doesn't die suffering. If we don't do surgery, she's going to die, but no idea as to how. She could prolapse, or die of infection, or some other horribly graphic and painful way. I DON'T want it to be that I come home from work one day to find her having passed in some way that I could have prevented her suffering. I don't think I could live with myself.
What would you guys do?
I haven't posted in here for quite awhile. I hope everyone and their flock is healthy and happy!
So, my female eclectus, Chili, isn't doing too well. I'm hoping to get your feedback. Based on multiple recent visits to local vets (1st to local ER, then to Surgeon based on ER recommendation, Regular avian certified vet for 3rd opinion because she's well trusted in the area), the following has been determined:
*She has 2 collapsed eggs further down the reproductive system.
*She has one large egg sitting just above the 2 collapsed. It is up far enough no one understands how there is a shell around it.
*The large egg has no way to get out.
*Her air sacs are not visible in the xrays because of all the stuff going on in her abdom.)
*Her white blood cell count is elevated, but not crazy high.
*Her red blood cell count is low.
*Her liver enzymes are high.
*Her liver function is normal.
*Her cholesterol/phosphorus/calcium is high (but is normally when producing eggs)
*She weighs 30 grams more than usual due to what is in her belly.
ER vet says based on xrays, need surgery.
So I go to see the surgeon who does blood work and looks at er xray. He says she more than likely has had the eggs in there for awhile, and the eggs are probably adhered to the surrounding organs...that she would probably not survive the surgery. He says do nothing but xrays in a month.
Since I think doing nothing is really scary, I go see our regular vet Dr Osofsky. She spends over an hour with me discussing options. Surgery is normally risky in parrots. A parrot that cannot use air sacs, worse. A parrot with a severely compromised anatomy, worse. We can do a super Lupron implant (birdy IUD essentially) to try to stop her from producing (not guaranteed), and keep her on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories for the rest of her life. No educated guess on the length of time she can live like this. If she is just determined to keep producing eggs, she will definitely die. And not pleasantly. Dr admits to me that its a really hard choice and second guessing either way is inevitable.
Good news:
Chili is still eating, drinking, chattering, pooping normally, etc. She is also breathing just fine...which is surprising since her air sacs cannot even be seen on the xray...The only way I can tell there is something wrong is because she is plucked and bare on her belly....and I can see that her lower belly is gigantic. But as we all know....birds hide things until its often too late...
All of this being said....and hours thinking about it....I'm starting to come to the conclusion that surgery is the way to go. If she lives through the surgery, all problems go away. If she doesn't, then she doesn't die suffering. If we don't do surgery, she's going to die, but no idea as to how. She could prolapse, or die of infection, or some other horribly graphic and painful way. I DON'T want it to be that I come home from work one day to find her having passed in some way that I could have prevented her suffering. I don't think I could live with myself.
What would you guys do?
What a tough decision. I don't have any experience in this area, and maybe others who do will chime in, but while I was reading your post I was thinking if it were me I would probably try the surgery. Like you said, it kind of seems like the only option that has the potential to fix the problem or ease suffering later. So scary though. I hope she will be okay!
She'll enjoy all your attention the next few days. Big hugs to you.
