Urgent Ivan is very sick and vets don't know what's wrong! He needs our help!

[twrigles05]

How is Ivan doing?

I have an update.

The 4th vet (Dr. Strunk at Center for Avian and Exotic Animal Medicince in Bothell, WA) saw Ivan and tested him for Asper, Heavy Metal Toxicity, and Fecal Float for Parasites. The good news is.........they were all negative!

The bad news is.....we still don't know whats wrong with Ivan. That's partly why I haven't updated this thread

Still at square one and not sure what to do. After the holidays, I'm going to take Ivan back to the vet and do a crop swab since his crop is still swollen and he keeps plucking that area. Worth a try.

Anyways, thanks again everyone for your concern and thoughts. Keep Ivan in your prayers and I will definitely update this again if I ever find out the diagnosis and/or cure to what's wrong with Ivan.

 

[carkam]

I lost my sweet boy to am unknown illness. I had asked if it could be aspergillosis and was told no by two vets. My second bird has been ill for over a year and they couldn't find what was wrong. He was diagnosed with heart disease and put on heart medication and an antibiotic spent two nights in the hospital and will see his vet today. They called yesterday and after reading his radiographs they think it is aspergillosis! I had asked about it several times when my other bird was still living. This is very scary and I don't know why they would get it. I clean and disenfected their cages daily, clean water no visible mold but I live in the Seattle area so it is not unusual. How do I prevent it?

 

[parrotluv]

I am so sorry for your loss of Ivan.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I am so sorry for your loss of Ivan.

I think and hope Ivan is still around. There have been no updates lately. Hope that @twrigles05 will update us. The post above yours is about another bird.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I lost my sweet boy to am unknown illness. I had asked if it could be aspergillosis and was told no by two vets. My second bird has been ill for over a year and they couldn't find what was wrong. He was diagnosed with heart disease and put on heart medication and an antibiotic spent two nights in the hospital and will see his vet today. They called yesterday and after reading his radiographs they think it is aspergillosis! I had asked about it several times when my other bird was still living. This is very scary and I don't know why they would get it. I clean and disenfected their cages daily, clean water no visible mold but I live in the Seattle area so it is not unusual. How do I prevent it?

So sorry about the loss of your bird. Hope that your other bird will be OK. Did they put him on medication? Do you feed peanuts or any other tree nuts such as pistachios?

 

[jmfleish]

I'm so sorry about Ivan. I hope that they can figure out what's going on with your other bird. They should be able to rule out asper with Ivan but that doesn't help you with your current bird. I honestly don't know what to tell you at this point. Asper is treatable but it's generally something you treat lifelong unless you catch it early. My thoughts are with you and your family.

 

[webchirp]

@jmfleish and @Hankmacaw

Thank you so much for the response. I have a copy of all the blood tests. I attached a copy of his most recent blood tests to this post. I am happy to hear you don't think it's PDD but now I am also upset that Ivan may have gone 10 months without treatment of an unknown and potentially treatable illness.

If he has PDD then this is like my worst case nightmare that I could never have imagined would ever happen to my baby Ivan.

PDD:
Ivan tested positive for Avian borno Virus two years ago. There is no direct link between ABV and PDD yet though. Recent research shows that up to 60% may have ABV, but never show any signs of PDD. So just because he tested positive for ABV doesn't mean he has PDD to me. Also, there are positive cases of PDD at the parrot sanctuary that Ivan came from as well.

The vet did xrays in February and Ivan did not show any inflammation in his Proventriculous which caused the vet to not think it was PDD at first. However as time went on and Ivan didn't show any improvement with his excessive thirst and watery poops, the vet has now changed her mind and thinks he has PDD.

Giardia:
I also suspected Giardia. The vets tested for Giardia twice and both came back negative, however the tests were not conclusive since Giardia only sheds intermittently and may not have been present in the samples tested. I ordered the vet to give me meds for Giardia anyway (metronidazole) and it improved his itchiness and vent plucking over a two month period. He was on the meds for 2.5 months. Since the metronidazole improved him slightly, I think he did have giardia but I think it is gone now since his itchiness is gone. Now his main symptoms are excessive thirst and his poop is still pure water (polyuria/polydipsia), his crop is bulgey/swollen and plucked, and he is lethargic. He still plucks his vent but not nearly as much anymore. I have uploaded pics.

Diabetes:
I also suspected Diabetes and the vet insists it is not diabetes. She says that it would show in his blood tests via uric acid levels. His kidney (uric acid) levels are in her opinion normal which she says means it can't be diabetes.

List of tests performed:

• Avian Borno Virus Test (positive)
• Xrays (no proventriculous inflammation)
• Giardia Test
• Skin Mites test
• Blood Tests (full panel)
• Fecal Culture Tests
• Crop Swab Tests

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Since he has tested positive for ABV, I would ask your vet to consult with Dr. Orosz. How long did he stay on the Celebrex? That is a go to med for birds with ABV that have a set back in health. Also, Marie at Feathered Friends has worked with many birds that have tested positive or those with other medical issues. If you are on Facebook, I can add you to a specialized group that you can bounce questions to. I wouldn't ignore the test result but agree that it may not turn into PDD if he doesn't have PDD...but it is an indicator to take a look at healthwise.

 

[DQTimnehs]

I'm so sorry about Ivan. I hope that they can figure out what's going on with your other bird. They should be able to rule out asper with Ivan but that doesn't help you with your current bird. I honestly don't know what to tell you at this point. Asper is treatable but it's generally something you treat lifelong unless you catch it early. My thoughts are with you and your family.

That was not the OP that lost their bird to asper. So not Ivan.

 

[georgieporgie]

hello, i just adopted a 4 month old conure and i took him to the vet today for a physical. he seems to have trouble balancing and griping. when i pick him up his legs shake. im hoping its just because hes young and clumsy but they recommended a bornavirus test but i cant afford it at the moment. i'll get it asap but for now they said to monitor him. what should i be watching for? will it kill him? ive never had a sick bird before and im pretty scared..... any advice?

 

[Lady Jane]

Where did you get him?

 

[georgieporgie]

Where did you get him?

i got him at petsmart... i normally wouldnt buy from pet stores but i felt rlly bad cus he had been bought and returned a few times...

 

[Hankmacaw]

Georgie, you need to move this posting to it's own thread. this is an old thread and you won't get much attention here.

 

[georgieporgie]

Georgie, you need to move this posting to it's own thread. this is an old thread and you won't get much attention here.

oh! thank you

 

[melissasparrots]

At 4 months he should be able to perch strong and with a good grip. Bornavirus can kill a bird. Definitely quarantine. Keep him very well away from your other bird. Feed the new bird last and change cloths. Treat this new bird like it has ebola and you don't want to transmit it to the new bird through your hair, hands, clothing. Anything that goes into the new birds room does not come out and interact with your old bird. Better yet, in all honesty, consider returning the bird to petsmart.

 

[camelotshadow]

 

[georgieporgie]

At 4 months he should be able to perch strong and with a good grip. Bornavirus can kill a bird. Definitely quarantine. Keep him very well away from your other bird. Feed the new bird last and change cloths. Treat this new bird like it has ebola and you don't want to transmit it to the new bird through your hair, hands, clothing. Anything that goes into the new birds room does not come out and interact with your old bird. Better yet, in all honesty, consider returning the bird to petsmart.

i was considering returning him. i just worry that if he does have abv that they wont give him proper treatment i havent had him tested yet... i have until june 26th to bring him back

 

[finchly]

OMG seriously, you would return him??

 

[georgieporgie]

OMG seriously, you would return him??

i really dont want to..... but my mom got him for me as a gift and spent a crap ton of money on him and is guilting me.... she said we should take him back and get our money back. but i worry that they wont care for him properly. i would much rather take him to a sanctuary.

 

[finchly]

They will not take care of him properly.

I am very sorry your mom feels that way.

 

[melissasparrots]

i really dont want to..... but my mom got him for me as a gift and spent a crap ton of money on him and is guilting me.... she said we should take him back and get our money back. but i worry that they wont care for him properly. i would much rather take him to a sanctuary.

Before you take him to a sanctuary, get the bornavirus test done. They need to know if he's borna positive so they don't put him in with the other birds. Seriously, bornavirus can mean not much or it can mean death. Its a big unknown in the avian community. If your bird is having symptoms already, then there are likely problems down the road. This may not be something that is fixable with love and good diet. I would say, keep him if you honestly feel you can do him justice with good vet care. If you can't provide him with good vet care, then he needs to go to someone else that can. Was the vet concerned with the weak legs? Is that why they recommended a bornavirus check or was it just because they do it with all their birds?