Urgent Antibiotic making my bird sick

[Birdfriend]

Yes sorry. Very tiny syringe

 

[ZoeyFredrik]

I am by no means telling you to go against your vet, but I would be wary of giving him 2x the medication at once that could possibly be causing seizures at the smaller amount.

I would definitely call in the morning and see if the vet may suggest another antibiotic (if she believes it is a bacterial infection) that may react better with your birdie.

 

[Birdfriend]

I agree. I am very worried about it especially since he seems better since he missed last night and this mornings dosage. I will call her tomorrow.
I am keeping him warm and purchased the birdie heater they can sit by. She said to take away his purchase and I did but he clung shaking to the side of the cage so I put them back today.
I really appreciate everyone's input. I was stressing about giving him the antibiotic.

 

[ZoeyFredrik]

I agree. I am very worried about it especially since he seems better since he missed last night and this mornings dosage. I will call her tomorrow.
I am keeping him warm and purchased the birdie heater they can sit by. She said to take away his purchase and I did but he clung shaking to the side of the cage so I put them back today.
I really appreciate everyone's input. I was stressing about giving him the antibiotic.

Just keep the perches low, in case there is a tumble. I hope your baby feels better.

 

[Birdfriend]

Yes she did all the cultures. Poop, cloaca and throat/ mouth.

 

[Birdfriend]

She did not mention any further testing.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I am very sorry, btw, for the loss of your Senegal.

Do keep your gcc warm and keep offering him things he likes as well as good foods that he may never have tried or even liked. I notice that sometimes when one of my birds is ill he/she will eat something that wouldn't usually be eaten. Millet can be good for birds who are ill and won't eat what they normally eat. It's not the only thing they should be eating, of course, but it's something. It appears that you are monitoring your gcc's weight so continue to do that.

 

[Birdfriend]

Thank you. I miss him so much! Now I am so afraid for my GCC!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Did your GCC get ill after the Senegal passed?

 

[Birdfriend]

I was already planning on making them both an appointment because they seemed off. Especially the Senegal. But the Senegal went fast and rushed to the emergency Avian Vet. He had kidney failure and there was nothing they could do so I had to put him to rest. I am devastated. I immediately made an appointment for my GCC. The vet said he seemed thinner than he should be and his feathers showed some signs. He has always loved to bathe and he stopped bathing also. So she put him on antibiotics pending tests. He wouldn't eat or drink anything after the vet visit. She gave him the first dose of antibiotics. He had a seizure (about 10 seconds) on Sunday. I was going to rush him to the bird ER but he was so stressed I decided to wait unless he got worse. I called the vet Monday morning. She called me with the blood results and I saw her Monday. She gave him a crop feeding yesterday. (Monday). And gave me handfeeding formula to mix and try and get him to eat. He only would take a little but ate much better today. The vet had me hold the antibiotic for last night and this morning so I am almost sure it is the antibiotic. He got worse after taking it and better after not taking it.

 

[iamwhoiam]

It's good that he is doing better with taking the formula. Don't know which brand it is but sometimes the formulas are not very palatable to our birds so we can flavor them a bit. If he refuses the formula again you can always add a small amount of organic baby food such as applesauce, etc.
What did the vet say about the seizure?

 

[enigma731]

Can the vet teach you to crop feed if weight/appetite is the main issue?

If the vet is just prescribing the antibiotic as a prophylactic measure against opportunistic bacterial infections, there doesn't seem to be any reason why it would need to be clavamox specifically. I'll echo everyone who's suggested asking for a different medication.

 

[Birdfriend]

I am going to ask for a different one. I was going to ask her if she could teach me how to crop feed. I know you have to be really careful or you can aspirate. I will try adding some flavor to the theme handfeeding formula. He does not like it it and pushes it out. He did eat some of his pellets-zupreem fruit flavor, almonds and some dried fruits from My safe bird store blend. I received it today. My Senegal loved it and I ordered it before he passed. He also ate some watermelon and pomegranate. Figured he would get fluids from them.

 

[Birdfriend]

She didn't say a lot about it. Just that it might be because he wasn't eating or drinking plus being ill. I wish I knew what is wrong. Most likely some kind of virus is so vague.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I have never used Clavamox with my birds, but here is the information I could find about it;

"Amoxicillin trihydrate is a semisynthetic antibiotic with a broad spectrum of bactericidal activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. It does not resist destruction by β-lactamases; therefore, it is not effective against β-lactamase-producing bacteria. Chemically, it is D(-)-α-amino-p-hydroxybenzyl penicillin trihydrate.

Clavulanic acid, an inhibitor of β-lactamase enzymes, is produced by the fermentation of Streptomyces clavuligerus. Clavulanic acid by itself has only weak antibacterial activity. Chemically, clavulanate potassium is potassium z-(3R,5R)-2-β-hydroxyethylidene clavam-3-carboxylate."

Amoxicillin is a penicillium derivative and it's possible your bird is allergic to penicillium.

The best I could find for dosage is 35mg/kg IM. So we would need to know the concentration of your Clavamox to calculate the correct dosage for your bird. We already have his weight.
Bird veterinary drugs and dosages

 

[Birdfriend]

The dosage is 375mg tabs. But the bottle label says. Give 0.07 cc by mouth twice daily for 14 days. Made to 125mg/ml, shake well, keep refrigerated.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

My birds have all had Clavamox with no problems. I hope your little guy is okay!!

 

[Hankmacaw]

The dosage is well within the recommended dosage.

 

[rockybird]

I think you are doing the right thing. I would go back to the vet with the syringe and make sure you are measuring correctly. Those syringes can be really confusing when dealing with such small amts. Second, ask your vet about your bird's kidney function. Did she run any lab tests to evaluate it? If your Senegal was truly in kidney failure, could your bird also be in acute kidney failure and the amoxicillin metabolism further diminishing kidney function? Ask your vet about this possibility. Third, make sure your bird is drinking plenty of water. Also, call about those cultures to see if anything has grown. Lastly, I would check to see if there is anything the two of them could have gotten into that could have made them both sick. It is possible, that it was an infection also. I hope your little one gets better soon!

 

[iamwhoiam]

How is your GCC doing today? Did you discuss your concerns about the medication with the vet?