Checkers (black headed caique) is in ICU at the vet as of this afternoon, I came home last night from being away for the evening and found him hunkered down over his food bowl which was still full from his morning food. He hadn't ate anything in the 8 hours or so that I had been gone. At first I wasn't going to post anything, I feel like I have had so many issues going on lately that I really didn't want to be on the forum tonight, but my husband and I got in a HUGE fight over this and I have spent the last few hours crying.
Some of you guys saw the post on my husbands cat that was possibly sent to us sick and how I told him that we could not afford vet care with me being without a job until April 19 when I ship to basic training. I explained that unless him or his mom wanted to foot the bill I couldn't do anything about it.
Fast forward to last night, Checkers is ill, very lethargic and unsteady and of course not eating. Poop looks normal but as last night wore on (I was up all night with him in a makeshift hospital cage) he stayed more fluffed up sitting on his food dish than moving around and he had lost weight.
Today I tried to call my vet, who would not meet me and told me to take him to UT Knoxville Vet clinic. First of all, the vet clinic is 3 hours away and I no longer have a functioning car- and with it being a weekend/after hours emergency they would charge $150 to just walk in the door. The vet told me the best he could do was make an appt. for tomorrow. I knew better than to let this go another day, I couldn't even get him to handfeed.
The bird fair was in town this week and on a whim yesterday at the fair I happened to pick up a brochure on a new vet that just recently opened up here, she is exotics and avian only. I called the number listed at the clinic in hopes that someone would pick up and lo and behold she was there! There was a macaw that was egg binded and she was at the clinic taking care of her. I immediately threw on some clothes and got Checkers there.
The vet is going to run blood work tomorrow on him and do a fecal exam, her main concern is to get him to eating- she said he has lost some weight but she thinks that we caught whatever this is early enough to treat it. At the moment the two scenarios after taking Checkers history that she is leaning towards is a bacterial infection, or of course since Joey (senegal) was given a possible diagnosis of PDD in 2009 and responded to the treatment, then PDD. I pray it is not PDD- I have done so good in keeping Joey quarantined from the rest of the flock and to have an outbreak again a week before I leave for BCT would be devastating.
My husband is upset because while I would not take and pay for his cat (yes, I know we are married but it was his idea for the cat to live with us and I would never expect him to fork over money for vet bills for the birds) but I rushed Checkers to the vet. I tried to explain that my animals WILL be taken care of no matter what (I am doing a payment plan either through the vet clinic or through Care credit if needed, we will know more in the morning as to what this is and an estimate on cost to treat) and that I felt like the cat was his responsibility since he wanted him to come live here. I was NOT about to let my bird die but he still doesn't understand.
I can only do so much, I am not trying to turn this into a pity thread, but I have given up so much to make our marriage work and I feel like I shouldn't have to sacrifice the life of my bird just to make him feel better about the fact I refused to foot the vet bill for his cat that he has had (and should have been taken care of) for over a decade. I mean, the stress of leaving for BCT on me is through the roof trying to make sure everything is in order and I would not have necessarily had to go active duty had it not been for a bunch of mistakes he has made that has us in such a financial mess that we couldn't buy a house right now if we wanted to. (Such as not paying taxes for the past five years, owing $20,000 for child support...) Yes, I knew this stuff when we got married but I feel like I am the only one trying to make it right some days. With going into the military (which I have always wanted to do, but didn't necessarily have to do it full time) my student loans will be paid off and I can use my income to support us while he takes care of all the mess he brought into this marriage.
Please understand I am not bashing my husband, I love him very much but I am emotionally maxed out at the moment with knowing I have one of my babies sick in the hospital and I won't be here in a little over a week to take care of him, and make sure everything is going to be okay.
Some of you guys saw the post on my husbands cat that was possibly sent to us sick and how I told him that we could not afford vet care with me being without a job until April 19 when I ship to basic training. I explained that unless him or his mom wanted to foot the bill I couldn't do anything about it.
Fast forward to last night, Checkers is ill, very lethargic and unsteady and of course not eating. Poop looks normal but as last night wore on (I was up all night with him in a makeshift hospital cage) he stayed more fluffed up sitting on his food dish than moving around and he had lost weight.
Today I tried to call my vet, who would not meet me and told me to take him to UT Knoxville Vet clinic. First of all, the vet clinic is 3 hours away and I no longer have a functioning car- and with it being a weekend/after hours emergency they would charge $150 to just walk in the door. The vet told me the best he could do was make an appt. for tomorrow. I knew better than to let this go another day, I couldn't even get him to handfeed.
The bird fair was in town this week and on a whim yesterday at the fair I happened to pick up a brochure on a new vet that just recently opened up here, she is exotics and avian only. I called the number listed at the clinic in hopes that someone would pick up and lo and behold she was there! There was a macaw that was egg binded and she was at the clinic taking care of her. I immediately threw on some clothes and got Checkers there.
The vet is going to run blood work tomorrow on him and do a fecal exam, her main concern is to get him to eating- she said he has lost some weight but she thinks that we caught whatever this is early enough to treat it. At the moment the two scenarios after taking Checkers history that she is leaning towards is a bacterial infection, or of course since Joey (senegal) was given a possible diagnosis of PDD in 2009 and responded to the treatment, then PDD. I pray it is not PDD- I have done so good in keeping Joey quarantined from the rest of the flock and to have an outbreak again a week before I leave for BCT would be devastating.
My husband is upset because while I would not take and pay for his cat (yes, I know we are married but it was his idea for the cat to live with us and I would never expect him to fork over money for vet bills for the birds) but I rushed Checkers to the vet. I tried to explain that my animals WILL be taken care of no matter what (I am doing a payment plan either through the vet clinic or through Care credit if needed, we will know more in the morning as to what this is and an estimate on cost to treat) and that I felt like the cat was his responsibility since he wanted him to come live here. I was NOT about to let my bird die but he still doesn't understand.
I can only do so much, I am not trying to turn this into a pity thread, but I have given up so much to make our marriage work and I feel like I shouldn't have to sacrifice the life of my bird just to make him feel better about the fact I refused to foot the vet bill for his cat that he has had (and should have been taken care of) for over a decade. I mean, the stress of leaving for BCT on me is through the roof trying to make sure everything is in order and I would not have necessarily had to go active duty had it not been for a bunch of mistakes he has made that has us in such a financial mess that we couldn't buy a house right now if we wanted to. (Such as not paying taxes for the past five years, owing $20,000 for child support...) Yes, I knew this stuff when we got married but I feel like I am the only one trying to make it right some days. With going into the military (which I have always wanted to do, but didn't necessarily have to do it full time) my student loans will be paid off and I can use my income to support us while he takes care of all the mess he brought into this marriage.
Please understand I am not bashing my husband, I love him very much but I am emotionally maxed out at the moment with knowing I have one of my babies sick in the hospital and I won't be here in a little over a week to take care of him, and make sure everything is going to be okay.
. 
