Cockatiel with swollen Belly

[clawnz]

Hi! We just got this Tiel handed in. Seems the owner took it to a vet, then did a runner. You may well ask 'How did we get a bird that needs a vet, from a vet? The same place it will go to on Monday? She's a strange world alright.

Well.
I think this is a white or Pastle Pearl.
Here is the best pic I got of her belly. Just in front of vent. It is soft and she poohs OK as far as I can see. She is also eating.
We will take care of her till Monday and then get her into the Avain vet.
But thought I would ask if any of the brainiacs had any ideas.

 

[waterfaller1]

Susanne should know, I will shoot her a link. Sending lots of good energy for this little one. Hope she will be ok. Thanks for taking her in. Maybe this thread should be moved to 911?

 

[srtiels]

OMG...that is a severe case of egg yolk peritonitus. At this stage it is a wonder she is still alive. The skintone is from the body depserately trying to excrete the yolk matter thru the skin...so the yolk is staining the skin.

Check the keelbone...if very pronouced the infection is bad inside and aggressive antibiotic treatments and procedures need to be done....such as injectable pipercillin, and fluids have to be drawn from the body.

 

[srtiels]

I'm bumping this thread...and if the MODS can move this to 911 that would be great. This is a true emergency situation with this hen.

 

[Anne & Gang]

Clive, that bird needs to get into an avian vet NOWWWWWWWWW...it cannot wait until Monday...cannot wait.

 

[Danita]

I have now moved this to 911
Please update us Clive.

 

[Billie Faye]

As sad as this is for the bird...these are GREAT pictures to help others undertand and see what this looks like and to know to get their bird to the vet ASAP if they see something like this!
Thank you Clive and hoping this little one is OK and
Thank you Susanne for showing your pictures to compare also!

 

[srtiels]

Until you can get her to a vet, you might want to get her under a FSL (full spectrum light) and also give her any greens such as dandelions that will act as a diuretic...or add dandelion extract to her drinking water.

If you have any broad spectrum antibiotics you shouls start her on them today. BUT, from personal experience she will have to go onto an injectable antibiotic that contains pipercillin in addition to any antibiotics. And the vet will have to treat the abdom like ascite....by drawing the excess fluids out of the abdomen cavity. What is in the body has turned septic, so fast aggressive treatment is need. There is probably about 30cc of fluid in the body.

How could this happen to a hen? The short simple answer is an ectopic egg. What this is is as a yolk was forming in the body it missed being dropped into the oviduct and traveled into the abdominal cavity. In looking at the skin color this may have been several ectopic eggs/yolks. And judging from the pix this has been going on for months.

 

[waterfaller1]

Thanks everyone. Poor baby.

 

[Carol S.]

This is so good to know. I have never seen this but now that I have Ill know what to do immediately. I hope it will be ok.

 

[srtiels]

This is so good to know.
-------------------------
Carol...unfortunitely a hen can be active and appear alert and just suddenly drop dead. Most times the owner assumes that the hen dies of egg-binding.

Some causes for an ectopic egg are an infection in the oviduct, but the most common cause can be handling a hen during ovulation, or the hen panicking, falling during ovulation causing the yolk to miss the oviduct.

OR if it is a breeding bird the hen setup, and is not bonded to the male. the body is sending signals and hormones to the hen to ovulate, and the mind is not wanting to reproduce. Just the presence of a nestbox up, and the hen not wanting to really breed can be the contributing cause to peritonitus. The breeder sees the swollen abdomen and assumes the hen is soon going to lay, and disappointed that she doesn't, so the hen is left in a breeding situation which compounds the problem.

 

[luvsgreys]

Oh my gosh I hope this tiel is ok!

 

[Cruxon]

If the bird was at a vet, HOW did the vet fail to realise that the bird was critical?! Call the vet right now and say its an emergency! Wishing you luck in rescuing this poor birdie! Hope she can get through!

 

[clawnz]

If the bird was at a vet, HOW did the vet fail to realise that the bird was critical?! Call the vet right now and say its an emergency! Wishing you luck in rescuing this poor birdie! Hope she can get through!

Our Avian Vet only works for another Vet and he is not around till Monday.
Meaning the other Vey did not want to deal with it over the weekend.

We cannot make to many ripples.

Everybody dumps on Lyn She is the Florence Nightingale of the bird world here in Auckland.
I am glad to say knows more about the wild birds than most.
I am only a novice.

 

[clawnz]

Thank you guy! Yet again.

As soon as Lyn is up and around I will see what we can do.

This poor little one should be in one of the best place's that will help her.
Just we were not to sure what we were dealing with.
Lyn will have antibiotics ( both oral and inject) and may feel she can drain abomin.
I am guessing she will phone AV at his home to talk over what she needs to do.

After hour vet next to usless in this situation. They do not deal with birds very much and would normaly just send them to us, to sort. I did take a swan to them to have a cath put in it's leg, so we could treat it, just last week. They were asking me if they were doing it right! If Lyn use's them, she has to tell them what to do.

Will up date this thread later today.

 

[birdlady]

I hope the little one will be ok.

 

[srtiels]

Does Lyn also know how to do Sub-Q fluids. If so, even though the hen has fluid accumulation in the abdomen you might want to keep her hydrated by Sub-Q, especially if there is an infection going on inside.

Weight the hen. You can calculate approx 25 to 35 grams will be added to the actual weight because of the fluids. So get her weight and guestimate how much weight is from the peritonistus.

You will need to guestimate the actual weight (excluding the peritonitus) so that you can calculate the proper dosage for medications. For example, injectable Baytil is .06 per hundred grams of body weight.

If she does drain the abdomen, weigh the hen prior and after. And then weigh every few hows to see if fluid is accumulating again. It may take several days of drawing out 10-20cc of fluid at a time to finially halt the ascites.

Below is a weight chart. Click for a large view and copy and/or print out.

I also included a hand-feeding chart you might want to midify and use to keep track of each time meds were given.

 

[clawnz]

Thank you so much Susanne.
I will show Lyn as soon as I get up to the rescue. if we can help her in any way, I promise we will, even if we have to pay for the operation.

I have talked to Lyn and she says we are talking about a $1,000 operation and most still die! Wow!
The Tiel is still doing well and as been pointed out the colour does not look bad at this stage.
Lyn is worried if she starts off on antibiotics it may not be want the vet will want to use, come Monday.
Now I know why the owner did a runner.

 

[srtiels]

I have talked to Lyn and she says we are talking about a $1,000 operation and most still die!
-------------------------------------

The hen does not need an operation, and if the vet was talking that kind of $$ to the original owner no wonder they abandoned her. There is nothing wrong with the oviduct which would've been cause fir removal/operation.

This hen needs agressive supportive care in regards to antibiotics. The abdomen drained several times, over several days to weeks if fluid still accumulates. Diuretics, and Sub-Q fluids. ANY vet that has more concern for the bird than his pocketbook can show the owner how to do all this and sell/supply all the things needed for treatment. Recovery is slow...several weeks.

The skintone is still a pale yellow...the more this advances as the body is trying to excrete the yolk matter thru the skin to get it out of the body the darker the skin will get until it is almost an orange/yellow color. When it gets this color, then it is very difficult to save the hen because infection will most likely have gone systemic.

 

[Birdbabe]

Oh my, I hope this little girl is gonna be OK.