Loose stool with rescue cockatiel

[Aestatis]

Hey everyone,
I brought home a cockatiel from a rescue a couple days ago. Sorry if these questions are obvious - I have had a cockatiel previously, but it's been a long time since I've had a 'new' bird. I already have an appointment set for an avian vet in 10 days. Looking for ideas of what I can do (if anything) before then.

The owner at the rescue mentioned she was treated with Baytril due to polyuria for a few weeks. Then, the rescue owner suspected pellets were the cause so the bird was put on seed/millet.

When getting her home, her poop was watery, which could definitely be stress, but she didn't seem too interested in her seed besides millet. So, I put in some fresh pellets and she has shown more interest in those. I'm not sure how much she is eating or drinking on her own. I don't see many crumbs/hulls when I check in on her. She already wants nothing more than to hang out - if I sit down in the room she will nibble on her food for a few seconds but then immediately start dancing around to say she wants to be let out. If I open the door, she jumps down and comes over to me. Seems like she would rather sit next to me than eat or drink. If I put her back in her cage (door open) she will drink 3-4 big gulps of water and eat a tiny bit before jumping down to come over. That's another adjustment for me - my previous cockatiel was flighted so she could easily go back and forth to her cage if she was hungry or thirsty. This new tiel was clipped by the rescue.

She eats almost anything heartily if I am holding it or the bowl, so I think her appetite is good.
My theories:
1) The baytril treatment upset her digestive system
2) Even if she is tame, she is stressed out from the new environment, which is much quieter than the rescue
3) She isn't eating enough solid food
4) A combo of the above

Any theories would be appreciated.

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[sunnysmom]

So polyuria is often a sign of kidney problems which there are studies that suggest that an all pellet diet is too hard on a cockatiel's kidneys. We currently have a cockatiel at the rescue that I help with that has that problem. I was actually the one to take him to the vet's. The vet and I decided that the best course would be to take him off pellets completely. (This was after testing had been done ruling out other problems.) So, his diet is seeds and lots and lots of vegetables. The polyuria has greatly improved. I still would have testing done but I think what the rescue told you is a logical assumption. I would stop feeding pellets while you're waiting for the vet. I would also ask the vet about adding probiotics in case there is an issue from the Baytril.

 

[Aestatis]

So polyuria is often a sign of kidney problems which there are studies that suggest that an all pellet diet is too hard on a cockatiel's kidneys. We currently have a cockatiel at the rescue that I help with that has that problem. I was actually the one to take him to the vet's. The vet and I decided that the best course would be to take him off pellets completely. (This was after testing had been done ruling out other problems.) So, his diet is seeds and lots and lots of vegetables. The polyuria has greatly improved. I still would have testing done but I think what the rescue told you is a logical assumption. I would stop feeding pellets while you're waiting for the vet. I would also ask the vet about adding probiotics in case there is an issue from the Baytril.

Thank you, I appreciate the suggestions. Just knowing she should be OK until the vet visit eases my mind (he is great, so worth waiting for when possible). I took the pellets out for now. Luckily, she likes veggies, at least when they are handed to her or put through the bars. I know it is bad to feed stuff with high iron or oxalate in it. Do you have a certain veggie mix each day, or do you change it each day?

 

[sunnysmom]

Thank you, I appreciate the suggestions. Just knowing she should be OK until the vet visit eases my mind (he is great, so worth waiting for when possible). I took the pellets out for now. Luckily, she likes veggies, at least when they are handed to her or put through the bars. I know it is bad to feed stuff with high iron or oxalate in it. Do you have a certain veggie mix each day, or do you change it each day?

I mix it up but usually it's some combination of zucchini, squash, carrots, peppers, peas, sweet potatoes. Sometimes kale. I don't remember why but my vet also suggested flax seeds. It has some nutritional benefit.

 

[Aestatis]

I wanted to update everyone in case the info is helpful. By the time I was able to get into the vet her 3-4 gulps of water per waterbowl trip turned into 6-10. But, her labs were all great. The one thing was her blood glucose was borderline high.

So, the vet asked me to track her water intake, and if so we would put her on medicine for diabetes. After tracking for a few days I found she was drinking about 35(!) grams of water per day. So, she was put on glipizide. It took some time to get the medicine, and I wasn't noticing any difference in her water intake. I figured I was being impatient though.

I was checking on her and getting ready to give her another dose of medicine when I saw her chug water as 'normal' (10 gulps) and then saw her immediately throw it up. And while she was trying to play with toys, she kept throwing up. The emergency vet for birds isn't great around here, but I rushed her in anyway. After a lot of waiting I decided the best course of action would be to bring her home. The vet gave her a shot of anti-nausea medicine before discharging her.

I was convinced she was on death's door even though her energy seemed good all things considered. So, I decided no more medicine, and she could eat whatever she wanted: pellets, millet, seed, pasta... if it wasn't considered poisonous it was fair game. I sat up watching her, but all I really remember is she ate a ton and alternated between sleeping and eating.

She was a bit puffed up the next day, but she was eating, drinking, beak grinding, and playing. I decided to start recording her water intake again since she seemed to be drinking less, and to my shock she was down to 20 grams of water per day. I of course made a follow-up to my vet, but it once again would be a few weeks before I could get her in. I never gave her more medicine since that's the only thing I can think of that caused the nausea.

That vet appointment was just the other day, and her water intake was averaging about 15 grams, and she is doing about 4 gulps at once. They checked her blood glucose and it's normal! She is still drinking excess water, but the vet reassured me she is OK and to just keep an eye on her.

It's still a mystery. Is this behavioral? Did she have some sort of illness she is recovering from? I am not sure, but I have my fingers crossed things continue to trend in the right direction.