Hi,
So, as a note, we are and have been seeing an avian vet for the last month or so for what we suspect to be an upper respiratory infection. We have not yet found an exact reason for it and are currently on our second round of Baytril (14 days). We are welcoming any thoughts or ideas.
We have a 6-month-old Lilac Crowned Amazon who, when we got her, would sneeze on occasion (like two or three times a day, nothing abnormal). Her initial blood work and tests (PBFD, Psittacosis, etc.) were great. But, about a month later, we noticed some wet sneezes and a bit of nasal discharge (thin, clear, slightly runny). We brought her to the vet and did a gram stain of a throat swab, which found greater than normal amounts of bacteria. Physically (heart, lungs, feathers, etc.), everything sounded or looked fine. We were prescribed Baytril once a day for 14 days, and she improved and was doing great (maintaining weight, lots of Amazon energy).
About a week after finishing the antibiotics, the discharge came back. The vet did another throat swab gram stain and found less bacteria than before, but still more than normal. She also saw a little bit of yeast. She recommended a nasal flush and culturing the discharge. We didn't start any medication at this time as she wanted to be sure what was there first. However, three days later, the discharge was a bit worse (it looked like it was pooling in the nostril like a clear gel, rather than thin and runny like before). She had also lost a little bit of weight (about 8 grams over the 10 days since she finished the first round of Baytril), audibly sounded stuffy, and wasn't as active as before. Our vet hadn't heard back regarding the culture, but started us on Baytril again (14 days, same daily dose) as well as a probiotic and a recommendation to use apple cider vinegar in her water (for the possible yeast). We also did a fecal gram stain (I was concerned about yeast in the GI tract even though her feces physically looked fine) and saw nothing. Also her heart and lungs sounded good.
We're now a little over a week into this round of Baytril and she's definitely improving (gained 5 grams in weight and has more energy), but, unlike before, is still having occasional discharge. We heard back about the culture and nothing was found, just "normal bacteria" in elevated amounts -- no yeast or anything else. The vet requested a sensitivity to determine what those amounts are.
In the meantime, we're not sure what to do next. We've been giving her steamy showers about every other day, but are kind of in a holding pattern for now as we go through this round of Baytril while waiting for the additional results. We're kind of wondering if it could just be allergies or something (do birds get allergies?). Maybe there's a bacteria that's resistant to Baytril, or is there a "bird cold" (which, I guess would be a virus)?
We do have two other, slightly older birds (green cheeked conure, cockatiel) who are kept separately from her, and they're healthy from what we've seen. We also have two guinea pigs in the same room as her (on the opposite side, separated by a RabbitAir air filter). Could they cause an allergic reaction in her?
Thank you for any insight or recommendations.
So, as a note, we are and have been seeing an avian vet for the last month or so for what we suspect to be an upper respiratory infection. We have not yet found an exact reason for it and are currently on our second round of Baytril (14 days). We are welcoming any thoughts or ideas.
We have a 6-month-old Lilac Crowned Amazon who, when we got her, would sneeze on occasion (like two or three times a day, nothing abnormal). Her initial blood work and tests (PBFD, Psittacosis, etc.) were great. But, about a month later, we noticed some wet sneezes and a bit of nasal discharge (thin, clear, slightly runny). We brought her to the vet and did a gram stain of a throat swab, which found greater than normal amounts of bacteria. Physically (heart, lungs, feathers, etc.), everything sounded or looked fine. We were prescribed Baytril once a day for 14 days, and she improved and was doing great (maintaining weight, lots of Amazon energy).
About a week after finishing the antibiotics, the discharge came back. The vet did another throat swab gram stain and found less bacteria than before, but still more than normal. She also saw a little bit of yeast. She recommended a nasal flush and culturing the discharge. We didn't start any medication at this time as she wanted to be sure what was there first. However, three days later, the discharge was a bit worse (it looked like it was pooling in the nostril like a clear gel, rather than thin and runny like before). She had also lost a little bit of weight (about 8 grams over the 10 days since she finished the first round of Baytril), audibly sounded stuffy, and wasn't as active as before. Our vet hadn't heard back regarding the culture, but started us on Baytril again (14 days, same daily dose) as well as a probiotic and a recommendation to use apple cider vinegar in her water (for the possible yeast). We also did a fecal gram stain (I was concerned about yeast in the GI tract even though her feces physically looked fine) and saw nothing. Also her heart and lungs sounded good.
We're now a little over a week into this round of Baytril and she's definitely improving (gained 5 grams in weight and has more energy), but, unlike before, is still having occasional discharge. We heard back about the culture and nothing was found, just "normal bacteria" in elevated amounts -- no yeast or anything else. The vet requested a sensitivity to determine what those amounts are.
In the meantime, we're not sure what to do next. We've been giving her steamy showers about every other day, but are kind of in a holding pattern for now as we go through this round of Baytril while waiting for the additional results. We're kind of wondering if it could just be allergies or something (do birds get allergies?). Maybe there's a bacteria that's resistant to Baytril, or is there a "bird cold" (which, I guess would be a virus)?
We do have two other, slightly older birds (green cheeked conure, cockatiel) who are kept separately from her, and they're healthy from what we've seen. We also have two guinea pigs in the same room as her (on the opposite side, separated by a RabbitAir air filter). Could they cause an allergic reaction in her?
Thank you for any insight or recommendations.
