RebeccaP
Meeting neighbors
In early August, my 17 year old sun conure started spending more time on the bottom of her cage. She has always gone down there to hunt around but she didn't seem well. She continued to be less and less active and when I noticed that her abdomen was enlarged, I took her to an avain vet on August 18.
These were the findings after an exam/x-ray:
Age: 17 years
Weight: 106 g
Abdomen: palpable fluid, enlarged abdominal organs (liver)
Heart: grade III/IV heart murmur
Respiratory: increased rate and effort
Muscoskeletal: feather destruction of coverts and wing primaries. Piching on legs and tops of thighs.
Problems / Diagnosis: heart murmur, organ enlargement, ascites
Recommendations: Xrays show severe liver enlargement with loss of normal heart/liver silhouette. There is fluid building up in the abdomen making it difficult to breath.
The vet called a few days later and said that her immune system is shot. She said she concluded that Willie probably had cancer.
She prescribed metronidazole and she improved dramatically, but we have experienced a roller-coaster - some days she seemed completely well, other days she seemed near death.
After the first round of meds ran out (14 days), she went from being very active/happy to being very sickly acting. I called the vet and she suggested that I come and pick up another prescription of metronidazole. We have been administering it every day ever since and she has been doing fairly well. Her droppings are green, white, and contain some mucus.
Ok. Here's where it gets strange.
Because Willie was spending so much time on the bottom of the cage, I fixed a little hiding place made of old pillowcases and baby blankets. While I out of the country for a couple of weeks, my husband called and made a very surprising announcement. One morning he looked in her little hiding place and she had laid an egg! Up until that point, 17 years into her life, we were not 100% sure which sex she was!
The vet recommended that we remove the egg but said nothing about the "nest area".
Her weight has fluctuated between 106, to 112, and back down to 106. The covert feathers have come back in but they do not sit completely flat. The swelling in her abdoment has gone down slightly.
I have basically not received any further advice. The vet seems to be sticking to the idea that she has cancer and that I should keep her on the metronidazole.
Can anyone recommend other tests we should be doing? Should her nest been removed?
The vet I am consulting is an avian vet.
These were the findings after an exam/x-ray:
Age: 17 years
Weight: 106 g
Abdomen: palpable fluid, enlarged abdominal organs (liver)
Heart: grade III/IV heart murmur
Respiratory: increased rate and effort
Muscoskeletal: feather destruction of coverts and wing primaries. Piching on legs and tops of thighs.
Problems / Diagnosis: heart murmur, organ enlargement, ascites
Recommendations: Xrays show severe liver enlargement with loss of normal heart/liver silhouette. There is fluid building up in the abdomen making it difficult to breath.
The vet called a few days later and said that her immune system is shot. She said she concluded that Willie probably had cancer.
She prescribed metronidazole and she improved dramatically, but we have experienced a roller-coaster - some days she seemed completely well, other days she seemed near death.
After the first round of meds ran out (14 days), she went from being very active/happy to being very sickly acting. I called the vet and she suggested that I come and pick up another prescription of metronidazole. We have been administering it every day ever since and she has been doing fairly well. Her droppings are green, white, and contain some mucus.
Ok. Here's where it gets strange.
Because Willie was spending so much time on the bottom of the cage, I fixed a little hiding place made of old pillowcases and baby blankets. While I out of the country for a couple of weeks, my husband called and made a very surprising announcement. One morning he looked in her little hiding place and she had laid an egg! Up until that point, 17 years into her life, we were not 100% sure which sex she was!
The vet recommended that we remove the egg but said nothing about the "nest area".
Her weight has fluctuated between 106, to 112, and back down to 106. The covert feathers have come back in but they do not sit completely flat. The swelling in her abdoment has gone down slightly.
I have basically not received any further advice. The vet seems to be sticking to the idea that she has cancer and that I should keep her on the metronidazole.
Can anyone recommend other tests we should be doing? Should her nest been removed?
The vet I am consulting is an avian vet.
Did your vet say anything about Milk Thistle for the liver issue or Aloe Detox? Along with the heart murmur I am not sure so I would rather have some more experienced members try to help you. Someone will be along here shortly. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
