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Parrots and strokes - what can I do?

Fuzzy

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Chico is over 50 years old, has bad arthritis in his legs, cannot fly, is only partially sighted and has a ruptured air sac in his cheek. Last year he had a suspected stroke. The vet said I should encourage him to exercise his neck muscles so that he can hold his head straight again, which I've been doing. The bent head, although still bent to one side is better than it was. It goes back to being very bent when he's tired. Is there anything I can do holistically/naturally to help him?

 

Clueless

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Fuzzy

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Thanks Clueless! :)
 

ncGreyBirdLady

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Poor baby! Have you tried using a collar/brace? Does it hurt him when you lift his head? Here is information about torticollis which is what he has now

torticollis in parrots - Bing

There is lots of reading about what you can try.Keep Us posted and :hug8::hug8::hug8:for you and that sweet old man!
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Oh gosh. God Bless dear Chico. Do you give him any meds? Does he have a platform perch to rest on? Maybe that would help a little.
 

Macawnutz

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If he were younger I would push harder but I'm imagining this being Rosie. Massage, warm water baths if he would like standing in one. I would definitely be making some sort of sleeping bed with high sides if he would like to use one. Does the vet believe pain is involved or just the tension?
 

Hankmacaw

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Poor Chico how uncomfortable that must be. Is he still eating ok?

You have received more advice than I would have for you. The only thing I would emphasize is to provide him with a box or a flat surface to sleep on so he can get some rest without worrying about falling. Sometimes the results of a stroke will resolve themselves with time - I certainly hope so.
 

webchirp

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Poor baby...:sadhug2:
 

Fuzzy

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Poor baby! Have you tried using a collar/brace? Does it hurt him when you lift his head? Here is information about torticollis which is what he has now

torticollis in parrots - Bing

There is lots of reading about what you can try.Keep Us posted and :hug8::hug8::hug8:for you and that sweet old man!
Thank you - I didn't know it was called torticollis - yep lots of reading I can do now. :) I don't lift his head really, but I skritch his head (which he loves now) so that he tries to move it himself to the other side. He's mainly a hands off bird - he was extremely aggressive towards female humans when he first arrived.
 

Brittany0208

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He's lucky to have you. If I may ask, what's his story?
 

Fuzzy

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Oh gosh. God Bless dear Chico. Do you give him any meds? Does he have a platform perch to rest on? Maybe that would help a little.
Thanks Mockinbirdiva. I wasn't given any meds to give him. Unfortunately because of his arthritis and sitting on a plastic perch for most of his years, his feet won't open flat so he can't walk on platforms.
 

Brittany0208

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What's his cage setup like? Having fleece to sit on may make him more comfortable and take pressure off his feet.
 

Fuzzy

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If he were younger I would push harder but I'm imagining this being Rosie. Massage, warm water baths if he would like standing in one. I would definitely be making some sort of sleeping bed with high sides if he would like to use one. Does the vet believe pain is involved or just the tension?
Thank you Macawnutz. Sadly I can't really touch him except for skritches. This is his night time set up because he insists on sitting on perches. I put a wrapped box under him as he tends to slip off backwards because the locking mechanism in his feet doesn't work because of his arthritis. These were pics I took last night just before putting him to bed:



 

Fuzzy

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Poor Chico how uncomfortable that must be. Is he still eating ok?

You have received more advice than I would have for you. The only thing I would emphasize is to provide him with a box or a flat surface to sleep on so he can get some rest without worrying about falling. Sometimes the results of a stroke will resolve themselves with time - I certainly hope so.
Thanks Hankmacaw. Hoping that maybe this will resolve itself in time. Sadly he won't stay on the bottom of his cage for long. I do provide a box at night to hold him up (as above). The bottom of his cage is raised and padded. But I think because he can't open his feet flat, he prefers sitting on a perch. Here's a pic of him on his cage bottom/platform:

 

Fuzzy

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What's his cage setup like? Having fleece to sit on may make him more comfortable and take pressure off his feet.
I am rethinking the surface of his platform. I have washable dog pee pads arriving any day now. Right now, during the day I am using disposable pee pads - at night I put newspaper over the top.
 

Fuzzy

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He seems fairly happy. Still talks - would shred if I left the newspaper on the bottom of his cage during the day. He's eating ok - just sideways. I don't know if he's in pain. I would assume if he was he wouldn't talk and shred and play.
 

Davi

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Thanks Mockinbirdiva. I wasn't given any meds to give him. Unfortunately because of his arthritis and sitting on a plastic perch for most of his years, his feet won't open flat so he can't walk on platforms.
We could still try to figure something out that combines a round perch with a flat perch (I can see it in my head, but it's hard to explain). At any rate, it seems like you're getting lots of great advice. I'm so glad he has you in his life!
 

sunnysmom

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I would maybe ask about meds to make him more comfortable if you think he's in pain. As for the stroke, my cockatiel had one. There's not a lot to be done for the stroke itself but some dietary changes seemed to help my tiel. I started giving him senior nutriberries and looked for foods with vitamin B in them. I also eliminated broccoli from his diet (which he loved) but it has vitamin K in it which can thicken the blood so to speak. So not what you want for animals at risk for stroke. He's a lovely bird and lucky to have you.
 
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