Urgent Recurring Crop infection

[apollo1017]

Hello,

I have a friend who has a cockatiel that I believe is about 1 year old at this point. This bird is eating harrisons pellets and given regular attention, so this is certainly not a case of neglect or bad diet.

A couple months ago, said bird had a very large looking crop that did not seem to go away. The vet eventually determined that it was the rest of swallowing air, which he had not seen in a cockatiel before.

This bird has also had recurring crop infections, where she will have an enlarged crop for awhile, throw up, be brought to the vet, treated for the infection, brought home, rinse and repeat.

The owner will not be able to keep ip with these vet bills especially as this problem keeps recurring. I cant help but wonder if part of the problem is thay the vet does not know how to troubleshoot the problem.Has anyone had this happen before? Is this something that can be solved?

I would hate for this bird to suffer or be put down/given up. Please advise. Some images of the bird with the large crop can be seen here.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Has his vet ever done a culture and sensitivity to determine exactly what bacteria/fungus is in the crop and a sensitivity will tell exactly which antibiotics/fungicide it is sensitive to. Has the vet ever done a crop ash to see if there may be something else happening.

 

[apollo1017]

They will ask the vet.

 

[Mizzely]

I would definitely ask for a culture and sensitivity.

I also would look around the cage for areas where reinfection could occur.

For example, does her bird regurgitate, especially onto a specific toy or perch?

Is new food in a clean bowl provided daily (vs reusing a bowl for a few days, or giving a few days worth of food at a time). Same question for water bowl.

If it were me, I would gut the cage, clean it thoroughly, then use a disinfectant (F10 if possible). I would clean any toys I'm able to, put perches through the dishwasher (no rinse agent), and put aside any toys that have porous surfaces for a few months. Change out food daily with a clean bowl, and change the water bowl twice a day.

A lot of work but definitely cheaper!

 

[apollo1017]

Those definitely sound like good approaches. Any idea what would be causing the air swallowing? Or how to mitigate it?

 

[Peachfaced]

The air issue might be a ruptured air sac? I don't think the bird is swallowing air.

 

[sunnysmom]

How much does the bird weigh? I am not a fan of an all pellet diet for tiels. It can be hard on their kidneys. I think they need vegetables and seed too. Also your friend may want to ask the vet about giving probiotics too.