I have a Maximillian Pionus named Reggie. We bought him from a pet store 16 years ago. They told us he was 6-8 months old, so he is really more like 17 years old.
About 10-11 yrs ago, the vet said his Uric Acid count was high and that he had gout. She said he would probably only last a few more years because of it and prescribed him a food that was low in protein.
Since then, we have fed him this prescription food, which is Roudybush AK (Avian Kidney) Pellets. (We order straight from Roudybush.)
About 6 weeks ago, we woke up one day to find him limping. We took him to the vet, thinking the gout was finally severe and was attacking his joints in the one foot. We did x-rays to reveal NO crystals in the swollen joints of his right foot. Nothing else abnormal was showing in the x-ray with exception of the swollen joint we could visually see.
The vet withdrew some of the fluid from the swollen leg and looked at it under a microscope to find it was a bacterial infection. She prescribed two weeks of Baytril and a pain medicine. We did that for two weeks and he definitely improved and seemed almost back to normal after the two weeks of medicine. A week after finishing the antibiotic, we noticed his grip had gotten weaker again (no limping though, but there was swelling again). We were back to Baytril again for 2 weeks, but it was not as strong a the first dose...Just finished that dose on Thursday. It didn't seem to work and the other foot is now swollen and can't grip with it either. We did do a CBC blood panel when we got the second round of Baytril. It did not come back with anything new...only expected things like high white blood cell count because of the bacterial infection we are treating. Vet said the Calcium was high, but that could be due to slight dehydration since his weight was a little down when they took his blood.
We were also giving him a 4 week round of Allopurinol at the same time. We decided to try this for the supposed gout since the Uric Acid number has gone up.
Took him to vet again today for a checkup after this second round of baytril. She didn't really say much. He has lost weight, which is not a good sign. We're giving him an antibiotic break and are just going to give him a pain medicine for a bit.
I was just so sure the antibiotic would make him all better...it hasn't. I think this may be the end for him and I'm just so sad. Thanks for letting me vent...so, very, sad!!
About 10-11 yrs ago, the vet said his Uric Acid count was high and that he had gout. She said he would probably only last a few more years because of it and prescribed him a food that was low in protein.
Since then, we have fed him this prescription food, which is Roudybush AK (Avian Kidney) Pellets. (We order straight from Roudybush.)
About 6 weeks ago, we woke up one day to find him limping. We took him to the vet, thinking the gout was finally severe and was attacking his joints in the one foot. We did x-rays to reveal NO crystals in the swollen joints of his right foot. Nothing else abnormal was showing in the x-ray with exception of the swollen joint we could visually see.
The vet withdrew some of the fluid from the swollen leg and looked at it under a microscope to find it was a bacterial infection. She prescribed two weeks of Baytril and a pain medicine. We did that for two weeks and he definitely improved and seemed almost back to normal after the two weeks of medicine. A week after finishing the antibiotic, we noticed his grip had gotten weaker again (no limping though, but there was swelling again). We were back to Baytril again for 2 weeks, but it was not as strong a the first dose...Just finished that dose on Thursday. It didn't seem to work and the other foot is now swollen and can't grip with it either. We did do a CBC blood panel when we got the second round of Baytril. It did not come back with anything new...only expected things like high white blood cell count because of the bacterial infection we are treating. Vet said the Calcium was high, but that could be due to slight dehydration since his weight was a little down when they took his blood.
We were also giving him a 4 week round of Allopurinol at the same time. We decided to try this for the supposed gout since the Uric Acid number has gone up.
Took him to vet again today for a checkup after this second round of baytril. She didn't really say much. He has lost weight, which is not a good sign. We're giving him an antibiotic break and are just going to give him a pain medicine for a bit.
I was just so sure the antibiotic would make him all better...it hasn't. I think this may be the end for him and I'm just so sad. Thanks for letting me vent...so, very, sad!!
Like said remember the good times, he knew he was loved and safe to the end. Nerd was with me to the end as well and spent his last day sitting on my arm till he passed, I still miss him almost 6 years later but I do remember all the good times and he knew he was safe and loved.
