Urgent Seizures

[Nami]

Just after Nimbus had finished his meds for his digestive bacterial/fungal problem, he seemed to be perking up and looking much better and even had a checkup appointment coming up soon.

Well today he had a seizure and fell to the bottom of the cage, I have never witnessed a seizure before and it was horrifying watching him convulse helplessly. I rushed him straight away to the vet, they can't do bloodwork or xrays yet because he is too weak. He has to stay at the clinic overnight to be monitored and crop fed and hopefully they will be able to run some tests tomorrow. The vet was very honest with me and said that she wasn't very optimistic about his condition and that I should prepare for the worst.
I am not ready to say goodbye to my baby boy yet and I am worried sick, his well bonded buddy is also very stressed.
Please keep him in your thoughts and send good vibes

 

[Lady Jane]

What medications was he on?

 

[Nami]

What medications was he on?

Enrofloxacin and Itraconazole, the vet suspects a liver-related problem. Really hoping he doesn't have any liver issues as a side effect from the anti-fungal meds

 

[Lady Jane]

That is what I was also thinking. I would get the vet to draw liver enzymes to be sure. There is holistic support for healing the liver. Amazon.com : Milk Thistle / Dandelion Liver Detox Extract for BIRDs - 2oz : Liver And Blood Detox Tea : Pet Supplies

 

[Nami]

That is what I was also thinking. I would get the vet to draw liver enzymes to be sure. There is holistic support for healing the liver. Amazon.com : Milk Thistle / Dandelion Liver Detox Extract for BIRDs - 2oz : Liver And Blood Detox Tea : Pet Supplies

Thanks so much, I'll see if I can find something similar here in aus because that particular product doesn't ship here. Is dandelion and milk thistle on it's own effective? Or just in a concentrated extract form?

 

[Hankmacaw]

You must use the extract. Seeds do not work, because the Silymarin in Milk Thistle does not realise through digestion, it must be extracted. One caution, make sure the MilkThistle is NOT in an alcohol suspension. Beats me since it is a liver medication, but some Milk thistle is in an alcohol suspension.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about Nimbus! I hope he pulls through and will be okay. You can also give him Vetri DMG for liver and immune support.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sorry about Nimbus and hope he will get better.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

 

[Macawnutz]

The DMG does possess anti-seizure activity.

 

[Nami]

The vet has prescribed him with a milk thistle extract for ongoing treatment.
My vet is now concerned of him having avian chlamydia, he ran a test which came back as inconclusive but suspicious. I have been sick for the past week and I'm now pretty afraid I may have contracted parrot fever as my symptoms are eerily similar and I do have a terrible immune system Since I've moved recently interstate I don't have a separate quarantine cage right now either and even if I did I think Artemis would already be infected. I honestly don't know much about avian chlamydia, can anyone shed some light please

 

[Begone]

I'm so sorry! Get well soon Nimbus!

 

[LunaLovebird]

The vet has prescribed him with a milk thistle extract for ongoing treatment.
My vet is now concerned of him having avian chlamydia, he ran a test which came back as inconclusive but suspicious. I have been sick for the past week and I'm now pretty afraid I may have contracted parrot fever as my symptoms are eerily similar and I do have a terrible immune system Since I've moved recently interstate I don't have a separate quarantine cage right now either and even if I did I think Artemis would already be infected. I honestly don't know much about avian chlamydia, can anyone shed some light please

One of my birds is a carrier for it. It's also called psittacosis or parrot fever (probably easier to google those). Transfer between birds and to people can occur by ingestion of saliva, faeces, and dander when the infection is active. Zoonosis is, I believe, rare. The disease itself is also quite rare. There are a couple of ways to test for it - I assume he did an immunochrome assay? If your guy is a carrier, active infection can flare up when stressed or sick. Try not to stress too much until your vet knows for sure. I will say that the treatment is not very fun. You generally have to do 6 weeks worth of weekly intramuscular injections with doxycycline. It's a painful process for them, and the drug can have some very severe reactions in some birds in rare cases.

If he does test positive, I would strongly suggest getting both birds treated. You would also want to clean and sanitise the heck out of everything. When Ani was first diagnosed, I spent the best part of two days tossing toys I couldn't clean, and soaking the rest in a solution of F10. It was exhausting.

My vet told me after Anakin was found to be a carrier to get to a doctor if I have persistent cold and flu type symptoms for more than a week. If that's the case, by all means see a doctor and inform them that your bird may have psittacosis.

 

[Featheredfuffs]

Oh I'm so sorry!!! Hope the little guy gets better!!!

 

[Nami]

My vet seems to positively believe he has it, because the clinic is far away from me he said I could also opt to orally inject the doxy at home (42 days worth). Apparently the injections are insanely expensive here.
I'll definitely purchase some F10 and give the whole cage a deep clean. Do you think it's pointless separating them considering all my house shares the same airspace? Or just keep them together and treat them both? They are a very well bonded pair and I don't want to stress Nimbus out even further.

Thanks so much for the advice and all the kind words everyone

 

[LunaLovebird]

This is the best link I came across in my research last year. Psittacosis | Parrot Fever

I would worry that the doxy the vet gave / gives you won't last very well over the 42 days. Those sorts of compounds tend to be unstable.

 

[LunaLovebird]

Oh, and re separating them. I wouldn't. Treat both for psittacosis, but don't add to the stress by separating them.

 

[Nami]

I would worry that the doxy the vet gave / gives you won't last very well over the 42 days. Those sorts of compounds tend to be unstable.

The vet said that he'd have to re-dispense and give me new medicine everytime the doxy would expire over the course. For the injections he said they would have to be weekly, he said that he finds the injections to be more reliable so maybe I should reconsider going with oral meds?

I'm also worried about infecting my other pets now considering that the article talks about it being able to spread to other mammals, I have rats, guinea pigs and dogs. How worried should I be? If they do get infected will it be minimal?

 

[LunaLovebird]

The vet said that he'd have to re-dispense and give me new medicine everytime the doxy would expire over the course. For the injections he said they would have to be weekly, he said that he finds the injections to be more reliable so maybe I should reconsider going with oral meds?

I'm also worried about infecting my other pets now considering that the article talks about it being able to spread to other mammals, I have rats, guinea pigs and dogs. How worried should I be? If they do get infected will it be minimal?

I would personally go with injections. They are known to be more efficacious. Still get both treated with the injections (not sure if that's what you were doing). The worst part about them is watching them afterwards. After the shot and a small dose of metacam, they quickly became drowsy and started trembling a lot and flicking their wings. It's hard to watch them in so much discomfort, but they recover quickly. Mine got their medication in the evening every week, so they were able to sleep it off. They were fortunate enough to only suffer a small amount of bruising and tenderness around the injection sites (your vet should change the place they give the jab every week to avoid muscle deterioration), but reactions do vary. Keep a close eye on them for a while afterwards, and get them back to the vet if they continue to be drowsy or out of character after a few hours or so. You've got this.

I do not know about other pets - perhaps ask the vet. My vet told me that my other bird, who is psittacosis free, should be okay unless she injests Anakin's saliva or poop. If your other animals are kept separate, I'd wager they're going to be okay, but it's best to ask.

 

[Nami]

I've had to move Nimbus to a smaller cage today as he is trying too hard to keep up with Artemis and is straining himself by trying to flying. He seems to still have trouble with mobility/motor skills and doesn't quite seem himself yet, I don't have any experience with seizures but I'm wondering if he will fully recover or if there will be permanent damage He seems to still have a bit of trouble perching and is mainly down on the floor