Urgent Sick budgie- Sad Update Post #14

[karen256]

Poor Sammy (3 yr old budgie) is sick.

He was fine, his usual energetic self last night. Today he started looking miserable and sick. Of course I'll be calling the vet when they open tomorrow morning.

But, in the meantime I want to do what I can for him. His symptoms are fairly generic - seeking out the warmest spot (snuggled into the crook of my arm right now), eyes closed, fluffed, standing on both feet (not a relaxed resting pose), very watery but normal colored droppings.

He seems to be stretching his neck/adjusting his crop a little more often than usual which makes me think crop infection or impaction.

I'm scared to bring the little guy to the vet because he's such an excitable, high strung little bird. He's very tame and acts all calm and confident.. until something changes. Moving one piece of furniture sends him into panic mode. He's my only bird I haven't taken to the vet for routine checkups, because in his case, I think the stress would outweigh the benefits. I know if he still seems off tomorrow, I'll have to go, but any ideas for making it less stressful?

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Hmmm... to keep him calm you might try covering the carrier he's in with a blanket or something. As long as being in the dark doesn't spook him. I'd him covered until you need to have the vet examine him.

Best of luck with him. I hope it's nothing serious

 

[Tara81]

Cover the cage when u take him to the vet maybe and keep him warm. Aww. My budgie just got over being sick. The antibotics got him eating in 4 hours it was amazing. They say the bird will hide illness for a long time until it's too hard to hide, so I would bring him as soon as possible.

I had to give my budgie antibotics for 2 weeks and he hated it . The first 2 days were easy because he was weak and didn't struggle . After that he chirped sad chirps like I was killing him, bit me if he wiggles free, and wiggles like crazy . So glad today was the last day of treatment! I wish they could tell we are just helping them.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm so sorry to hear that Sammy is sick. I hope the vet visit goes well, and he feels better soon!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sorry Sammy is sick. Hope vet can determine what is wrong and that Sammy will be better soon.

 

[sunnysmom]

I hope he's okay. Let us know how the vet visit goes.

 

[karen256]

Thanks for the good wishes. His regular vet couldn't see him until tomorrow, so I took him to an emergency vet (which is actually much closer and more convenient than his normal vet).
They did an x-ray and he seems to have something dense in his GI tract. They asked if I gave him grit, as it was dense enough to be stone or metal chips. Of course he doesn't get grit and I can't imagine where he would've picked up stone or metal bits. I've never seem him chew on anything other than paper and kleenex, he doesn't even like balsa wood.
He's being treated for metal poisoning just in case and spending the day there in an incubator. I'll be going back in an hour or so to check in and take over some of his fresh food and his favorite mirror toy so he can hopefully be a little more comfortable.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Oh no, I wonder what it could be? I hope that they can figure out what it is and he will be okay!

 

[karen256]

When I went back to check in on him, he looked noticeably weaker (hopefully just from the stress from x-rays and injections).
The vet thought it looked like paint chips, wanted to treat him for lead (though I don't know how he would get to pain chips, and the house doesn't have lead paint). He was breathing normally at home but was breathing a little heavier at the vet, he always pants a bit when stressed and I tried telling the vet, but she still wanted to treat him with antibiotic injections twice a day.

Poor little guy, I worry that the stress alone of being in an unfamiliar place and being grabbed and injected could kill him, not that they aren't being nice to him, but he's just a very sensitive little bird even for a budgie.

 

[webchirp]

Hoping he feels better soon

 

[Donna turner]

Treating animals that can't know why your doing what your doing is so hard. I feel for you and your little guy and hope he's better soon

 

[sunnysmom]

Poor little guy. I hope he gets better soon.

 

[Hankmacaw]

White paint is how Hank got HMT. That was in 1998, so I don't know if white paint still has Zinc in it or not. It was fairly recent that they quit using Zinc for whitening paint.

 

[karen256]

The vet called a few hours after I left him the second time, Sammy passed away.

He never really showed symptoms of lead poisoning, nothing neurological, just general lethargy and seemed hungry but would regurgitate food. He was perfectly fine Saturday evening, I had even taken a video of him playing and flying, and I looked it over again and he seemed completely fine and normal. He didn't look sick at all until Sunday afternoon and by then it seemed better to wait until Mon morning so I could call my regular vet.
Poor little guy, I feel so bad leaving him alone and scared in an incubator, when I visited, all he wanted to do was climb up my arm out of the incubator.

Still can't think of how he could've swallowed paint chips (or whatever they were). His cage is the likeliest problem as it was a cheap cage with white paint, but I never saw him chew on it, and there's no damage to the paint except for normal-looking wear in a few places. It was a cheap finch flight cage I bought for when he was a baby until he could get around in a regular flight cage, but he liked it so much I kept using it. He was never locked in, but spent a lot of time on or in it, and slept on top of it every night.

 

[Begone]

No!
I saw that you had reply and was hoping for a happy update.
I'm so sorry for your loss!

 

[Menagerie Mama]

The vet called a few hours after I left him the second time, Sammy passed away.

I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[Hankmacaw]

I'm sorry about your baby. May he fly high and free.

 

[expressmailtome]

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[CeciliaZ]

I am so sorry

 

[WendyN]

I am very sorry.