Vomiting medication + gas/bloating

[iamwhoiam]

When Becca was hospitalized I would generally visit her every day. One time I went there and was surprised to see the bottom of the Intensive Care Unit covered with sunflower seeds. I knew she wouldn't touch them and I was right. Vet told me that they were hoping to fatten her up. He was surprised that she wouldn't eat them because she had started eating other foods.

I do hope the ginger will be beneficial. Maybe try some baby food instead of the almond butter, just for the flavor.

Good you have experience tube feeding even though that was with larger birds. I probably should have learned but my birds would usually take food via syringe although Scully would take very little and that's why he went to "Birdie Day Care" for gavaging and observation. Vet felt that he would be OK with the short drive daily.

 

[soleaux]

The hardest part of gavage feeding is keeping yourself calm. You can do it. I would probably also try the ceftaz if I were you.

We’ll give it a shot. Hope it works

When Becca was hospitalized I would generally visit her every day. One time I went there and was surprised to see the bottom of the Intensive Care Unit covered with sunflower seeds. I knew she wouldn't touch them and I was right. Vet told me that they were hoping to fatten her up. He was surprised that she wouldn't eat them because she had started eating other foods.

I do hope the ginger will be beneficial. Maybe try some baby food instead of the almond butter, just for the flavor.

Good you have experience tube feeding even though that was with larger birds. I probably should have learned but my birds would usually take food via syringe although Scully would take very little and that's why he went to "Birdie Day Care" for gavaging and observation. Vet felt that he would be OK with the short drive daily.

I’m surprised too! I haven’t really heard of many birds larger than budgies that don’t like sunflower seeds (but as I type this, I remember that Tica won’t eat them either).

Do you have any particular brands that you like? I really wish my clinic was closer, it must have been so nice back then to be so close. If Basil declined badly enough to where I had to drop her off for EC, I wouldn’t be able to visit much.. really hope it doesn’t come to that.

 

[iamwhoiam]

We’ll give it a shot. Hope it works

I’m surprised too! I haven’t really heard of many birds larger than budgies that don’t like sunflower seeds (but as I type this, I remember that Tica won’t eat them either).

Do you have any particular brands that you like? I really wish my clinic was closer, it must have been so nice back then to be so close. If Basil declined badly enough to where I had to drop her off for EC, I wouldn’t be able to visit much.. really hope it doesn’t come to that.

I've used Gerber's and Earth's Best. Gerber has organic products now. Check out the ingredients because sometimes there are still ingredients added that I didn't want to give the birds. I usually did the applesauce and peaches and sometimes the sweet potato ones. I only added a tiny amount to the formula.

When Becca was ill I was going to a different vet and their office was 45 minutes to over an hour away. When she was ill she was generally hospitalized but I would try and visit her every day. I felt it was important for her.

What is Basil's normal weight?

 

[soleaux]

Thank you! I’ll go out and buy a couple to see which one she likes best.

Definitely. It’s so confusing and stressful and you don’t want them to think that they’ve been abandoned

Basil was 69-70g before this all happened. Even at that weight I felt like she could have put on a gram or two.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you! I’ll go out and buy a couple to see which one she likes best.

Definitely. It’s so confusing and stressful and you don’t want them to think that they’ve been abandoned

Basil was 69-70g before this all happened. Even at that weight I felt like she could have put on a gram or two.

Hopefully she'll keep more food down, start to want to eat more and will put the weight back on.

 

[iamwhoiam]

How did she do today with eating? Any vomiting?

 

[soleaux]

She didn’t eat much on her own today, but I found a combination of baby food and Emeraid that she will actually swallow when toweled! So I gave her some mLs and had to force a little but she “liked” it enough not to refuse it and aspirate. It wasn’t as much as I would have liked but want to go slow in case she vomits. No regurging today so, knock on wood.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Eating a bit more and no vomiting are both good things. Crossing my fingers for you and Basil.

 

[soleaux]

Thank you so much

I really hope the injections don’t start another round of vomiting Hoping for the best tomorrow!

 

[soleaux]

It went fairly well. I learned how to do the injection and just gave her the morning dose. Was really nervous but it went well. She got one last night in the clinic and I haven’t noticed any nausea (yet — knock on wood).

Vet said she looked into celebrex/sporanox interactions and it is probably minimal. So we’ll replace metacam with that in a week.

Hoping things look up!!!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sounds like she is doing better. How is her appetite?

 

[soleaux]

Her appetite has been not too great, I have to forcefeed her emeraid quite a bit between her meals. The vet didn’t have an extra ball tipped stainless steel gavaging tube in-house so I got one of the rubber ones. Those are the ones I worked with when I gavage fed seabirds, but I can’t for the life of me get it in her mouth! It’s so flexible and bendy that she just pushes it out with her tongue. So, until I can figure that out and the stainless steel one comes, it’s gonna be excrutiatingly slow forcefeeding, one unit on the syringe at a time..

 

[iamwhoiam]

Her appetite has been not too great, I have to forcefeed her emeraid quite a bit between her meals. The vet didn’t have an extra ball tipped stainless steel gavaging tube in-house so I got one of the rubber ones. Those are the ones I worked with when I gavage fed seabirds, but I can’t for the life of me get it in her mouth! It’s so flexible and bendy that she just pushes it out with her tongue. So, until I can figure that out and the stainless steel one comes, it’s gonna be excrutiatingly slow forcefeeding, one unit on the syringe at a time..

They tried to gavage Lucy at the vet when her weight dropped and she was eating very little. They were able to get a little bit into her but then she kept pushing on it and she broke the tip and also started bleeding on the side of her beak. She wound up vomiting the food. Syringe feeding her was very difficult even when I added some baby food to the formula.
Will she lick a bit of the formula off of your finger or off of a cracker or piece of toast? Will she eat almond butter on a piece of toast or cracker?

 

[soleaux]

They tried to gavage Lucy at the vet when her weight dropped and she was eating very little. They were able to get a little bit into her but then she kept pushing on it and she broke the tip and also started bleeding on the side of her beak. She wound up vomiting the food. Syringe feeding her was very difficult even when I added some baby food to the formula.
Will she lick a bit of the formula off of your finger or off of a cracker or piece of toast? Will she eat almond butter on a piece of toast or cracker?

Poor thing! It’s such a nightmare when they refuse to eat

She doesn’t like toast or bread or “gloopy” things, so no almond butter from a spoon, formula outside its syringe, warm mashy/moist textures like sweet potato or scrambled egg, etc. She often samples it and then runs off to rub her beak all over the bars/perches so I guess she hates how it feels.

She only wants to eat bell peppers, carrots, and apples.. so a very narrow selection of soft foods without protein

 

[soleaux]

Basil seems to be declining. I gavage her in the morning and at night, but other than that she won’t eat at all, I think from nausea.. her ulcers or the meds or both. She sleeps all day. This is much worse than weeks ago.

She doesn’t vomit after gavaging, but any food after that sets her off. This afternoon I tried to give her some apple, her absolute favorite, but she just tapped it with her beak without tasting it, and it was like the very thought of food made her sick. She immediately started head bobbing/trying to regurge and brought up some Emeraid from her early AM gavage (swallowed it back down though). I’ve been putting Reglan into her Emeraid and I make the Emeraid with ginger water, but it doesn’t seem to help at all. I asked about Reglan injections, but I don’t think they’ll help if the oral one doesn’t do anything.

A new exotics clinic opened just 25 minutes away from me, and the vet there gave me omeprazole for Basil’s GI bleed. The new vet wants to chelate for zinc. Her reasoning is that zinc levels are always variable depending on species so the test can be unreliable. She also mentioned she had cases in the past where the bird tested negative for zinc and the liver values were fine (which is what Basil’s tests looked like), but they chelated and then saw huge improvements.. Coupled with the paint test and Basil allegedly peeling some off and chewing on it.

I expressed concern that chelation would be hard on her but she said it wasn’t that hard on them... everything I’ve heard about it seems otherwise. My primary vet thinks chelation will hurt more than help. I also had some celebrex compounded but haven’t given it to her yet, both vets are nervous to use it because she’s still bleeding so much.

My primary vet is going to consult with Dr Scott Echols to see if we can get more answers, but I cannot help but feel like we are running out of time. Nothing is working.

 

[Mizzely]

I'm so sorry I love Dr. Echols; I hope he is able to help! Big hugs!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Oh, I’m so sorry to read that Basil seems to be declining. I hope you get some answers soon! Maybe Dr. Echols will have some good advice.

 

[Donna turner]

Just catching upon this. So sorry basil isnt improving

 

[Hankmacaw]

I'm glad you are getting a consult with Dr. Echols - he is the best of the best. I had to chelate my GW male for zinc toxicity. He ate the entire header above my patio window before I even new it. This was 21 years ago and all they had is DMSA and it is supposed to be much harder on them than the newer CaEDTA (?). He really didn't have any physical reaction. It was just that the stuff smells and tastes like rotten eggs.

If I were you, I would pay close attention to Dr. Echols' advice.

Get better soon, Basil. You are such a fighter.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I am sorry to read that Basil has taken a turn for the worse. Hoping that Dr. Echols will have some helpful recommendations. Come on Basil...get better!