Arggghhh Foot!

[12345678910112]

Nice to read that she is getting better, she is such a sweet bird

 

[EkkieLu]

So happy to hear she's recovering nicely!!!

 

[Rain Bow]

Sending healing thoughts your way! I'm glad she's healing well! Has her appetite gotten better?

 

[Kodigirl210]

Sif has gotten better as far as her foot goes. The vet feels eventually both of the toes that were partially amputated will need to be removed completely but hopefully that’s a long ways down the road.

Her appetite isn’t bad but now the blindness is kicking in so we still struggle to get her to eat enough. She’s been a lot more irritated and grouchy since the left eye started to go bad about 2 weeks ago now. Full blindness expected shortly. We’ll see how every thing goes once that happens.

 

[Rain Bow]

Sif has gotten better as far as her foot goes. The vet feels eventually both of the toes that were partially amputated will need to be removed completely but hopefully that’s a long ways down the road.

Her appetite isn’t bad but now the blindness is kicking in so we still struggle to get her to eat enough. She’s been a lot more irritated and grouchy since the left eye started to go bad about 2 weeks ago now. Full blindness expected shortly. We’ll see how every thing goes once that happens.

Oh I'm sorry about the blindness! May I ask what's causing it. Do birds have the same issues as people like age related blindness (macular degeneration) or is it something simpler like hitting it or cataracts?

Buddy has issues w/ his eyes & some arthritis I think they can both make him Ornery!

 

[12345678910112]

Sif has gotten better as far as her foot goes. The vet feels eventually both of the toes that were partially amputated will need to be removed completely but hopefully that’s a long ways down the road.

Her appetite isn’t bad but now the blindness is kicking in so we still struggle to get her to eat enough. She’s been a lot more irritated and grouchy since the left eye started to go bad about 2 weeks ago now. Full blindness expected shortly. We’ll see how every thing goes once that happens.

Nice to read he is getting better but l really do hope his eyesight improves poor baby. Sending prayers . Maybe you can try to use some rose water it is a really good tool to clear up their eye infections or give relief till medicine and has no side affects what so ever maybe it can Sif relief and clear up his eyes along with the meds.

 

[Kodigirl210]

No there is no reversal for this. Trauma induced cataracts. The right side lens has already detached which or may not lead taking the eye out - hopefully not. The left lens seems partially detached so that will also be a higher risk to do anything right now. We just have to wait for it to detach completely or not.

She didn’t have a nice mommy bird so we just do what we can. Her days of being able to see are mostly gone but thank you for your kind thoughts and comments

 

[iamwhoiam]

So sorry about the blindness. Sif is lucky to have you.

 

[Lady Jane]

Thanks for being all things in Sifs world. Sweet birds should not have such a tough road to travel.

 

[Rain Bow]

No there is no reversal for this. Trauma induced cataracts. The right side lens has already detached which or may not lead taking the eye out - hopefully not. The left lens seems partially detached so that will also be a higher risk to do anything right now. We just have to wait for it to detach completely or not.

She didn’t have a nice mommy bird so we just do what we can. Her days of being able to see are mostly gone but thank you for your kind thoughts and comments

Trauma induced cateracts. Is it from her hitting her eyes on things. I ask because Buddy's been having some eye issues. I'm not sure if he banged them or what. The vets not positive that they're impacts or from bad diet (fat deposits in the eyes). She mentioned him seeing a optical Dr. But didn't seem overly concerned. She prescribed some NSAID eye drops. I'm so sorry Sif is going through this. Is she having pain & if it's possibly the same thing, are there any steps you may recommend? Like should we be pushing for the eye Dr.

I know there is a possibility of species crossover, Buddy's a Zon. I assume Sif, may be a grey? Only cause her feet look bigger.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Shezbug]

Oh I hadn’t realised what a horrible tough road Sif and you have traveled.

I’m so glad Sif has you as you seem to be so caring and on top of everything that is needed.

Best wishes to both you and Sif

 

[Kodigirl210]

Yes Sif is a CAG Sorry for the long post but there’s no short answer.

Sif’s feather mother, as far as we can tell, bit her head. During the bites she struck the eyes. Since CAG/TAGs all start with coal black eyes we didn’t notice the issue right off. Going back now over the pics I took from the time she was pulled from the nest, I can see the damage was there even back then.

She has these 3-little feather on the top of her head we call her Too-crest. There’s an actual indent there from a bite. Her left eye ridge also shows soft tissue damage. And you can see the start of the cloudiness once you know what to look for. Her left eye has never lightened to grey like it should. It remains a kind of murky brown.

The lens has detached. Our vet said it will drift in the eye for a while but eventually it will hit bottom and the eye will become inflamed at which point she will be put on NSAIDs. The left is destined to follow and it has now. If medication doesn’t work, then I believe we will have to remove it. Currently she has no pain from it but I’m to check frequently to make sure there’s no infection or inflammation.

Our vet also said going to a specialist won’t change the outcome which is why we didn’t bother.

As I understand - birds can get trauma induced from anything. If they have run into a patio door or a wall while attempting to fly or striking a cage accidentally or being bit etc. The impact trauma doesn’t have to be directly on the eye, it just has to be part of it.

The other possibilities are vitamin deficiency during the breeding process of the parents, genetics, diabetes and age. In your case, depending on the age of your bird (10y or less), I would want to have a definitive cause from a specialist just so I would know if I needed to look for secondary issue such as diabetes or liver issues.

If it’s diet related, it’s possible Buddy is pre-diabetic or diabetic and you would definitely want to treat that. Did he have bloodwork done as well? That normally includes a glucose level which would let you know if diabetes is an issue.

If it’s trauma, then as with Sif not much can be done but to allow the progression. You just build yours and their life around that.

Meaning her perch and cage are in the same place all the time. They are never moved. Pellets and seeds on the left, fruit and veggies on the right whether on cage or perch. Nothing is moved around in the house either. It’s stayed the same since we realized her vision was going.

Our fids have very very good memory and as long as we keep everything the same she can still fly minimal distance like to my recliner or to the kitchen.

I’ve wrestled with clipping her and in the end I’m only going to do a trim - removing 2 of her primaries on each wing. She needs to be able to fly. Without that i think her depression would be so deep as to be insurmountable.

Surgery is no longer an option for us but it wasn’t to begin with and the vet confirmed. All that I’ve read suggested they needed to be raptor sized to have a good chance of success and survival. In parrot terms that’s a B&G Macaw size.

I won’t lie. Some days it’s a really hard pill to swallow. She was barely 3 months old when she went blind in her right eye and 7 months for left eye. She is just 8 months old right now and I wait daily for the other shoe to drop aka inflammation/infection.

Sif however is a trooper and a mama’s girl who loves to be cuddled and snuggled. I get super support from the members on AA and from my friends and fam. I figure she lost her sight but I got the most snuggle-worthy CAG ever so how can you be sad about that?

 

[Rain Bow]

Yes Sif is a CAG Sorry for the long post but there’s no short answer.

Sif’s feather mother, as far as we can tell, bit her head. During the bites she struck the eyes. Since CAG/TAGs all start with coal black eyes we didn’t notice the issue right off. Going back now over the pics I took from the time she was pulled from the nest, I can see the damage was there even back then.

She has these 3-little feather on the top of her head we call her Too-crest. There’s an actual indent there from a bite. Her left eye ridge also shows soft tissue damage. And you can see the start of the cloudiness once you know what to look for. Her left eye has never lightened to grey like it should. It remains a kind of murky brown.

The lens has detached. Our vet said it will drift in the eye for a while but eventually it will hit bottom and the eye will become inflamed at which point she will be put on NSAIDs. The left is destined to follow and it has now. If medication doesn’t work, then I believe we will have to remove it. Currently she has no pain from it but I’m to check frequently to make sure there’s no infection or inflammation.

Our vet also said going to a specialist won’t change the outcome which is why we didn’t bother.

As I understand - birds can get trauma induced from anything. If they have run into a patio door or a wall while attempting to fly or striking a cage accidentally or being bit etc. The impact trauma doesn’t have to be directly on the eye, it just has to be part of it.

The other possibilities are vitamin deficiency during the breeding process of the parents, genetics, diabetes and age. In your case, depending on the age of your bird (10y or less), I would want to have a definitive cause from a specialist just so I would know if I needed to look for secondary issue such as diabetes or liver issues.

If it’s diet related, it’s possible Buddy is pre-diabetic or diabetic and you would definitely want to treat that. Did he have bloodwork done as well? That normally includes a glucose level which would let you know if diabetes is an issue.

If it’s trauma, then as with Sif not much can be done but to allow the progression. You just build yours and their life around that.

Meaning her perch and cage are in the same place all the time. They are never moved. Pellets and seeds on the left, fruit and veggies on the right whether on cage or perch. Nothing is moved around in the house either. It’s stayed the same since we realized her vision was going.

Our fids have very very good memory and as long as we keep everything the same she can still fly minimal distance like to my recliner or to the kitchen.

I’ve wrestled with clipping her and in the end I’m only going to do a trim - removing 2 of her primaries on each wing. She needs to be able to fly. Without that i think her depression would be so deep as to be insurmountable.

Surgery is no longer an option for us but it wasn’t to begin with and the vet confirmed. All that I’ve read suggested they needed to be raptor sized to have a good chance of success and survival. In parrot terms that’s a B&G Macaw size.

I won’t lie. Some days it’s a really hard pill to swallow. She was barely 3 months old when she went blind in her right eye and 7 months for left eye. She is just 8 months old right now and I wait daily for the other shoe to drop aka inflammation/infection.

Sif however is a trooper and a mama’s girl who loves to be cuddled and snuggled. I get super support from the members on AA and from my friends and fam. I figure she lost her sight but I got the most snuggle-worthy CAG ever so how can you be sad about that?

Fid love!

Buddy's between 20-25. His bloodwk was beautiful. Vets words. His isn't cloudy, it's weird. I looked into a bunch of different eye disorders & haven't been able to tell what it is other than nothing I could find on the internet.

Thanks for the long post. It's not cloudy but looks like lumps almost on the eye lens itself. It seems when the clear lid closes & then the outer lid goes it hurts. He almost winses.

If you ask him if it hurts he makes a noise turns the worst of his eyes & closes the lids & doesn't open it up for a bit. He literally tells me like a little kid does that it's his eye.

i wonder if it's his diet prior to being here. It looked like my Dad had him on Dry fruit & seeds. Whether this was the norm or not, I'm not sure. Evidence-based support & cleaning out the house suggests it was. It saddens me so, & I hope he'll be w/ us for a long time. I fear that after 2 years of the best fresh & cooked diet I could give him & removal of all but 2 tblspoons of seeds a day, that it's damage was done to his eyes & why my Dad hadn 't seen this & not taken him to a vet is beyond me.

I'm hoping to start trying sprouting this week. That's our next diet hurdle. Plus maybe it'll save a veggie a week! Lol, I know wishful thinking!

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Kodigirl210]

@Shezbug - Thank you. I know in my situation some people would have given up. I know first hand how tough it can be.

She’s mine and I am hers so it was never even a question for me.

Most everyone has been very supportive and I educated myself quickly on how to make sure Sif and our little flock thrived.

There will always be naysayers, people who think they know me or know more or just flat out trolls. Luckily I’ve learned to make liberal use of the tools on hand to help me block out the noise lol.

It’s also why I try to help anyone who asks & is willing to listen because someone else did that for me and I want to pay it forward

 

[Kodigirl210]

@Rain Bow - I understand that calcium can sometimes deposit on the lens of the eyes and that is primarily caused by bad diet.

It doesn’t sound at all like its trauma or genetics or even age. And yes, unfortunately the damage is irreversible.

I am also guessing that like my vet, you’re knows the parameters for surgery and Buddy wouldn’t be a candidate due to size and age.

In your case I would absolutely go to an ophthalmologist. If it indeed crystallized calcium on his lenses that means every time he blinks his eyelids are getting scraped. That could end up doing permanent damage, causing eye infections or distort his eye lids from scar tissue. What was your vet thinking?

​

Ugh! I hate when doctor try to limit liability by ignoring the possibilities. Take him a soon as you can to a specialist. If nothing else I would think they could give you drops to help with the actual pain and not just with potential swelling.

I’m sorry you’re going through this but Buddy sounds amazing being so engaging through the pain, as well as having very caring parronts, and hopefully he should live a very long, happy, life.

 

[12345678910112]

Thank you so much for taking care of her she is very lucky to have you. I agree with you it doesn't matter weather she can see or not she has to be one of the best birds. And i'm sure she really appreciates every thing you do for her birds have a different way of letting you know and it is the best feeling in the world. I hope she doesn't have to go through surgery again and have her eyes removed and her eyes don't hurt too much. She is such a brave bird to have gone through this.

 

[Rain Bow]

@Rain Bow - I understand that calcium can sometimes deposit on the lens of the eyes and that is primarily caused by bad diet.

It doesn’t sound at all like its trauma or genetics or even age. And yes, unfortunately the damage is irreversible.

I am also guessing that like my vet, you’re knows the parameters for surgery and Buddy wouldn’t be a candidate due to size and age.

In your case I would absolutely go to an ophthalmologist. If it indeed crystallized calcium on his lenses that means every time he blinks his eyelids are getting scraped. That could end up doing permanent damage, causing eye infections or distort his eye lids from scar tissue. What was your vet thinking?

​

Ugh! I hate when doctor try to limit liability by ignoring the possibilities. Take him a soon as you can to a specialist. If nothing else I would think they could give you drops to help with the actual pain and not just with potential swelling.

I’m sorry you’re going through this but Buddy sounds amazing being so engaging through the pain, as well as having very caring parronts, and hopefully he should live a very long, happy, life.

Yes, I was think calcium Protein or Fat. Been looking at eye issues for days. She gave him drops that have NSAIDS in them, my husband & I worry about the long term effects. Asked her about mineral oil drops, & am having a hard time w/ her. I'm really thinking about another vet because the reasons are just stacking up. I'm not sure if the other person I was thinking about is still around, but either way I'm thinking Eye Dr. Still have more research to do on it. Thanks again for your help!

 

[Kodigirl210]

I don’t like vets who won’t answer questions. It makes me suspicious that they are relying on a little bit of knowledge from vet school or internship and not actual experience.

I would absolutely see a specialist and as soon as possible. I’m by no means an expert but it seems NSAIDs directly in the eye isn’t going to do anything for deposits on his lenses. Also, I can’t imagine them being safe either. If they can eat a whole in a human’s stomach, what would it to the eyes?

Those are never meant for long term use but the current vet doesn’t want to get caught out and you knowing she doesn’t have much beyond a Google clue of what she is doing! Buddy deserves better.

Hope you can get him a better vet soon!

 

[Rain Bow]

I don’t like vets who won’t answer questions. It makes me suspicious that they are relying on a little bit of knowledge from vet school or internship and not actual experience.

I would absolutely see a specialist and as soon as possible. I’m by no means an expert but it seems NSAIDs directly in the eye isn’t going to do anything for deposits on his lenses. Also, I can’t imagine them being safe either. If they can eat a whole in a human’s stomach, what would it to the eyes?

Those are never meant for long term use but the current vet doesn’t want to get caught out and you knowing she doesn’t have much beyond a Google clue of what she is doing! Buddy deserves better.

Hope you can get him a better vet soon!

Funny thing is she's supposed to be the best according to some people we know who had some Macaws. I told my husband the other day, I was think about a new vet. I'm really not impressed w/ this one. We're both hoping that other guys still around.

Now, I'm more worried about his eyes. He's not a spring chick, but I was thinking we had another 10-15 years before he'd be a senior bird considering they live to 50-60. I know hes no more than 25 ish years. I wish my Dad had taken better care of Buddy. Pure lack of knowledge is what saddens me about it. But all I can do is continue on his best path from here!

 

[Kodigirl210]

I hate to say it but vets are humans too. While my vet won’t treat a hawk or a budgie or a CAG or an Amazon or a macaw differently-other vets do not feel the same.

It’s very possible that she is absolutely wonderful with macaws since that is her bird of preference or she prefers the larger avians to the smaller. I saw my vet’s partner once, instead of mine because he was out of town and I was deeply concerned about her toe which had become bound up again.

It was obvious that she was as uncomfortable with a CAG as she was comfortable with a GCC. And I know CAGs have some bad reps but everyone knows Sif there and there wasn’t one person she wouldn’t allow to hold her nor did she try to bite vindictively. The vet took her in the back to try to loosen the skin around the toes.

When I got my poor Sif back I thought she was going to literally die of a heart attack. She was panting heavily, shaking and could barely stand. I was beyond pissed. I will never allow the partner vet to ever touch my CAG again. I’d break all of her fingers and go to jail first. And she had the nerve to say she didn’t know what the big deal was and they could spray her with water.

I was thinking MORON she’s afraid of water bottles for whatever reason but let’s not even think to ask, let’s just offer a solution and get the visit over with.

So yah, I don’t rely on people’s say so past the time I meet the person. It can get me in the door but it can’t make me stay.

You’re doing everything you can for Buddy and in time, his eyes may just be a passing annoyance. Once he has the layout of the house, his food and water dish, etc he will memorize it and fly with his eyes closed if necessary. No saying that he can’t live a couple more decades at the very least since the doctor said his bloodwork was excellent.