Budgie Has a Tumor - Euthanasia

[Windsilver]

Hello Friends - I rescued my budgie about a year ago; I think she is 7 or 8 years old now. She pants very hard and droops her wings. Aside from that she still gets around okay and eats; although she does sleep a lot. She has been diagnosed with a tumor that is causing her to build up fluid in her abdomen. So my question is - euthanasia? I have an appointment to put her to sleep tomorrow; but I am torn because she still seems so perky sometimes. But I hate the thought of her fighting for every breath. Advice? Thoughts? Thank You.

 

[WikiWaz]

Do you know what kind of tumor? Renal? Ovarian?

 

[Shannan]

You know your animal and yourself better than anyone else. Whatever choice you make is the best one for you both. We are here to support you. I have been in similar situations and even after I have felt that I made the right decision. There was only one time that I felt differently and in that case I waited too long.

 

[Windsilver]

Do you know what kind of tumor? Renal? Ovarian?

It's abdominal; so I guess ovarian?

 

[Windsilver]

You know your animal and yourself better than anyone else. Whatever choice you make is the best one for you both. We are here to support you. I have been in similar situations and even after I have felt that I made the right decision. There was only one time that I felt differently and in that case I waited too long.

Thanks for that. I guess the tendency is, in a way, always to wait too long, right? I told the vet; I don't want to wait 'til she falls off her perch... and at this point she is not really relating to her partner very much so he is also getting depressed in sympathy...

Thank You so much for your replies so far.

 

[sunnysmom]

So sorry. It's a difficult decision to make. What does your vet think?

 

[Windsilver]

So sorry. It's a difficult decision to make. What does your vet think?

The vet says it's "my decision".... but I think she's expecting her not to last much longer. She withdrew a syringe-full of blood tinged fluid from her abdomen at our visit 1 1/2 weeks ago.

 

[tka]

My thought is that it's better to let them go a week too early than a day too late. It sounds like this isn't something she can recover from, and that all you can really do is control her pain levels and keep her as comfortable as you can. I would give her one really awesome day - give her all the forbidden treats that she's been trying to steal, let her play with her favourite toys and materials, snuggle with her if that's what she wants - and let her slip away peacefully and without fear. Sometimes a gentle death is the last kindness we can do for them.

I wish you and her all the best as you make this decision.

 

[Mizzely]

My cat Jasmine suddenly took a turn one day; she didn't want to eat and her belly was swollen. I took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor that was leaking fluid into her abdomen.

I could have taken her home. I could have had another week or two with her. But in the meantime, without removing the liquid at the vet every other day or so, she would have slowly suffocated to death.

I made the decision to let her go instead of trying to get that extra time. Some people thought I should have fought harder for her, but the real fight had to be hers, and I could tell she was not up to the challenge. I made the only decision I felt I could.

It's different every pet, every situation, every person. When it's time, you kind of know even if you don't want to admit it. If you think her quality of life is still there, then maybe she isn't done fighting. But if you know in your heart that it's time, it's okay to let her go.

 

[WikiWaz]

Sorry for my late reply. I'm not a doctor and can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I did when I had a budgie in a similar situation:

Our budgie Rayleigh was limping and our primary vet recommended we take her the veterinary school in our area because they could do a CT scan. The veterinary school ER did a CT scan, and found a mass in Rayleigh's abdomen so large they could not tell if it was renal or ovarian. The mass was starting to put pressure on her lungs, making breathing somewhat challenging for her. The tumor likely explained why Rayleigh's left leg became limp.

We never knew 100% if Rayleigh was female or male, so the team at the veterinary school could not rule out an ovarian mass. I was told at the veterinary school ER that the color of her cere could not be a sole tool to identify gender for the reason that when male budgies have testicular cancer, their cere turns brown (much like the color of a female's cere).

They gave us the following options:

1. If we felt Rayleigh still had a good quality of life, do not treat the day of. Take Rayleigh home and bring her back for euthanization when her breathing becomes too difficult.
2. Try aspirating the mass with a needle. The color of the fluid would identify the tumor as renal or ovarian. If the tumor was renal, not much could be done and euthanization was recommended. If the tumor was ovarian, they could try an injection of Lupron. It would not shrink the tumor but the tumor would hopefully stop growing. It would be a short gap measure and prolong her life somewhat, but how much of a life extension was unknown.
3. Do not aspirate the mass, but try giving a Lupron injection in the event this tumor was ovarian. Monitor Rayleigh for improvement. If no improvement, euthanization recommended.
4. No further testing or treatment, and end her life through euthanization.

We chose to end Rayleigh's life that night in the ER because we felt the alternatives could have given her some time, but the quality of that time would be poor. She already had trouble walking and trouble breathing. We also didn't want her to suffocate as the mass continued to impinged on her lungs. We also were not sure how much pain she was in, as prey birds tend to mask their symptoms.

I think if we were to do it all over again, we would have made the same choice, given we didn't want to unnecessarily prolong her life if her life wasn't going to be enjoyable (she did play sometimes at that point, but her mobility kept her from playing as much as she used to).

We certainly miss her still. When we look back at her short time with us, I remember we tried giving her the best life that we could.

 

[Kori]

I just lost Pinko to a tumor. We did talk about euthanasia with the vet. I thought once I saw him unable to walk or panting to breathe, that I would know it was time. What happened though was he took a sudden turn for the worse and passed away after suffering quite a bit. It was 11pm and we couldn't just drive to the vet. We were thinking of making an emergency call, when he passed. If I had known.... I would've taken him in earlier. In hindsight, the squeaks he was making the day before were a sign.
It has been very traumatic and I'd like to think you and your budgie could avoid that pain xx

 

[Birdbabe]

The vet says it's "my decision".... but I think she's expecting her not to last much longer. She withdrew a syringe-full of blood tinged fluid from her abdomen at our visit 1 1/2 weeks ago.

Been there..done that..both Female and Male tiels with swollen belly..liver tumors.. vet said its hereditary.. I had both with what you described pulled from they're belly.. theres an old..old thread on it..dont know how to find it..did the milk thistle..it did help maintain for a while..but, it's not a cure. The female passed on her own.. I found her when I got home from work..Her brother.. aw while later. .. I helped him pass ..coz I been there...knew he wasnt gonna survive it.. gave him the pink sleep shot..I'm sorry you have to deal with this. If you feel quality of life is not there..then you and only you can make the decision..I'm sorry honey..

 

[Windsilver]

Thank you everyone for your support and perspectives. It is helping me to feel better about letting her go. It’s ironic that since she has been sick she’s been more willing to be close to me, even letting me pet her a little bit. It’s probably a sign of the illness but also makes it harder to say goodbye in a way. Still, I’m glad we got to this point in our bonding before having to lose her. Farewell Daisy-girl, with blessings.

 

[Dorcas George]

Thank you everyone for your support and perspectives. It is helping me to feel better about letting her go. It’s ironic that since she has been sick she’s been more willing to be close to me, even letting me pet her a little bit. It’s probably a sign of the illness but also makes it harder to say goodbye in a way. Still, I’m glad we got to this point in our bonding before having to lose her. Farewell Daisy-girl, with blessings.

I’m so sorry.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I’m so very sorry.

 

[Captain]

I am so sorry

 

[WikiWaz]

I'm so sorry @Windsilver . You did what you thought was best and Daisy isn't suffering any longer.

 

[camelotshadow]

 

[Clueless]

I'm sorry.

I did that walk with my amazon buddy, MC, over a year ago.

 

[Lady Jane]

If she could talk to you now what would she say? Bless you for not dragging out her misery.