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Cockatiel Sudden Death

SunTruth

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Sorry for your loss. Your family did everything you could for her, and sadly I see in many similar stories here that we cannot know for sure what went wrong in many cases.

I think a blind spot in taking care of birds is that it is not fully clear what they can tolerate between every products we use or habits we have. And moreover we never really know for sure if there are pre existing heath conditions.

I understand it is tragic and reading your story is heartbreaking. The only sources of comfort I see is that you gave this animal a good life, and I am sure she is in a good place in the sky now.
 

Sparkles99

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Lodge is fine. My griddle is Lodge too & I use a lot of cast iron.

I wonder about the avocado spray though. Avocado is poisonous for birds, I’ve been told. I wonder if it aerosolized it. Please don’t blame yourself! This is just an hypothesis that I feel could be mentioned when talking to the vet. I’m not a vet. For all I know, a bird has to eat it to have I’ll effects.

Take care!
 

sunnysmom

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Thank you all for your support. We are going to just keep on with life until we get the necropsy. I told my daughter when we welcome another bird in the home we are going to be more diligent and if this happens again we might have to accept we just aren't bird people.
I am glad you're open to getting another bird but please don't ever think you're not bird people. It sounds like you gave your tiel a wonderful home. Birds are fragile little creatures. Even with the best of care, accidents happen and we rarely know their genetic history, etc. Birds can have neurological issues and other health issues that don't show themselves. My first tiel had a stroke. Even with the best of care, birds still get sick etc. The doesn't mean we didn't take good care of then and it doesn't mean we shouldn't open our hearts to more birds. :)
 

TielGranny

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Got the report back. Looks like Pico had a underlying heart condition and some bacteria in their lungs. They think it was underlying and then with the small infection in the lungs means heart was taxed and the bird had a fright, it was too much, and had a heart attack.
 

FeatheredM

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I'm sorry, that is so awful! :( there is nothing I could think of that went wrong, it was no one's fault. The bird had a good life though.
 

WikiWaz

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Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. Hopefully it has been comforting that you now know what happened. It's never easy losing a pet though.

Could the underlying heart condition have been genetic?
 

tka

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I hope that having answers brings you some comfort in your grief.
 

WikiWaz

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Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this. Hopefully it has been comforting that you now know what happened. It's never easy losing a pet though.

Could the underlying heart condition have been genetic?
The only reason I ask is, because if it is genetic, the breeder should know.
 

TielGranny

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So another sad update. We went back to the same breeder and told them what had happened to Pico. She suggested it might have been fright that killed him. I looked them up again and they seems reputable. I even ask patrons in the place what they thought they got raves reviews. Everyone told me they buy all their birds from there. I look do line they have repeat customers. People even brought their birds back to visit. So I thought Pico was a fluke and we decided to get another tiel, from a different batch. His name was Milo. He was doing great, spunky, and very vocal. But my daughter was so paranoid about him that she wanted to run to the vet if he blinked and it was a little obsessive. But we tried to be extra careful this time. Talked extensively with the vet. Doubled checked everything we were doing. I didn't even want him to come in the main house a smell or something would get to him. Everyone had to have calm energy. The bird did become a source of stress and we were always so afraid we'd wake up and he would be gone. I just started sleeping well.

This morning she uncovered his cage like norml and he was still in sleep position. I went to do my Yoga and I usually say hi, to him and he is up squawking to get out but today he was just sitting there and I went to call him to step up on my finger and he titled back a little bit instead. And I immediately knew something was wrong so I got him out and he spasmed but his feet clenched up. Called my husband and he took him outside and started trying to stimulate him. we started trying to call vets to find one open. Called a 24 vet that was far and they were talking to my husband on the phone and essentially based on the symptoms it seemed like they said it looks like he was passing away. So my daughter and husband sat out in the yard under the sun and just cuddled and loved on him until he passed away.

I am so besides myself I can't stand it. I can't believe this happened again. My husband and I racked our brains again what could to have been this time. We thought something me cooking hamburgers on cast iron killed that last bird but the necropsy said it had heart damage. We can't imagine what it was this time.

But we are done, I'm jealous of the rest of you that some how can have birds for years and decades and they just live and thrive. I'm sad because they are such special pets but I can't do this again to my daughter. She just brought him a new perch and toy two days ago and was looking at enrichment games. I don't know if we are unlucky. And I feel like crap because here is another poor innocent life intrusted into our care and for some reason we can't keep them alive and healthy. Either it is something wrong we are doing or something wrong with our house.

Thank you for your help through us last time and good luck to everyone else.
 

sunnysmom

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I am so very sorry for your loss. :sorrow:
 

April

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So another sad update. We went back to the same breeder and told them what had happened to Pico. She suggested it might have been fright that killed him. I looked them up again and they seems reputable. I even ask patrons in the place what they thought they got raves reviews. Everyone told me they buy all their birds from there. I look do line they have repeat customers. People even brought their birds back to visit. So I thought Pico was a fluke and we decided to get another tiel, from a different batch. His name was Milo. He was doing great, spunky, and very vocal. But my daughter was so paranoid about him that she wanted to run to the vet if he blinked and it was a little obsessive. But we tried to be extra careful this time. Talked extensively with the vet. Doubled checked everything we were doing. I didn't even want him to come in the main house a smell or something would get to him. Everyone had to have calm energy. The bird did become a source of stress and we were always so afraid we'd wake up and he would be gone. I just started sleeping well.

This morning she uncovered his cage like norml and he was still in sleep position. I went to do my Yoga and I usually say hi, to him and he is up squawking to get out but today he was just sitting there and I went to call him to step up on my finger and he titled back a little bit instead. And I immediately knew something was wrong so I got him out and he spasmed but his feet clenched up. Called my husband and he took him outside and started trying to stimulate him. we started trying to call vets to find one open. Called a 24 vet that was far and they were talking to my husband on the phone and essentially based on the symptoms it seemed like they said it looks like he was passing away. So my daughter and husband sat out in the yard under the sun and just cuddled and loved on him until he passed away.

I am so besides myself I can't stand it. I can't believe this happened again. My husband and I racked our brains again what could to have been this time. We thought something me cooking hamburgers on cast iron killed that last bird but the necropsy said it had heart damage. We can't imagine what it was this time.

But we are done, I'm jealous of the rest of you that some how can have birds for years and decades and they just live and thrive. I'm sad because they are such special pets but I can't do this again to my daughter. She just brought him a new perch and toy two days ago and was looking at enrichment games. I don't know if we are unlucky. And I feel like crap because here is another poor innocent life intrusted into our care and for some reason we can't keep them alive and healthy. Either it is something wrong we are doing or something wrong with our house.

Thank you for your help through us last time and good luck to everyone else.
This is absolutely heart breaking for all of you. I am so so sorry that another tragedy has happened. You and your family have my utmost sympathy. It absolutely sounds like your doing everything right. Is your house an older house? It seems like it could possibly be something environmental? I know you said that the necropsy said Pico passed from heart disease but I wonder if something in the house could have brought it on.
I'm just so very sorry please give your daughter a hug from us all and I hope that someday you'll try again to have another feathered friend to love.
 

tka

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I'm so profoundly sorry to hear about Milo. Like @April said, I really do wonder if there's something amiss in the house itself - maybe something like carbon monoxide or radon, maybe even construction material off-gassing. Birds are so much more sensitive to their enviroment than we are, and are the first to show signs if there's a problem. It's not for nothing that miners took canaries into mines with them: if the bird showed any signs of distress, the miners would immediately get out.

I wish I could let you and your daughter spend time with my birds, and give you that gift of time with happy, healthy birds.
 

FeatheredM

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If there is something in the house that hurt your tiels, it could also hurt your family. That's why before we moved into our house we had to get these things detected.
 

TielGranny

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I'm at work trying to hard to not to start bawling. My boss asked me if I wanted to go home. I'm just heart broken and moeti
This is absolutely heart breaking for all of you. I am so so sorry that another tragedy has happened. You and your family have my utmost sympathy. It absolutely sounds like your doing everything right. Is your house an older house? It seems like it could possibly be something environmental? I know you said that the necropsy said Pico passed from heart disease but I wonder if something in the house could have brought it on.
I'm just so very sorry please give your daughter a hug from us all and I hope that someday you'll try again to have another feathered friend to love.
I'm thinking it might be something environment that we can't see. The house isn't that old, it was built int 2001. I don't know anymore . Just so sad right now
 

TielGranny

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I'm so profoundly sorry to hear about Milo. Like @April said, I really do wonder if there's something amiss in the house itself - maybe something like carbon monoxide or radon, maybe even construction material off-gassing. Birds are so much more sensitive to their enviroment than we are, and are the first to show signs if there's a problem. It's not for nothing that miners took canaries into mines with them: if the bird showed any signs of distress, the miners would immediately get out.

I wish I could let you and your daughter spend time with my birds, and give you that gift of time with happy, healthy birds.
I have no idea. The woman who lived here before us had cats that were fine. Whatever it is I just think maybe birds are not for us :sad10:
 

expressmailtome

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I am sorry for your loss.
 

Lady Jane

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A variety of home test kits are available, both through online stores such as Amazon, as well as independent scientific organizations, non-profit groups and community
health organizations. Hiring a professional to come and test your home for mold, lead, asbestos, radon or other toxic items in your home is possible, too.
 
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