cyoungva I just saw this thread and I feel like we have a lot in common with our birds but probably different reasons. I am SO SORRY to see your lovely sweet Cozzi suffering and am so sorry you lost Baby Girl. I am relatively new here also but I have found so much support and caring from people I don't even know. I had five birds shipped to me Sept 18th 4 EBs and 1 tiel to go with my lone Tiel I had already and 4 budgies. I wanted a flock I could love and protect. Sadly the breeder was a bad person and sent me sick birds..one was so sick that after 2 trials of antibiotics and icu for a week, the third antibiotic was starting to work, but she suddenly died the day I was coming to get her. Meanwhile the other birds shipped were getting sick (all respiratory symptoms) and then my own flock started getting sick..it spread like wildfire. Fortunately an avian rescuer was able to help me too and too care of the bills because I could not afford it at the time because I was between jobs. I also have an excellent vet ...Avian and Exotic Veterinary in Raleigh.
Whether it helps or not I will tell you some of the things I did per vet instruction and the avian rescue angel. Gaga died and a necropsy did not give us a clue as to why she died but her lungs were bright red, and Tiara was beginning to go the same way...so heartbreaking and not knowing what caused it. However since Gaga was showing great signs of improvement just before she died unexpectedly, the vet felt that the third trial of antibiotics was beginning to help so she switched all my birds including Tiara to Clavamox. Also gave them a fungal med. But the thing I felt really got Tiara back on her feet was putting her on a tapering dose of prednisolone. All the birds that were showing symptoms of increased breathing were put on a nebulizer treatment twice a day and the vet rented me a nebulizer (ultrasonic) until Dee brought her own and lent it to me for the rest of the time.
Tiara is on her next to the last dose of prednisolone and is looking very good. All my other birds are completely healed it appears from my vet examination but she wants to keep Tiara on antibiotics one more week because she still looks to be breathing slightly faster than normal but her lungs sound good. I believe that all the care everyone gave my birds saved them! Also I want to mention one more thing that really helped Tiara..Dee brought me her O2 concentrator and we made an oxygen tent out of a clear shoer curtain purchased at walmart. As long as she was struggling and I had another bird who was not as bad but breathing fast...I kept them in that cage with the oxygen tent over it and it really helped her and gave her strength I think to endure the rest.
Now everyone is normal and off all meds and treatments but as I mentioned she wanted to give Tiara another week just to be sure.
If it had not been for all the help and advice I received both from here and the vet and the rescue, I would have watched all my birds die. I AM SO GRATEFUL!
I pray that your sweet Cozzi gets entirely healed..what a sweet bird..I have a special place in my heart for Tiels.
I do have a question about the thistle seeds...my vet found that one of the budgies I had rescued has liver disease over 300. I really dont want to be the bad guy forever and I want to build trust and I really do not want to give the milk thistle the vet gave her twice daily forever.
Because she is very hard to catch and for many reasons I want her to feel safe with me. Do the seeds work well?