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Droppings question

Tammie123

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8/13/21
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Hello everyone,

Posting to talk about bird poop :p

My GCC has a check up at the vet in about a week. He's been having some tiny bubbles in his droppings (it's subtle enough that I have to get really close and practically squint to see them). I think if I wasn't an anxious person by nature I wouldn't have noticed it yet. The lady I spoke to at the vet said it could be anything (gas, infection, other). Dropping are otherwise normal, no smell, his behavior is normal, weight is normal, he's screaming just as often :laugh:

We don't have the possibility of getting a faster appointment so now I'm stuck waiting and wondering if he's going to be okay. So my question is: have any of you dealt with something like this and it turned out to be fine? Is waiting a week okay? (I asked on the phone and they said if I monitor him and make sure his weight doesn't drop or he's not lethargic it could be fine). Is there anything I should be asking the vet when I go? (I read that probiotics can be good?)

I keep wondering what may be causing this, I even considered maybe it's because he dips his pellets in water all the time or the amount of fruits he got, but after making a few diet changes I still see the bubbles so I'm back to square one.

Hoping some of you can help shed some light on this matter. I struggle with anxiety on a daily basis so it's a bit difficult for me to balance my irrational fears and sound logic :darkcloud:
 

Mizzely

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I would be comfortable waiting a week in this situation. :) It could be gas, or it could be an infection, but you can only do so much!
 

PetFoster

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Hello everyone,

Posting to talk about bird poop :p

My GCC has a check up at the vet in about a week. He's been having some tiny bubbles in his droppings (it's subtle enough that I have to get really close and practically squint to see them). I think if I wasn't an anxious person by nature I wouldn't have noticed it yet. The lady I spoke to at the vet said it could be anything (gas, infection, other). Dropping are otherwise normal, no smell, his behavior is normal, weight is normal, he's screaming just as often :laugh:

We don't have the possibility of getting a faster appointment so now I'm stuck waiting and wondering if he's going to be okay. So my question is: have any of you dealt with something like this and it turned out to be fine? Is waiting a week okay? (I asked on the phone and they said if I monitor him and make sure his weight doesn't drop or he's not lethargic it could be fine). Is there anything I should be asking the vet when I go? (I read that probiotics can be good?)

I keep wondering what may be causing this, I even considered maybe it's because he dips his pellets in water all the time or the amount of fruits he got, but after making a few diet changes I still see the bubbles so I'm back to square one.

Hoping some of you can help shed some light on this matter. I struggle with anxiety on a daily basis so it's a bit difficult for me to balance my irrational fears and sound logic :darkcloud:
I JUST took a "poop" picture before I read your post, and I want to let you know you are not alone!

I am also feeling panicky today about my bird. She is being treated for a bacterial infection currently -- my vet prescribed the generic version of Baytril, and I have been giving it to her twice a day since Tuesday (now Sunday). We have a very specific morning routine, where I turn on room lights, speaking quietly to her, then turn on her cage light, then take her out to weigh her, then put her on a table perch to do a little training. We got to the table perch and when I gave her the first bit of sunflower seed (a "starter" i call it), she dropped it immediately. I gave her another, and she did the same thing. I asked her to do a "touch" (targeting), which she is really good at, and she just glared at me.

I moved her back to her cage, and prepared her breakfast, making sure that she had a little more of the seed diet than I usually give her (it is her favorite part, though we are trying to get away from it altogether) mixed in with the chop and crushed pellets. She would not eat in front of me, but as soon as I moved out of view, I could hear her crunching away.

Is she getting sicker? Or is she trying to tell me she doesn't trust me so much, now that I have been (gently!) toweling her and giving her meds in the morning and afternoon with a syringe? My anxiety is kind of multiplied by the fact that I am not so confident in my vet, and yet I do not have another choice without driving several hours or waiting more than a week.

If you trust your vet, and you have been working with them for a period of time, that is worth something, in my opinion. If you are still concerned, though, I would reach out to them again and ask if you can just bring in a poop sample for them to test before your appointment. Make sure you can get a "clean" sample, and ask how to best transport it.
 

Tammie123

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I JUST took a "poop" picture before I read your post, and I want to let you know you are not alone!

I am also feeling panicky today about my bird. She is being treated for a bacterial infection currently -- my vet prescribed the generic version of Baytril, and I have been giving it to her twice a day since Tuesday (now Sunday). We have a very specific morning routine, where I turn on room lights, speaking quietly to her, then turn on her cage light, then take her out to weigh her, then put her on a table perch to do a little training. We got to the table perch and when I gave her the first bit of sunflower seed (a "starter" i call it), she dropped it immediately. I gave her another, and she did the same thing. I asked her to do a "touch" (targeting), which she is really good at, and she just glared at me.

I moved her back to her cage, and prepared her breakfast, making sure that she had a little more of the seed diet than I usually give her (it is her favorite part, though we are trying to get away from it altogether) mixed in with the chop and crushed pellets. She would not eat in front of me, but as soon as I moved out of view, I could hear her crunching away.

Is she getting sicker? Or is she trying to tell me she doesn't trust me so much, now that I have been (gently!) toweling her and giving her meds in the morning and afternoon with a syringe? My anxiety is kind of multiplied by the fact that I am not so confident in my vet, and yet I do not have another choice without driving several hours or waiting more than a week.

If you trust your vet, and you have been working with them for a period of time, that is worth something, in my opinion. If you are still concerned, though, I would reach out to them again and ask if you can just bring in a poop sample for them to test before your appointment. Make sure you can get a "clean" sample, and ask how to best transport it.
If it makes you feel any better, my bird is very grumpy with me when I give him meds too. I think he does lose some trust in me and prefers to gravitate to other family members during that time (he hates taking meds and it's always a struggle). So if these are the only signs you see, I wouldn't worry about it.

May I ask what were the signs you noticed before you found out she has a bacterial infection?
 

Tammie123

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I would be comfortable waiting a week in this situation. :) It could be gas, or it could be an infection, but you can only do so much!
Thank you Mizzely! Your reply made me feel better! This morning his stool had a bigger bubble in it so I did panic a little bit, but I'm still not seeing other signs aside from the droppings... Taking it one day at a time I guess. I just wish I wasn't constantly thinking about this and staring intently at him to make sure he's still okay.
 

Mizzely

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Thank you Mizzely! Your reply made me feel better! This morning his stool had a bigger bubble in it so I did panic a little bit, but I'm still not seeing other signs aside from the droppings... Taking it one day at a time I guess. I just wish I wasn't constantly thinking about this and staring intently at him to make sure he's still okay.
It's hard not to be worried! You are doing good though keeping track of everything. The more information your vet has the easier it will be to figure out what is going on!
 

PetFoster

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If it makes you feel any better, my bird is very grumpy with me when I give him meds too. I think he does lose some trust in me and prefers to gravitate to other family members during that time (he hates taking meds and it's always a struggle). So if these are the only signs you see, I wouldn't worry about it.

May I ask what were the signs you noticed before you found out she has a bacterial infection?
file:///var/folders/3g/ghs9tjks3lg7pxx4bvgtkj5w0000gp/T/com.apple.Safari/WebKitDropDestination-r9XtqziQ/IMG_5910.mov

I don't know if this will work -- I took this video and we will see if anyone else can see it! Basically, she was doing this funky little dance, which I thought was maybe hormonal in nature, but she was adding in this little hiss also. Again, I thought, hormones (I don't know how old my bird is, she was rescued from a hoarding situation a couple of months ago). But when I asked my FB bird community, several people suggested that I take her to the vet. It is only now that I see she does sneeze a little bit throughout the day, and every once in a while (a couple times a week), her droppings are a little "off" -- like, more of a brown color or with bubbles, for example. I chalked it up to her transitioning to a new diet and the fact that I am trying many new foods with her, which it absolutely could be. I just now know she has this bacterial thing going on.

Had I known better, I should have asked for bloodwork and a gram stain to be performed at her initial visit. She was part of a raid that happened December 20, 2021, and was found in a house with almost 700 other animals, 70 of whom were dead and decomposing. Animal control and our local shelter identified about 125 different species of reptiles, bugs, small animals, birds, and a couple of dogs -- there were no cats. Some animals were practically buried in cages, while others (like a tegu) were free-roaming. They were found in various states of neglect, and some had to be put to sleep as a last resort to end their suffering. The vast majority of the animals were birds, and they represented nearly 100 species. The person who was charged (just recently, in fact) has been known to sell animals through a local pet store (that also sells puppies and small animals), and this is his second offense (the first time around 250 animals were seized, about 15 years ago). Outside experts from our state and surrounding states were brought in to help identify all the animals and perform forensic examinations; I was lucky enough to take notes at a few, and it was fascinating and overwhelming and sad, all at once. These animals FILLED 6 rooms in an ancillary part of the shelter -- not including the most critical cases which were being cared for in the medical department or had been taken in by state authorities. Basic veterinary care was performed, and illness was addressed as symptoms would come up, but comprehensive care for each individual was not performed.

A long-winded answer that you probably didn't expect! I hope your baby is doing well today, and that you find some peace of mind.
 

Mizzely

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Shawna [she/her]
file:///var/folders/3g/ghs9tjks3lg7pxx4bvgtkj5w0000gp/T/com.apple.Safari/WebKitDropDestination-r9XtqziQ/IMG_5910.mov

I don't know if this will work -- I took this video and we will see if anyone else can see it! Basically, she was doing this funky little dance, which I thought was maybe hormonal in nature, but she was adding in this little hiss also. Again, I thought, hormones (I don't know how old my bird is, she was rescued from a hoarding situation a couple of months ago). But when I asked my FB bird community, several people suggested that I take her to the vet. It is only now that I see she does sneeze a little bit throughout the day, and every once in a while (a couple times a week), her droppings are a little "off" -- like, more of a brown color or with bubbles, for example. I chalked it up to her transitioning to a new diet and the fact that I am trying many new foods with her, which it absolutely could be. I just now know she has this bacterial thing going on.

Had I known better, I should have asked for bloodwork and a gram stain to be performed at her initial visit. She was part of a raid that happened December 20, 2021, and was found in a house with almost 700 other animals, 70 of whom were dead and decomposing. Animal control and our local shelter identified about 125 different species of reptiles, bugs, small animals, birds, and a couple of dogs -- there were no cats. Some animals were practically buried in cages, while others (like a tegu) were free-roaming. They were found in various states of neglect, and some had to be put to sleep as a last resort to end their suffering. The vast majority of the animals were birds, and they represented nearly 100 species. The person who was charged (just recently, in fact) has been known to sell animals through a local pet store (that also sells puppies and small animals), and this is his second offense (the first time around 250 animals were seized, about 15 years ago). Outside experts from our state and surrounding states were brought in to help identify all the animals and perform forensic examinations; I was lucky enough to take notes at a few, and it was fascinating and overwhelming and sad, all at once. These animals FILLED 6 rooms in an ancillary part of the shelter -- not including the most critical cases which were being cared for in the medical department or had been taken in by state authorities. Basic veterinary care was performed, and illness was addressed as symptoms would come up, but comprehensive care for each individual was not performed.

A long-winded answer that you probably didn't expect! I hope your baby is doing well today, and that you find some peace of mind.
That video is a link to the file on your computer, so no one but you will be able to see it.

 

PetFoster

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Julie
That video is a link to the file on your computer, so no one but you will be able to see it.

oh thank you! Here is a link to YouTube
 

Tammie123

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8/13/21
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Sorry for the late reply.

Just saw your video, and I’m terribly sad to hear about that hoarding situation. I hope all of those animals are okay... :sad4: At least your little fella has a good home now.

I also hope he’s doing better! As for me, we have the vet appointment very soon so I feel a lot less worried. My bird still has bubbles in his droppings but no other signs of lethargy or anything that led me to worry, so I’m feeling hopeful.

I will update after the appointment in case this thread might help anyone else in the future.
 

Tammie123

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Of course I'm scatterbrained so I forgot to update :)

It's been about a month since the vet appointment, so for anyone reading this in the future:
Basically, the vet did a gram stain and a procedure to check his crop and the results yielded nothing. His overall check up was good and there was no sign of any infection or anything bad, the only noticeable thing was that he had no yeast. So he was given a prescription for some probiotics and apple cider vinegar in his water daily.
He's been on that for about 3 weeks and his droppings have improved a little, but he still gets bubbles half the time.

The vet said if the prescription doesn't improve his droppings, I could send in another stool sample. Alternately I could try giving him antibiotics for a week or doing an x-ray, but both of these options are things that the vet seemed very reluctant to recommend. (I also think that putting him under the extra stress and medicating him when he shows no signs of illness might not be wise, so at the moment this is the conclusion).

He's all good, weight is stable, behavior is normal. For now I'll continue giving him probiotics since there's no harm in it, and that's about it!

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post initially!
 
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