Urgent Extremely Ill Budgie- Sad Update Post #60

[WeasleyLover]

I hope that all goes well at the vet!

 

[deleteacc]

We just came back from the vet about 5 minutes ago. The vet said that he had a normal heart beat and weighed about 30 grams (normal). When he first grabbed him, the tip of Shimsey's beak actually broke off, and then he fixed that. The vet explained that his beak and toenails are very soft and we should sprinkle some cuttlebone/calcium on his food. He said to increase the # of food cups they have as well, since Tweety seems like he does not let Shimsey eat that much. Tweety seemed pretty healthy to him after looking Tweety over. He was actually a little overweight . The vet let me touch his breast and he is actually pretty meaty.

The vet diagnosed that Shimsey has a kidney tumor . The vet gave him a shot of antibiotics to hopefully bring the size of the tumor down, and if Shimsey is able to slightly move his toes then we are on the right track. He asked that I call on Friday the progress that has been made.

We also talked about diet a bit. He said to convert them to pellets, which is what I expected. The vet also said that we should give them fruits and veggies (basically healthy foods).

 

[Bokkapooh]

How big is the csge size? If a budgie is hogging the food it sounds like the cage is too small. Im glad that all he needs is food to eat to get Better. Except for the possible kidney issue. Definitely need more healthy greens and sprouted seeds in the diet and exercise.

 

[WendyN]

Just curious....
Did the vet explain the reason why he thinks Shimsey has a kidney tumor?
Hope the shot helps.

 

[deleteacc]

I dont know the exact cage size, but is is a Prevue Hendryx flight cage. Model no. 1804. It is green and black. I will have to put in a few more food bowls. The veggies should all be orgainic, right? And where do people get the sprouted seed? I want to try them. I did homemade wheat sprouts for my chickens but I dont know how for budgies.

 

[deleteacc]

WendyN, yes, the vet did explain why he thinks that there is a kidney tumor. When he was pulpating(?) Shimsey, he said that there was this mass where his right kidney was supposed to be. Plus, his right leg is paralyzed. Hopefully the tumor is benine, and not malignant. The vet explained that the tumor slowly wraps around his leg nerves, slowly restricting his leg function. The shot was to try to make the tumor smaller.

 

[Peachfaced]

I get my bird sprout mixes from sproutpeople. They have mixes for smaller birds

 

[WendyN]

WendyN, yes, the vet did explain why he thinks that there is a kidney tumor. When he was pulpating(?) Shimsey, he said that there was this mass where his right kidney was supposed to be. Plus, his right leg is paralyzed. Hopefully the tumor is benine, and not malignant. The vet explained that the tumor slowly wraps around his leg nerves, slowly restricting his leg function. The shot was to try to make the tumor smaller.

Thank you for explaining it to me.
Sounds like you have a very good vet.
Continued good wishes for healing for your baby.

 

[deleteacc]

Thanks so much, Peachedface! Do I need anything other than the seeds that you would recommend?

 

[deleteacc]

WendyN, this was my first time with this vet, and he does sound very knowledgeable in his field. He has been an avian/exotic/cat+dog vet for about 30 years, so I did expect him to know what he was doing. He explained what and why he did something that he did.

 

[Tyrion]

So sorry to hear about this news ...sending you and your lil one tons of hugs

 

[Lady Jane]

Hang those greens in the cage. I also invested in a skewer to put veggies on. They usually love a cooked corn on cob o the skewer.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Sorry about the diagnosis but hoping the treatment will be successful, the tumor will shrink and Shimsey will be better.

 

[karen256]

I'm hoping he will be ok, too. Budgies are very prone to benign fatty tumors - which can still be dangerous when they get large. I lost my first budgie to a liver tumor, although he recovered from two tumors before that.
I would try to change their diet, but only gradually so you don't stress them. Budgies need some seed, anyway.

If you can find some plain, unfortified budgie seed mix, you can just soak that overnight, drain, rinse and feed. Most budgie mixes have pellets and stuff added that will spoil, though, you have to be careful that you are using a seed only mix. You can also make your own sprouting mix, which I sometimes do. I usually use millet, quinoa, barley, rye, ect. They don't seem to care for the sunflower seeds and beans often included in sprouting mixes sold for birds.
Budgies can be scared of new things. To make greens seem less scary, you can try offering them in other ways. Maybe try a very tiny sprig of parsley in a corner of the cage - or try offering a shallow dish of wet greens at the bottom of the cage - budgies are leaf bathers so some nice wet greens may get them interested in bathing, and they may nibble on the greens in the process.

 

[deleteacc]

I don't know if Shimsey would like to come down to the bottom of the cage and then have to climb back up again, but that might be OK for Tweety. If Tweety starts doing it, I'm guessing that Shimsey would follow soon.

My budgies have a fortified seed mix, but I believe I saw some unfortified mix at the nearest pet store. I think it was a mix of millet and canary seed, with are their top two seeds, apart from oat groats.

 

[greys4u]

 

[deleteacc]

Thank you everyone for the support!

 

[sunnysmom]

I hope the tumor shrinks and he feels better!

 

[deleteacc]

Me too, sunnysmom!

 

[deleteacc]

I decided that a good way to give Shimsey more calcium was by crushing up some cuttlebone into a fine powder and dipping a small sprig of spray millet into the powder. He was a little suspicious about it at first, but the temptation is too hard to resist! lol
I gave him 2.5 small sprigs of millet, and he ate most of it (Tweety wanted a taste too!). I don't know how long it will take to get his calcium levels up to normal. If anyone can maybe give some timeline, that would be great!