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Finally Set Vet Appointments!

Reggie

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So after a few months of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, I've finally got enough money (and steady income) to take my flock (including Cooper after the first of the year) to the vet! Jersey is going on Tuesday - November 29th - and I'm actually going for more than routine blood work. I don't know what it's from, but in the last couple of days whenever she flies around my room for "free-flight" time she gets out of breath very easily, pants, and her breathing has a sort of "click" or squeaky type sound (only sometimes though). Other than that she seems to be perfectly okay, but I want to be sure she's not going to try and die on me anytime soon. To remedy this I've been keeping the humidifier on in shorter increments (because that's the only thing I believe I've changed in their room), I've pulled the blinds completely down (in case the window is leaking cooler air, which I'm not sure it is), I've stopped turning the bedroom fan on after I shower (my bedroom and bathroom are connected). and I've turned the average temperature on the space heater to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This part kind of sucks, but I've been shortening their free-flight times to be sure I'm not causing her to strain. (Manny and Happy still fly back and forth across their cage though, so they're still getting exercise, and I'll get them to step-up and come out without Jersey once in awhile too.)
Does anyone have any idea what could've caused this?
I've been thinking and maybe she's getting a little overweight too? I've never weighed them, but she seems "stockier" than my two boys. I'm planning on picking up a gram scale next time I go shopping. So I'll start doing daily/bi-weekly "weigh-ins" to make sure they're not overweight. An actual air-purifier is also on the way!
If you have any suggestions on how to temporarily remedy it before the vet, please don't hesitate to suggest! I want to make sure that she's as comfortable as possible before I take her in.
(Just so everyone knows, I haven't noticed anything respiratory-wise in my other two birds, so I don't believe it's contagious. But in case it is, they're all going in over the next three weeks, on their own appointments.)
 

camelotshadow

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Look for the sales maybe you can find a gram scale priced well. They really are not that expensive.

Hope they all check out well!
 

Reggie

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Thank you, and that's what I'm doing right now! I'm thinking of maybe just ordering one off of Amazon or something so I don't have to go to so many different stores looking for one!
 

Hankmacaw

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Not to scare you Reggie, but the heavy breathing and clicking can be caused by many things. Those are symptoms of a respiratory/circulatory problem and you should mention heart issues and circulatory issues to the vet. My Jasper has had Congestive Heart Failure and artherosclerosis since she was 6 1/2 years old. There are medications that help, but there is no cure. Jasper has lived 15 years with the disease. Of course, an upper respiratory disease is also a possibility. And she may jusdt be overweight which can lead to other problems.

Be sure you ask the vet all of the questions you have and make sure he answers them to your satisfaction.
 

Reggie

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Thank you! I didn't realize it could be that serious, but I'm weirdly calm about it. What could possibly cause it, do you think? How did you know Jasper had Congestive Heart Failure? Like what tipped you off about it?
 

Hankmacaw

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I noticed one day that she was distressed and breathing hard, with her mouth open after some exercise. Those are the classic symptoms of Cardiac/circulatory issues along with lethargy and sleeping too much. Here is a thread from before when a member's bird died of Pulmonary Hypersensitivity Disease and there was much interest in it. Read post #4 Cardio, Respiratory and Circulatory Diseases | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

I took Jasper in to her vet and he looked at an xray that had been done by a previous vet (spelled "idiot") and listened to her lungs and heart - he walked out of the room and came back with a syringe and gave her a big slug of Lasix - he didn't really expect her to survive - that was 15 years ago. She had retained so much fluid that her heart was beating extremely fast and had no power.

Companion birds are especially susceptible to heart, circulatory and liver diseases, because we feed them too much fatty food (never feed you birds peanuts) and they don't get nearly as much exercise as they should. Jasper's first family gave her everything she wanted (bacon, eggs, ice cream, chips, cheese, peanuts....... ) and nothing that was good for her.
 

Tiel Feathers

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I hope whatever is going on with Jersey is easily treatable. Good luck at the vets!
 

Reggie

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Thank you so much for the information! I know I feed a good diet, but could she have genetic CHF or circulatory issues? I got Jersey from a chain pet store when she was about 4 months old, and I don't know where she came from or the kind of life she had previously. I'll ask plenty of questions when I go in tomorrow, and I hope it's just a "cold" = the bird equivalent of a cold. It would be awful to lose my first bird to something so horrific.

EDIT: I just called and made the appointment. I'm going to have to have my parents spot me if it is something serious, and I might have to get her blood work done another time, because for the next paycheck I can only spare the $60 it takes to get an exam.
 
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greys4u

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Also, write any questions you want to ask the vet and write the answers, might want to check Care Credit or see if he has a payment plan
 

HawkEagle

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Good luck with the vet, Reggie. Tell us how everything goes- your first bird(s) see the vet tomorrow?
 

Reggie

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@greys4u My vet actually calls me before an appointment and we talk during, but if I did have any leftover questions I'd be sure to write them down! :)

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with her actually and I'm dropping Jersey off before the appointment. I'm praying that it's nothing serious, because I don't want her to be sick.
I had suspicions that my room wasn't staying warm enough over night with that little black space heater I use (it shuts off automatically) so I'm switching to a bigger one, so that I know my birdies aren't getting sick because of the cold. I hope Jersey's the only one to have respiratory issues.
 

Hankmacaw

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WendyN

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Hope everything is ok.
 

Reggie

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Rather than investing in another space heater, take a look at one of the oil filled radiators. Like these; Pelonis Electric Radiator Heater, 7 Fin, Oil-Filled, #HO-0260 - Walmart.com (I have this exact one and am very happy with it. It gets below zero quite often here in the AZ mountains.)

Pelonis Digital Oil Filled Heater, Black - Walmart.com


What's the difference between using a Teflon-free space heater and using an oil-filled radiator heater? I already have a space heater that'll work for the winter, and with all of these vet appointments I really don't want to spend money on things I already have. But if there's a significant difference I'll look into getting a radiator heater!
 

Hankmacaw

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I thought you said that you were going to get another space heater. I used them for years and finally got the oil radiator. They are slower heating things up, but give a steadier heat. Also, they last much longer. My space heaters lasted about 2 years then went kaput, but many people have had the radiators for many years. Sp when your current space heater goes kaput, look into a radiator.

Be sure to let us know what the vet says.
 

Reggie

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FINAL UPDATE: It's really windy and frostbitten cold because we're supposed to get snow over the weekend, so I perfected using a travel carrier today (as well as going to the vet's office). I placed a couple of "bird towels" (just some hand cloths that I got at Target that I only use for my birds) at the bottom of the travel cage, (since she was going to be there all day) a couple of steel dishes of food and water attached to the sides, and another cloth over-top of it. When I picked the cage up I draped a fleece blanket over top of that and grabbed the loose ends into a ball at the bottom so I knew for a fact that there wouldn't be any drafts getting into the travel cage! :D:laugh: (Paranoid bird mom over here!)
I had to drop Jersey off earlier this morning, and I went back in this afternoon for the "after-exam discussion" thing that the vet wanted to do. I wasn't there for the actual examination (probably due to the fact that it was so busy, even towards the end of the day when I went), but I trust her enough that she knows what she's doing. (Just for the record I felt like a nervous mess when I checked in at 1:30 and was sitting in the waiting room. :faint: I just wanted to know how my baby was doing, and 15 minutes felt like a lifetime.)
Dr. Crystal told me that they'd left Jersey in oxygen for most of the day just to be sure she was breathing okay. Then she told me that they'd weighed Jersey in at about 36 grams today, and that she's so happy that I have a nice well-fed bird, and that she's not horribly skinny/underfed. While she was doing the exam she didn't find any lumps in her abdomen, broken blood feathers, or discharge. She said that it's obvious that Jersey is well cared for (in her own words "You sound like one of the most dedicated and capable/best bird owners I've ever had in my office." :loveshower::leslieatwork: ) and that I love birds (and she has no idea! :laughin:). Then she told me since she couldn't find any outward signs of a reason behind her difficulty breathing (though she said she'd noticed it), that she'd put Jersey on an antibiotic cycle of about two weeks: 2 drops a day for two weeks, and it's S- (something) Oral Suspension.
It felt nice to prove to my parents that I wasn't just being hyper-vigil over my birds all this time - that I actually know what I'm doing and that birds aren't low maintenance!

I had a couple questions on how I could go about feeding 1 drop of antibiotics? I was thinking dropping it on a little sprig of millet and then feeding her the millet (being sure that the other birds can't get to it)? Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thank you all for the well wishes, even though it ends up that Jersey is perfectly fine! :grouphug3:No one understands me like other crazy bird owners! :swoon:
 

Reggie

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I thought you said that you were going to get another space heater. I used them for years and finally got the oil radiator. They are slower heating things up, but give a steadier heat. Also, they last much longer. My space heaters lasted about 2 years then went kaput, but many people have had the radiators for many years. Sp when your current space heater goes kaput, look into a radiator.

Be sure to let us know what the vet says.

Oh! I just meant get it upstairs from my garage! I didn't mean to sound snappy in anyway at your response, I'm just not going to be buying a new one until I move out next fall! Thank you so much for the information though, so if I decide I want to I can get one! :hug1:
 

Hankmacaw

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Don't worry about sounding a little sharp (you didn't to me anyway). I get accused of being sharp or unemotional all of the time. But like you, for me it's all about the birds.

It's always good to hear compliments from your vet. She sounds like a good vet - I like that she put Jersey under oxygen. Sometimes vets don't use oxygen as much as they should.

Is your antibiotic SMP-TMZ (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim)? It is a broad spectrum antibiotic.
 

Tiel Feathers

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I'm so glad the vet visit went so well, and I hope the antibiotic clears up Jersey's breathing!
 
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