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Fishy smelling mouth!!

Elyse04

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Help! I recently adopted a 2 year old cockatiel. I’ve noticed his breathe smells fishy. I took him to a vet for a wellness check and she gave me a a clean bill of health. Unfortunately we didn’t run any tests and I didn’t mention the fish breathe. I’m only noticing it now because he is become more tame and I can get close to him. I also see sometimes he has seeds stuck to the side of his beak which I now know is probably vomit. He is going back to the vet in 5 days. What tests should I ask to do? In the mean time I’ve added ACV to his water and have been sprinkling cinnamon on his food. Anyone problem, I’ve introduced him to my other cockatiel, does this mean he has whatever the other one does now? Please help.
 

sunnysmom

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If he' vomiting, I would get him in sooner than in 5 days, Fishy breath could be an infection. And with vomiting, I would say most likely an infection. I would suggest a crop swab and fecal. Depending on what it is, you may want to get your other bird checked out too. But I would go to the vet sooner if your bird is vomiting. When a bird vomits, they typically shake their heads and food kind of flies everywhere.
 

Elyse04

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I’ve had him for three weeks now and he’s been doing this the whole time. I thought it was just food stuck to his beak at first, maybe it isn’t vomiting. He doesn’t shake his head at all, and there’s no liquid. It looks like beak grinding but it’s isn’t, almost like he’s playing with something in mouth. I’m going to attach a pic. He sings and dances, chews on toys. Seems normal otherwise.
 

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sunnysmom

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He's a cutie. He looks pretty bright eyed in the pic. Other signs of illness are droppy wings, being fluffed up a lot, sleeping a lot. How are his droppings? Do you know what normal droppings should look like? Are there any seeds in his droppings?
 

Elyse04

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The droppings looks the same as my other birds, they are solid. No seeds in them. I have always thought he looked a little puffier than my other bird but I thought maybe that’s age, mine other is still young, but I’m definitely worried and would be getting in sooner if I could, Tuesday was the earliest I could get but if I feel it’s an emergency I will be headed to my closest one for sure.
 

Elyse04

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When a vet does a fecal and a crop swab do you get the results right away?
 

sunnysmom

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When a vet does a fecal and a crop swab do you get the results right away?
I think it depends on the vet's office but I think most can process them right away.
 

Pixiebeak

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The smell would have me think of yeast overgrowth. As well as possibly doing crop adjustments. With yest in crop they can do a passive regurgitate, they can just lean over and let stuff fall out of their mouth. This is not like vomiting and the shaking of head while they spray out the vomit. And not like the pump and bring up regurgitate in Hormonal or practice baby bird feeding. Its very passive and nit much will be brought up and is easy to miss.

In the pic possibly crop looks enlarged...hard to tell from one picture. Is he newly weaned? Young burd?

If the vet suspects yeast. Its easily treated with nystsin and not likely to be passed to your other birds.

Besides poop watching, its great to track weights with a digital kitchen scale.
 

Elyse04

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So I decided not to wait until my Tuesday appointment. I took him to an emergency vet and they were not super experienced with birds, althou they say they see birds of course. The vet said he used to be a poultry vet. He suspects that Marty maybe picked something up from a dirty environment (recently adopted) or he is hormonal. We did a fecal but I won’t have the results for 2 days. He prescribed Enrofloxacin for the mean time. Which I read won’t do anything for a yeast infection, so I hope he’s right. I’m going to keep my Tuesday appointment. Hopefully the fecal tells more. He is not a young bird, at least two years old. I felt that he had food in his crop while I was at the vets and then later on when I was giving his meds I could feel it was empty.
 

Elyse04

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Do you think I should hold off giving the antibiotics until I hear back from the fecal test?
 

Elyse04

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The smell would have me think of yeast overgrowth. As well as possibly doing crop adjustments. With yest in crop they can do a passive regurgitate, they can just lean over and let stuff fall out of their mouth. This is not like vomiting and the shaking of head while they spray out the vomit. And not like the pump and bring up regurgitate in Hormonal or practice baby bird feeding. Its very passive and nit much will be brought up and is easy to miss.

In the pic possibly crop looks enlarged...hard to tell from one picture. Is he newly weaned? Young burd?

If the vet suspects yeast. Its easily treated with nystsin and not likely to be passed to your other birds.

Besides poop watching, its great to track weights with a digital kitchen scale.
This is what it sounds like, the passive regurgitation. Now I am worried that I gave him a bacterial antibiotic when he should be in a fungal. Do you think I should stop meds until I hear back from the fecal test? Should be Monday the latest.
 

Pixiebeak

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Oh my, baytril almost always causes yeast infection. You can ask them to add nystsin ( anti fungal ), as is well documented that baytril will causes secondary yeast infection.
 

Pixiebeak

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I can not tell you to stop meds that a vet who saw your bird prescribed. Because he could have a bacterial infection. Or even a mixed unfection..

But I can share as above adding an oral nystsin or antifungal is a good idea ( at least yo me)

FYI

From article above
" Cautions:

Treating birds with Baytril for more than 4 days almost invariably causes a yeast infection. There are always a low numbers of yeasts in the bowel, but their numbers are kept in check by ‘good’ bacteria. Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria and with nothing to keep them in check, yeasts will quickly multiply leading to the development of green and watery droppings."
 

Elyse04

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I can not tell you to stop meds that a vet who saw your bird prescribed. Because he could have a bacterial infection. Or even a mixed unfection..

But I can share as above adding an oral nystsin or antifungal is a good idea ( at least yo me)

FYI

From article above
" Cautions:

Treating birds with Baytril for more than 4 days almost invariably causes a yeast infection. There are always a low numbers of yeasts in the bowel, but their numbers are kept in check by ‘good’ bacteria. Antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria and with nothing to keep them in check, yeasts will quickly multiply leading to the development of green and watery droppings."
Thanks very much for your help! I am going to keep my Tuesday appointment and bring him in and ask for the anti fungal medication to combat the yeast infection that if he doesn’t already have, is on the way. I will ask the vet, but in your opinion, should the anti fungal medication be given after the antibiotics are finished?
 

Pixiebeak

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My vet had me give st the sane time in mine
 

Elyse04

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Thanks so much! One last question sorry ( I’ve been worried sick with anxiety over here I don’t do well with sick pets it consumes me). I’m assuming it’s normal that he would be sleepy right now. After giving his meds he ate a nutri berry and is sleeping now. I am hoping it’s just from the stress of yesterdays vet trip and being medicated? Do they normally act sleepy on antibiotics? I am a first time bird mom. I so appreciate your help truly.
 

Pixiebeak

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Oh I'm a bigger worrier with my babies even when well. So I understand. Its stressful.

The stress from Visiting a veterinarian even when they are normal can throw them off yes.

Of course taking extra naps can indicate they aren't feeling well too.

Offer all the favorites, like millet spray.

If I understand, yours didn't have a lot of symptoms, just smelly breath right? Had been eating fine, not napping extra before right? Good poops?

So right now we dint know what's wrong, or if anything is wrong. And you are going back to veterinarian on Tuesday. You can always call first thing Monday.

What I recommend is Xtra warmth. I like the sweeter heater as sold on Amazon. Sick burds really benefit from Xtra warmth 80-90 f . You can make your home a little warmer.

Keep them calm and caged except when out for cuddling with you .

Sick burds get whatever they want to eat within reason. No sugary foods. Try and keep diet healthy and what they normally eat. But hang a treat stick and/or millet spray. If seed mix is part of the diet bump up a little more than what you normally offer. If seeds are normally just for treats offer a few. Offering tge veggies high in beta carotene/ Vitamin A as that helps with immunity. Like warm cooked sweet potatoes, warm roasted or steamed carrots, leafy greens like romaine are higher in vitamin A and the yellow/orange/red bell pepper..sick burds generally burn more calories when sick up to 3x more. And often eat less, so you want to keep them eating and tempted.

Its a good idea to have a digital scale and track weight.

Those are just good supporting measures for Sick burds.

Keep calm.

If anything changes that has you worried , stops eating, staying fluffed and nit moving around, big liquid still with no formed fecal ( diarrhea) changes in breathing or anything then you would want to get him in and not wait till Tuesday.

But hopefully he is going to be just fine
 

Elyse04

Sitting on the front steps
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Messages
19
Oh I'm a bigger worrier with my babies even when well. So I understand. Its stressful.

The stress from Visiting a veterinarian even when they are normal can throw them off yes.

Of course taking extra naps can indicate they aren't feeling well too.

Offer all the favorites, like millet spray.

If I understand, yours didn't have a lot of symptoms, just smelly breath right? Had been eating fine, not napping extra before right? Good poops?

So right now we dint know what's wrong, or if anything is wrong. And you are going back to veterinarian on Tuesday. You can always call first thing Monday.

What I recommend is Xtra warmth. I like the sweeter heater as sold on Amazon. Sick burds really benefit from Xtra warmth 80-90 f . You can make your home a little warmer.

Keep them calm and caged except when out for cuddling with you .

Sick burds get whatever they want to eat within reason. No sugary foods. Try and keep diet healthy and what they normally eat. But hang a treat stick and/or millet spray. If seed mix is part of the diet bump up a little more than what you normally offer. If seeds are normally just for treats offer a few. Offering tge veggies high in beta carotene/ Vitamin A as that helps with immunity. Like warm cooked sweet potatoes, warm roasted or steamed carrots, leafy greens like romaine are higher in vitamin A and the yellow/orange/red bell pepper..sick burds generally burn more calories when sick up to 3x more. And often eat less, so you want to keep them eating and tempted.

Its a good idea to have a digital scale and track weight.

Those are just good supporting measures for Sick burds.

Keep calm.

If anything changes that has you worried , stops eating, staying fluffed and nit moving around, big liquid still with no formed fecal ( diarrhea) changes in breathing or anything then you would want to get him in and not wait till Tuesday.

But hopefully he is going to be just fine
Thank you so much! Yes before I made the Tuesday appointment and took him to emergency last night he was pretty much normal. Just the seeds on his beak and the fishy breathe. Maybe napping more than my others but I’ve only had him three weeks so maybe that’s just him, or maybe he was napping a normal amount and I’m just paranoid.

He was eating normally, singing, dancing, playing with toys. Very friendly and interactive. I was actually impressed with how quickly he came around, I’ve only had him 3 weeks now, the first few days were bad. He would fly at me to attack me, bite me hard and make me bleed. So he came around really fast, now he asks for rubs everyday.

So him being a litter quieter right now is new, since the vet visit and meds.
Poops are normal I’ve been mushing them up with my fingers (what we do for love right) and they are solid with no seeds in them.

He is still eating and drinking, giving a toy the odd nibble, just quieter. Still preening and stretching.

His last home was very bad, dirty. He lived in junk food (eggos, bread, crackers) and never ate a vegetable. I offer fresh greens everyday and he has warmed up to eating them, so far broccoli and kale are a winner! And I’ve actually just remembered he came with a cut on his foot, I sprayed it with Vetericyn and it healed up nicely, perhaps that is the cause of this infection whatever it is.

Thanks so much for understanding and forgive my scattered and unorganized answers as I’m not in the best state of mind right now. I have them outside right now as it’s a warm day, half in the sun half in the shade. I thought some fresh air and sun would do him good.
 
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