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Urgent Help, my old pal Charlie is sick (15 year old budgie)

flappergirl35

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Jennifer Beckman
Hey guys,
I apologize for not posting in awhile. Things in my life have been very busy, and I've not been able to visit the site as when I first started.
I have an emergency, and I need some advice from experienced bird folks. I have a 15 year old male budgie named Charlie. About five years ago, he was diagnosed with having fatty tumors. The tumors are pressing against his heart, and it causes him to fall off his perch and have what looks like little seizures when he gets stressed out or handled too much.
He doesn't do well on car rides or at the vet's office. Last time I took him to see the vet, he had seizures in the car and office. I decided to put him in palliative care for his old age. Five years after his diagnosis, he's still around.
This morning, I noticed some poop stuck to his vent area. It's not that unusual for him to have that, because of his fatty tumors. He's unable to clean back there normally. When I saw it this morning, however, it looked like his vent area was badly clogged. I removed him from the cage and plucked the poop off as best I could, and he ended up having a small seizure. My question is, what should I do now?
He's been on a seed diet his whole life, and I know it isn't the greatest, but I had no other option when I first got him, and he wouldn't switch at all to pellets. He doesn't like being handled anymore.
He used to come out of his cage all the time, but he hasn't for a few years now because of his diagnosis. I really love the little guy and I'm hoping that I can help him feel better. He's in a sunny location with his two mates atm. I'm wondering if it's better to leave the poop on his vent, or take a chance and remove it?
Is there an easy, low-stress way for me to remove the poop, so that I don't upset him too much?
I'm also wondering if there are any suggestions to helping me keep him comfortable for the next while. I don't want to cover him with his towel, because I'm thinking it might be depressing and dark for him. I keep my kitchen nice and warm. He's not fluffed up, and right now he's eating normally and grooming as best he can.
 

Fergus Mom

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I so wish I had some advice for you in this, but I will have to defer to more experienced bird owners. Only thing I can think of is to mist his vent area, but only if he is used to being misted... I hope you get some advice for him. Fifteen years - wow.
 

Distaff

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Based on my experience with chicken chicks sometimes getting pasty butts, I would remove it.
I hold the tall end of the chick on water that feels just barely warm on my wrist. Give the mat time to soften, and be VERY gentle. Make sure he is in a warm place until he is dry.
 

flappergirl35

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Thanks for responding. He's doing alright ATM, not fluffed our stressed out anymore. I have placed a call to my vet's office to have my Avian vet call me back. I hope he has some good advice for me. I did read on one budgie website that it's okay to give him a bit of apple juice in his water bowl to help promote drinking. I may give it a try and see if the extra hydration might help. He's an old boy. His nickname is Champagne Charlie after the old song. He still has some poop stuck to his vent, but I'm afraid of attempting to remove it, because he might have a heart attack. I'll keep you guys posted on his condition.
 

flappergirl35

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Based on my experience with chicken chicks sometimes getting pasty butts, I would remove it.
I hold the tall end of the chick on water that feels just barely warm on my wrist. Give the mat time to soften, and be VERY gentle. Make sure he is in a warm place until he is dry.
Thank you for that! I'm going to give it a try in a few minutes after he's gotten some rest. He's been his usual grumpy little self lately, but I give him credit for doing so well with his condition. I think if I"m able to soften the droppings, they would come off a lot easier.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Your little guy sounds so special and precious! I hope you can clean him up without causing another seizure. It seems like a your in a real catch 22. I hope the vet has some advice. Does he like baths?
 

flappergirl35

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Oh, thank you. He really is a precious little guy. He never took baths, even though I tried to offer them to him several times. I think at his stage of life and weight, it's probably not likely he'll be interested now. I've been afraid to touch him today because of the seizure he had this morning. I'm going to try and do the suggestion Distaff offered, but I don't want to shock and upset him too soon after what had happened. Right now, he's sitting on his perch, grooming. He looks normal, no fluffing of feathers, not listless. I'm still waiting for the Avian vet to call me back.

I forgot to mention, the last time he was weighed, he came in at 56 grams. That was a few years ago. He doesn't look like he's lost any weight, and his eating has been regular. He doesn't eat any more than my other budgies, but for some reason, he's huge. The vet believes his lipomas are genetic.
 
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Lady Jane

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That is a pretty good weight for a budgie. 15 years is a long lived budgie too. By palliative care are you saying you do not want to put him through the stress of a trip to the vet? If he continues to have poo stains on the vent area I still would have a vet look at him. Dehydration can be painful. You may want to get some Pedialyte liquid and try to get him to drink some. You can also add 2 tsp apple cider vinegar with mother (Bragg) mixed in 1 quart or 32 ounces of water. Refrigerate any left over for the next day.
Keep him warm and you can also lower the perches in his cage so he does not have to expend too much energy getting around.

For the poo stains you can see if he will tolerate standing or sitting in a small dish of warm water to soften the area and then you pat dry.
 

flappergirl35

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I wish I could take him to the vet, but the last couple of times I did, he almost didn't survive the trip because of his seizures. I did get a call back from the vet, and he told me that due to his condition, there isn't anything he can do at this point that I can't do at home. He suggested a warm partial bath in a dark room to keep his stress levels down.
I will try the apple cider vinegar and the Pedialyte, and see if it helps him. I just want to keep him comfortable and stress-free for the rest of his life. I know he's quite heavy, but there isn't anything I've been able to do about it. My last vet did believe that his lipomas were genetic. I'm just glad that I've had him in my life for this long. I'm going to take it one day at a time, and hope for the best.
 

Lady Jane

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That is a good hospice philosophy. I used to be a hospice nurse. I wish you both comfort through out this trying time. Tell Charlie he will feel better over the rainbow bridge. Have you read that poem?
 

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Misting his bum will help to remove the poo, I hope he dosent stress out over it...maybe some wet lettuce leaves in a shallow bowl with a bit of water would encourage him to clean up?
 

flappergirl35

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I've read the Rainbow Bridge poem, and it makes me cry every time. I just checked on him this morning, and he's looking okay. Last night, he was playful and getting into his usual hijinx. I'm going to offer him a lukewarm bath this morning, and when I do his cage, I'm going to add part water, part fruit juice to his water dish to encourage him to drink. Thank you guys so much for your suggestions and understanding. It really is a bit of a catch-22, because if I handle him too much, he could have a seizure and die...yet I can't leave him the way he is. I'm really hoping that he'll be feeling better soon.
 

Fergus Mom

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When my Charlie Dog was sick I used Gatorade as an electrolyte in his water. I hope Charlie Bird will benefit from that too! :heart:
 

Peachfaced

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I've read the Rainbow Bridge poem, and it makes me cry every time. I just checked on him this morning, and he's looking okay. Last night, he was playful and getting into his usual hijinx. I'm going to offer him a lukewarm bath this morning, and when I do his cage, I'm going to add part water, part fruit juice to his water dish to encourage him to drink. Thank you guys so much for your suggestions and understanding. It really is a bit of a catch-22, because if I handle him too much, he could have a seizure and die...yet I can't leave him the way he is. I'm really hoping that he'll be feeling better soon.
Be sure to change the water very frequently if you do, as that will encourage bacterial growth.

When my Charlie Dog was sick I used Gatorade as an electrolyte in his water. I hope Charlie Bird will benefit from that too! :heart:
I've heard Pedialyte can be used.
 

flappergirl35

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Hi guys, Charlie is still around, doing much better. He's been bickering with his wife, Noelle, and seems to be in really good spirits. I've given him a little juice mixed in with his water, and he's been drinking it happily. I clean my cages every day, and make sure that his water dish is rinsed out and cleaned well before adding new water to it. I am still taking it one day at a time, but his improvement has been quite encouraging. I have three very old budgies, Charlie being the eldest at 15, the middle being a female named Henrietta, she's thirteen, and Noelle being the youngest at ten. They are all doing quite well for their ages, and I'm glad to see them lively and happy, much like they were when they were younger. Thank you all so much for your posts. I will let you know if there is anything more, but as far as I can tell right now, he's definitely getting better.
 

Lady Jane

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A budgies life expectancy is usually not above 8 years so you have cared for them very well. They sound happy.
 

Fergus Mom

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Wonderful news - so glad to hear that!
 
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