HELP WITH MY SICK BIRD

[fab908]

I don’t know what to do anymore and need help. It’s been over a month since my green cheek conure has been able to walk properly and $2500 in vet bills to find out absolutely nothing. Here’s the story:

I’ve had my JJ for 9 years since he was a baby and I just rescued a green cheek and Quaker pair. Quarantined them for 2 months before introducing them to JJ. They never showed any signs of sickness so I assumed it was safe. JJ and the green cheek had taken a liking to each other and began to get hormonal. The next Day he started to act weird. Started getting lethargic and off balance but still eating and drinking normal. He began to get worse, he got extremely wobbly and lethargic so I put him in a hospital tank. We went to the vet as soon as we possibly could and they ran a bornavirus test, a blood test and he weighed 67grams. Bornavirus came back negative and blood test came back completely normal. They gave us Baytril and metacam to treat for possible infection. We then came in for an X-ray to check for led poisoning and they came back normal too. He started to get better after 2 weeks then the vet told us to take him off the Baytril and keep metacam for a week, then stop the metacam. If he declines he has bornavirus if he stays the same he has an infection. He started to decline before we could even stop the metacam and the vet wouldn’t respond so we went to a new one. He weighed 61 grams at this point and the new vet thinks it’s a bacterial infection rather than a viral disease because he’s eating normal, his urate was stringy, and he had bubbles in his poop. We tested for a yeast infection, and chlamydia which both came back negative so he gave us Baytril and doxycycline And improved right away And even got back to 67 grams the next day. He got better very quickly but still very wobbly and tired most of the day but now has his spikes of energy. It seems like he’s not getting better anymore and just kind of staying where he’s at. He said to keep going with the medication for another month and is hoping it’s an ear infection. He’s still not getting any stability, he’s on occasion eating on one foot now but I just feel like we’re stuck, not getting anywhere, and I just don’t know what’s going on and don’t know what to do. He’s eating and drinking perfectly fine and is continuing to gain weight not to mention I’ve spent so much on vet bills just to get nowhere. Anybody have any idea what to do or have any insight as to what’s going on with my JJ. I’ve attached his blood test and xrays

 

[Pixiebeak]

Welcome to the forum, but so sorry for the reason.
You and your avain veterinarians have really been thorough. So much to spend but really trying to track down everything!!

He does have a slightly elevated wbc.

Everyone here , has heard me talk about avian clymadia, because I had a whole flock of 7 mixed species with it and it was a big ordeal and lasted months. I had the whole Gambit of symptoms, each present differently, it's a tricky tricky infection. I will link my saga , it's long , and recorded well after recovery so I'm sure I left things out.

I think clymadia is a real possibility for your bird. False negatives are common and it really is tricky to pin down.

My reasons, because it's systemic,
it can cause kidney symptoms that causes leg pain and weakness in legs from kidney.
Or it can also cause primary neurological symptoms.
It does cause weight loss.
You do not have to have respiratory symptoms.
It will respond a little to baytril, at first but baytril will not treat it. So rebound and stop responding to baytril.
Baytril almost always causes a secondary yeast gi overgrowth. With bubbles id get him on Nystatin. There are other antifungal, but Nystatin is more mild to the birds system and well tolerated and will cure the yeast. And as much meds and all his body has been through, plus the strain on kidney and liver processing meds I strongly urge nyststin. It's well documented that baytril will cause yeast overgrowth. But your avian vet can do a fecal gram stain , cytology, to confirm buding yeast if needed.
Next you did see a response when doxycycline was started, doxycycline is really the only antibiotic that will eliminate clymadia. It takes 45 days of doxy to clear the clymadia and relapse and second round or in my case 3rd round was needed to clear. All birds in the home regardless of being kept apart or in different rooms must be treated at the same time with the 45 days of doxycycline! If they have not been , then count it as day one of treatment once all are started on it. I found it completely effective to do the doxycycline in water made fresh every day and served as sole water source. My birds had zero issues drinking it. Doxycycline is well tolerated and rarely causes secondary yeast overgrowth. But you need to treat the yeast he most likely already has , and because of everything he has been through, the yeast might return down the line of his 45 doxy.

I would stop the baytril,( will link my baytril article to) and probably the Melecam. It's not great to give long term , can hurt kidney or liver can't remember without looking it up. I am not a veterinarian. This is from my experience sharing to help. All decisions are between you and your veterinarian. From everything you have shared you have a great s d dedicated veterinarian!

Again I can not diagnose your bird, or truly know what is going on. Just that it does fit very well with what I went through with my saga of avian Chlamydia, from what you have shared.

it takes a lot of extra cleaning and precautions to eliminate avain clymadia . Changing air filter in AC/heater , I did weekly. Changing filter in vacuum. Nit using vacuum around birds stuff as aerosol. Toss broom weekly. Bleach and scrub dis pan daily. Toss all soft toys and don't use soft toys till after you clear the infection. Scrub all perches , water food dish daily. For all birds you must do this for all birds in home. My vet had me use dilute bleach , not around the birds, for everything. I moved d birds out of if the room , I spray dilute bleach on their papers before I rolled up bagged and took outside to help cut down in aerosol. This bacteria can last in the environment and reinfect the birds.

my saga with clymadia

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[Pixiebeak]

How is your bird? Gaining weight?

 

[WillowQ]

Yes, I’m saddened by your story. I hope your boy is ok. Poor little chicken.