Help with possible Chlamydia

[abbydp]

Hey guys. I have a long post over on 911 but thought I would post here as well for other experiences. I have been fighting an illness in my white cap pionus since November. We have treated for an bacterial infection and asper and re ran bloodwork last week. It has not changed since the initial bloodwork - slightly elevated white count but not off the charts, and liver issues. I don't have a copy of this newest test but my vet is a Board Certified Avian vet. She did consult on the newest blood with another Certified vet, possibly from the University of Miami where the bloodwork was done. The concensus now is possibly chlamydia, and they are testing for that now and want to start Baytril. I am doing a search but the volume of information is a little overwhelming. He seems to feel pretty good, looks great, beautifully feathered, all normal unless you look at his keel. He can't seem to get back to 160 grams, even with hand feeding formula 3x per day. He does eat on his own, does not vomit or pass undigested food, poop is wet with all of the formula but normal. He is also on a liver support med.

Has anyone fought this and beaten it?

 

[jmfleish]

I've never personally dealt with psittacosis but I would think that if your bird had it, you would also be sick, especially if this has been going on for a while. The tests should tell you one way or another though and it is treatable, generally with doxycycline.

 

[abbydp]

That's the thing, everything I have read on here says doxy but apparently both vets wants Baytril. I asked for doxy when we treated for asper - we didn't test just treated, but she didn't want to do it then, wanted something else. I will ask her about it today.

 

[jmfleish]

I think that most antibiotics will work. Doxy just seems to be the one of choice most of the time.

 

[Billie Faye]

Have you read this????
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Chlamydiosis (Parrot Fever) In Birds Part IV Treatment
Also:
"
Psittacosis
Cause and Transmission: Chlamydia psittaci bacteria is responsible for Psittacosis (also known as chlamydiosis, parrot fever and ornithosis.) Because it is transmittable from bird to humans, this disease must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control. Humans can also transmit the disease to birds. Incubation period ranges from a month to over a year or more. The disease is transmitted from bird to bird via fecal and feather dust and begins to be shed in droppings at least ten days before clinical signs are seen in infected birds. This organism can survive outside the host for a month.
What It Does (Pathology): Lives and reproduces within host cells, causing cellular damage. Causes enlarged spleen and damages liver, lungs, kidneys and pancreas.
What You See (Symptoms): Depending on the form the disease takes, symptoms could be respiratory (labored breathing, sinus infection, mucus secretion.) digestive tract (diarrhea, polyuria, dehydration) toxicity to liver, spleen and pancreas (green droppings with yellow urates, enlarged liver and spleen.)
Prevention: an ELISA test (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assy) has been developed for Chlamydia. Test new birds before introducing them to the air space of resident birds.
Treatment: Tetracycline drugs are effective and this treatment is mandated by government regulation. Drugs can be administered by injection (can cause tissue necrosis) or in the feed. Tetracycline drugs are hard on internal organs, so supporting those organs with herbs and nutrients is an important part of the therapy. Milk thistle and/ or andrographis help to heal the liver. Garlic and probiotics helps to fight bacteria and yeast.
Prognosis: Depends on the severity of the disease, but the treatment is effective for birds not severely affected."
Taken from:
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
again Tetracycline drugs seem to be the choice to kill off this instead of Baytril...have the vets say WHY they want to use this instead of the other? and What herbs will they allow you to use with it to help?

 

[suncoast]

Haven't you already been on a round of Baytril? I would really lobby for the the Doxy this time.

Ginger

 

[abbydp]

Billie, no I had not read that, thank you! We haven't started anything yet. I didn't get the call back from her until after 9 last night. She was calling this am to make sure they could run the test on the previously submitted blood, hoping we don't have to stick him again, so he isn't positive for anything yet. Neither my boyfriend or I have been truly sick this winter, a sniffle or head cold here and there, but nothing that even warrented a Dr visit. When I spoke with the vet last night I didn't have any questions yet, this is the very first time she has mentioned this, so I had no idea what to ask. I do still have plently of the anitfungal asper med on hand and still good, so if we need to do that as well to ward off anything fungal that develops. I will ask about the doxy, but for some reason she doesn't use it. She treated for asper solely on my request and Newf's experience, but still used what she wanted, not the doxy Newf's bird got. I will ask again today.

 

[abbydp]

No Ginger he has never had Baytril. He got Pipracillin + Tazobactam as injections and Terbinafine Hcl for asper orally.

 

[suncoast]

Okay, I couldn't remember. You are adding yogurt or a probiotic to his food, right? With all these meds it's possible that his good bacteria is low.

Ginger

 

[jmfleish]

You'll know if you have Psitt...it's like having the worst flu symptoms you've ever experienced. While it isn't impossible for your bird to have psitt and you not have picked it up, I would really think that odds are much better that you would be sick as well.

 

[abbydp]

OK we have just come back from the vet for the second blood draw in less than a week. Poor little guy feels like a pincushion. She feels IF this is what we are dealing with he has a subclinical case and we are more likely to have given it to him than the other way around. That or it is something he has always carried and something set it off this fall. I don't know of anything that would have stressed him out, but there is a lot he sees that I don't. He doesn't have severe symptoms and not many of them - nothing respiratory, no vomiting, nothing with his eyes. If you didn't weigh him or look at his keel closely, you wouldn't think anything is off. His feathers are beautiful and normal, he is bright and happy. Neither set of bloodwork was that bad, and it has not changed. The blood has been sent off so we will see. She wants Baytril first since we don't know, she feels it will go after a few other things that are still possible. If he comes back positive or doesn't respond we will likely add in the doxy. She has seen a lot of these subclinical cases that then test positive and what she has done has worked. Hopefully this one will too. He had such a rough time he got a treat on the way home

 

[Cruxon]

My cockatiel had psitacossis and he was treated with Doxycyline which worked really well! However, he also had a VERY bad liver and a respiratory infection. If you can get him his Doxy shots, he has a very good chance to survive! My vet added that it takes a LONG time to cure Psitacossis and it may reoccur even after it is treated. I lost my tiel due to the combined effect on his organs, so I would suggest that you get him treated ASAP. I caught the disease quite early, but still was unable to save him. Some common signs of Psiatcosis are-
1) Watery poop with green urates
2) Increased lethargy
3) Discharge from eyes or nose
4) Tail bobbing

There are many more. Lot of information is available online about the disease. I hope your poor Pionus is cured!

 

[Cruxon]

I think that most antibiotics will work. Doxy just seems to be the one of choice most of the time.

PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY OTHER ANTIBIOTIC EXCEPT DOXYCYLINE OR TETRACYLINE. They are the only ones you can safely use to treat Psitacosis.

 

[abbydp]

Cruxon I really appreciate you sharing your experience and I am very sorry for your loss. Peep has none of those signs other than lethargy, which can also be attributed to the weight loss. I have to trust the two specialists working with him for now. If he tests positive she will add in the doxy. I won't have that back for a day or two. He has been sick since at least November, but his bloodwork was no worse yesterday than Dec.

 

[Kathie]

I believe Doxy is the medicine of choice and it is administered through shots over a period of several weeks (I think it is something like every 5 days or so). Unless you have Chlamydia (which I am sure you do not), I don't see how you could have given Peep this illness, if he, in fact has it.

The sad part of all of this is that all of these different antibiotics are going to do a number on his organs.

 

[Kathie]

That's the thing, everything I have read on here says doxy but apparently both vets wants Baytril. I asked for doxy when we treated for asper - we didn't test just treated, but she didn't want to do it then, wanted something else. I will ask her about it today.

Honestly, I have never heard of Baytril for Psittacosis. Never.

 

[abbydp]

I know Kathie, I worry about that all day. I can't make any progress though. He stays between 152 and 157, and has been there for more than a month, back and forth. The time on no meds did him no good at all. He does have an elevated white count so something is wrong, just no idea what. I am not sure she truly thinks that's what he has either, as he shows almost none of the signs. There is something in the bloodwork that is telling both vets this is the med, so I don't know how to say I think they are wrong. She doesn't want doxy unless the test is positive, then we add it. I can't do this without a vet so I have to trust her right now. If this gets us no where I can't see anything else other than supporting, feeding him, and keeping him happy until he can't do it anymore. I am worn out.

 

[abbydp]

IT's been quite an informative day. Peep tested negative for pistacosis but I always thought he was a boy. Nope Peep is a girl!! The vet asked the lab to run another test to further test her liver values.

Little Peep got all kinds of goodies from Kathie so life is good today

 

[suncoast]

Aw, Peeps a girl. I'm glad she doesn't have Psttiscosis, but what's the next step?

Ginger

 

[abbydp]

Thanks Ginger. Since we started the Baytril and her white count is still elevated we will run the course on that. So far she has handled it very well and seems to feel better(She - that will take some getting used to!) The new blood test will determine if we change liver meds. The vet asked the lab to run a test for free so thats a huge help. Basically all I do now is feed and take care of her once this medicine is finished.

Poor little Peep even knows how to say good boy not good girl!