Well, after losing two budgies a year apart, now I have another that's fallen ill. 
She was showing signs that suggested a potential infection, so I went to get her checked out. Gram stain, beautiful. So we did an x-ray and bloodwork. X-ray showed slightly enlarged liver. Her bile acids were very high. I didn't get a number but the vet said it was one of the highest she's ever seen... which of course is terrifying to hear. AST is also slightly elevated. All else normal.
They said they can't really say what's causing the liver disease now, but rechecking her values in 10 days will give them a better idea as to how treatable it is.
She's on milk thistle + lactulose, an antibiotic (Clavamox) just in case of a liver infection, colchicine, and some anti-nausea meds. The vet said all things considered, she appears stable to them at least. At home she was very lethargic and making vomiting movements, though nothing came up. Today, she's still very fluffy and tired, and I can tell her foot is hurting her a bit from the blood draw, but the vomiting movements have stopped. She's still able to perch and is eating. But she doesn't look great.
Does anyone have any other tips for keeping her stable until the recheck? We don't know what type of liver disease this is. She's only 32 grams. Gets a good variety in her food but isn't the best pellet eater, so I've been sprinkling more on her sprouts to get some more in her. But she is a she, and I know hens can be more prone to issues like fatty liver due to hormones. I'm just hoping it's not cancer.
She was showing signs that suggested a potential infection, so I went to get her checked out. Gram stain, beautiful. So we did an x-ray and bloodwork. X-ray showed slightly enlarged liver. Her bile acids were very high. I didn't get a number but the vet said it was one of the highest she's ever seen... which of course is terrifying to hear. AST is also slightly elevated. All else normal.They said they can't really say what's causing the liver disease now, but rechecking her values in 10 days will give them a better idea as to how treatable it is.
She's on milk thistle + lactulose, an antibiotic (Clavamox) just in case of a liver infection, colchicine, and some anti-nausea meds. The vet said all things considered, she appears stable to them at least. At home she was very lethargic and making vomiting movements, though nothing came up. Today, she's still very fluffy and tired, and I can tell her foot is hurting her a bit from the blood draw, but the vomiting movements have stopped. She's still able to perch and is eating. But she doesn't look great.
Does anyone have any other tips for keeping her stable until the recheck? We don't know what type of liver disease this is. She's only 32 grams. Gets a good variety in her food but isn't the best pellet eater, so I've been sprinkling more on her sprouts to get some more in her. But she is a she, and I know hens can be more prone to issues like fatty liver due to hormones. I'm just hoping it's not cancer.
