How Would You Handle This?

[JennKerry]

Hello everyone,
My cockatiel Woo is nearing 25 and has encountered her first medical issues. I took her to the vet a few weeks ago when I noticed her favoring her right leg. Biting at it, dragging it.

they concluded she has the onset of arthritis with narrowing of the arteries and isn’t getting sufficient blood supply down the leg. They sent me home with 3 heart and vessel meds along with an anti inflammatory with pain killer. Great right? Ugh....I wish

Here’s the dilemma. I towel her, give her the meds then she checks out for the rest of the day and goes into a trauma depression. Mind you, these are twice daily meds. So she’s double traumatized. She will lean forward, drop her wings, puff up and sleep. And she does this against the side where the heat lamp is so she’s not cold. It’s only after I give the meds she does this for hours.

So, ok let’s try and trick her with putting it in food. I put some in pound cake and it worked....one time. She got wise to it and wouldn’t eat it. Tried other foods and she refuses to eat it.
Now it’s gotten to the point she’s beginning to refuse her own food that I didn’t put meds in. She thinks I’ve contaminated that as well!
On top of that, now she’s scared of me. She tries to run or tries to bite me when I walk past. In the attempt to help her, I’ve made the problem worse! She isn’t getting better. The meds aren’t helping. And I’ve now made her begin to hate me and not trust me or the food I give her. I’m waiting on a call back from the vet.
How do you handle this situation with an elderly bird? I held her to my cheek and gave her kisses after the meds to try and calm her. Guys...I’ve never felt a heart beat this fast ever!! It was so fast I was terrified I was gonna give her a heart attack! She’s too old for this

 

[Shezbug]

Bump

 

[Leomcc]

is the trauma worth it for woo. Sometimes the best decision for buddies hurts you more .

 

[tjc]

I’m so sorry you are going through this. 25 years means you’re doing something right. I can’t add much, and know others with more experience will. When I’ve had to give oral meds to my Quaker I mix them with fruit nectar. It comes in a can on the juice isle, peach, pear, and apricot. Always draw the medication up first in the syringe.

 

[Lady Jane]

Ask the vet about flavoring the meds. If administration of the meds is causing so much negative reaction i would take her to the vet and have him or her show you the least stressful way to give them and you give the meds with the vet watching you and bird. Giving meds to a bird is not something we are taught.

There are a few youtube videos you can watch too. You also can put some kind of juice in a syringe with no meds to get your bird used to accepting the syringe.

 

[Hankmacaw]

The fruit juice in a syringe is a good idea. I works to train them to take medications. Other wise just holding her firmly and get the meds down as quickly as possible. Followed by a special treat and lots of snuggles. She should learn quickly if you are consistent and aren't nervous your self.

 

[JennKerry]

OKAY! So I was super mom today and modified her cage even more to make it more disability friendly. I went to Walmart today, bought fleece, 1” thick foam padding, 2mil plastic sheeting, and moleskin for her flat perch. Her good foot is starting to show red marks from her standing on it.

I took the sheeting and wrapped the foam in it. Took the fleece and sewed the corners so I can slip it off the foam for washing. Then I put the moleskin on the perch. She took the transition like a champ. Didn’t flip out once. A few weeks ago I built a platform that raised the bottom of her cage so she can’t hurt herself when she falls. I’m glad I did, she had a night fright last week.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

OKAY! So I was super mom today and modified her cage even more to make it more disability friendly. I went to Walmart today, bought fleece, 1” thick foam padding, 2mil plastic sheeting, and moleskin for her flat perch. Her good foot is starting to show red marks from her standing on it.

I took the sheeting and wrapped the foam in it. Took the fleece and sewed the corners so I can slip it off the foam for washing. Then I put the moleskin on the perch. She took the transition like a champ. Didn’t flip out once. A few weeks ago I built a platform that raised the bottom of her cage so she can’t hurt herself when she falls. I’m glad I did, she had a night fright last week.

Great idea!

 

[Gimby]

This is a hard subject but I will tell you my experience. I had a gw macaw who would of rather jumped off a bridge and plummet to her death than take her medication. She was terminally ill. Id do any thing to save her - from giving her syringe med to giving her shots twice a day to both med and shots. She was so incredibly traumatized by the toweling and medicating that now that I look back and I wish Id never traumatized her so badly each time she'd have to take her medicine. I was her protector and her best friend. In my eyes, I was trying my hardest to make her better BUT in her eyes that wasnt so. It was more or less "why are you doing this to me?". After all that fighting to adminster meds she still gets put to sleep with those being her last memories of us.

To this day, I have so much guilt I still cry. What Im trying to say is, if it is that hard on your little bird dont do it. Just nurture and love. Ask your vet for a medication to put in her drinking water whether it be a pain med or something else if he can provide that. and when it is time your little bird will have no question you loved him/her all the way till the end.

 

[Gimby]

The fruit juice in a syringe is a good idea. I works to train them to take medications. Other wise just holding her firmly and get the meds down as quickly as possible. Followed by a special treat and lots of snuggles. She should learn quickly if you are consistent and aren't nervous your self.

This isnt a bad idea to train. Ill start doing this with my current birds.

 

[Lady Jane]

if it is that hard on your little bird dont do it.

Sometimes we need to speak for a bird in our care and you just did this for another. How brave of you to share this experience. In human terms its called hospice. As a former Hospice nurse I fully agree with you.