Judy has Asper!!!

[unicornlady7]

Speedy recovery, Judy!

 

[TikiLola]

Praying Judy has a speedy recovery now that you know what it is!

 

[DQTimnehs]

Here's to a quick recovery! It helps to know what you are fighting! I'm glad it wasn't something worse.

 

[jmfleish]

Congratulations on getting a diagnosis. I'm so happy that you finally have some answers! Asper is a pain too and can be really hard to get rid of, but at least you know what you are dealing with and can get her on the correct treatments.

 

[Quest]

I am really pulling for Judy to recover quickly
and completely.

 

[Macawnutz]

Healing thoughts!!!!

 

[Karen]

Glad to read you have a diagnosis and a treatment plan. I hope she's feeling better very soon. Terbinafine is good stuff. I used to get it compounded with banana flavoring to make it a bit more palatable. Aspergillosis is something you control more so than getting rid of it. Stay diligent, Good luck!

 

[Merlie]

You should reach out to Mary Lynn .. she's a member here, but isn't super active .. she's the Queen of Asper, and has a lot of valuable insight .. I believe her forum name is "hankmacaw". Send her a PM ... I know she'd share her hugh vault of knowledge with you.

**Edit** I sent her an e-mail, making her aware of this thread. If she's still around, I'm sure she'll pop in.

 

[Somebirdie]

wishing your birdie a quick and painless recovery!

 

[Hankmacaw]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Merlie.

Hank was a well bird for two years - a record for him - but he is fighting Asper and secondary infections once again. His first two bouts with Asper caused granulomas (encapsuled Asper colonies) in his lungs and there is always the danger of them becoming active and one has. Additionally, his long bouts on anti-fungals pretty much destroyed any immune system he had and allowed MRSA and a couple of other pretty nasty bacteria to take up residence. He has a Staph infection in his throat too right now, but it's not an antibiotic resistant strain and Doxycycline is getting rid of it. It's kind of darned if you do and darned if you don't.

The most important thing I can tell you is to not stop treatment too soon. Keep her warm and as quiet as possible. The Asper spores can and will lie dormant and then bloom later. Hank is also on Lamisil (Terbinifine), although Itraconozole was more effective for the Asper, it does play heck with the liver as any anti-fungal does. Some things you can ask your vet about;

a. Giving her Milk Thistle as liver support for as long as she is on the anti-fungal and a few weeks afterwards.
b. Things you can give her for immune system support - high vitamin C foods like oranges, Red Palm oil (I gave Hank a 1200 gm macaw 0.20 ml per day by syringe), ground flax or flax seed oil for heart and immune system, tofu for extra vegetable protien.
c. Probiotics. I give Hank "Prozyme" which is a combination of probiotics and digestive enzymes which help with digesting proteins and keeping his weight up.
d. Get some F10 Biocare and use it on everything, including your hands.

Hank is being hand fed twice a day with a blended concoction of Harrison's High potency pellets, mango or papaya, almond butter, ground flax and Prozyme. I soak the pellets overnight in distilled water then blend them with the other ingredients. The Prozyme or probiotic can't be heated so I add that just prior to feeding.

It's a long hard road, but as you and I and every other "Bird Person" knows the effort is well worth it. Best of everything for you and Judy and don't hesitate to PM me if you have a question.

 

[Merlie]

Thank you Mary Lynn!!

 

[Sunnyside]

I am glad you guys got a diagnosis! Poor Judy, all I ever think about is what came out of her little nares, that in itself was unbelievable! I hope Judy finally gets some relief and you get some rest!

 

[Hankmacaw]

Here is a write up I did about Asper a couple of years ago.

http://forums.avianavenue.com/diseases/11130-aspergillosis-2.html

 

[ArloDuncan]

I wish you both a speedy recovery

 

[Tangle Elf]

Thank you Mary Lynn. I just ordered some milk thistle. I already give Judy a probiotic and RPO. I also clean with F10. It seems we're on the right track so far. I don't have any specific questions yet. There's so much information that it's a little overwhelming. My vet chose the terbinafine because of the liver issues you mentioned with Itraconozole and also because he said that they're starting to see resistances to it. We'll probably start doing nasal flushes (and possibly nebulization) soon and we'll definitely be adding an antibiotic as soon as we find out what the bacteria is. The vet said he has one patient that has to have both meds just to keep the asper under control. I would be happier with destroying the fungus all together, but I would be ok with keeping it under control.

Again, thank you for the information links.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Keep up the good work - you are doing great. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about Asper and to stay very involved with Judy's treatment.

Takes time, but you will whip it. Especially since Judy is such a fighter.

 

[Monica]

"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

I'd rather have one of my birds sick with something and know how to treat it rather than an illness that no one can figure out, thus can't effectively treat it. I'm thinking you probably feel the same way!


So glad you and the new vet were able to figure out what's up with Judy and can get her onto the full rode to recovery! I've been following your posts about her, so am glad to hear this update, even if it's not the best of news, per-say!


Tell Judy it's time to kick Asper in the butt!