Kidney Disease

[AW2023]

Hey all, I just got a call from my vet to let me know my dusky conure Peekaboo's blood tests came back with a uric acid of 15.2, which is obviously out of range.
I'm familiar with bird kidney disease as I've spent the past month and a half researching it since my princess of wales parakeet got diagnosed with it at the beginning of November (she was also diagnosed with a terminal 10mm kidney tumor.)
When I bring Tatu in on Jan 9th for followup blood tests and xrays, Peekaboo will join us for xrays as well (vet is out of town until then for well deserved holidays.) If the xray confirms, he will be joining Tatu on the Allopurinol train. Peekaboo's only other worrisome blood result is high bile acid, but his other liver results are completely fine. He does have avian borna virus (I've maintained a split positive/negative household for 16 1/2 years), which manifests for him as slightly enlarged organs.

Other than very water-heavy droppings, which he has always had (he has always been a VERY well-hydrated boy), he's been completely normal. Cheerful, loud, constantly moving and playing.

I know about Roudybusy's AK Renal diet (which I offer to Tatu), Allopurinol, having a low protein intake, low nut/seed intake, high intake for celery/other kidney-healthy foods, making sure he drinks plenty of water (that will never be an issue for him lol). I plan to get him a sweeterheater like Tatu is currently enjoying. But I figured I'd ask if anyone has any other advice for Peekaboo and/or Tatu?

How long have your birds lived with kidney disease?

I'm feeling pretty down having my 2 16-year-olds both having kidney problems. My vet said it's nothing I've done wrong, just bad luck, but it's still hard. With Tatu it's hard because I'm so connected to her, 100% domesticated girl she is, that the thought of not having another decade with her as I'd hoped is unthinkable. With Peekaboo, I wish he could have had a "real" bird life---he should have been in a deep part of the Amazon where no humans ever venture. He would have thrived there, raising babies. It's always been clear to me that would have been a more fulfilling life for him. He's a happy guy in my home, but I'm very sad for him that he won't get that (not that he could in this life at any point, obviously. But it really hits you in the face when a diagnosis shows up.) I'm very very very grateful for my 2 younger birds right now, as upon each acquisition (fall 2019, summer 2023), Peekaboo got a new lease on life. He LOVES babies, and having a flock of girls around him to chat with.

I really hate kidneys....

 

[Shezbug]

Bump

 

[Toy]

Sorry to hear your bird has kidney disease.

JaJaBinks (B&G Macaw avatar pic) made it about 1.5 years after being dx'd with kidney disease. During that time she had good & bad days. Good days you wouldn't know there was anything wrong. Bad days she slept a lot. Some days She'd eat & a few hours later regurge it.

Don't go no protein, they need some to retain muscle. I had JaJaBinks on flax seed oil, Milk Thistle & Dandelion Root. She refused to eat pellets. She got lots of veggies & a few nuts. I tried to do no nuts, but she went totally crazy trying to get into the containers, cupboards, etc., to get her nuts.

 

[AW2023]

Sorry to hear your bird has kidney disease.

JaJaBinks (B&G Macaw avatar pic) made it about 1.5 years after being dx'd with kidney disease. During that time she had good & bad days. Good days you wouldn't know there was anything wrong. Bad days she slept a lot. Some days She'd eat & a few hours later regurge it.

Don't go no protein, they need some to retain muscle. I had JaJaBinks on flax seed oil, Milk Thistle & Dandelion Root. She refused to eat pellets. She got lots of veggies & a few nuts. I tried to do no nuts, but she went totally crazy trying to get into the containers, cupboards, etc., to get her nuts.

Yeah, my princess of wales has a similiar split of days. Bad days she sleeps a good 21 hours, good days maybe 14.
So far my conure hasn't really slowed down at all. He has had a plucking problem that comes and goes (it started in 2021, due to a specific incident), so now I'm wondering if the occasional reoccurence of that is connected to how his kidneys are feeling, as I've read sometimes happens.
So far neither are having any regurgitation issues. Good to know that's something I should especially keep an eye out for.
My vet has said I can continue giving a small amount of seeds/nuts, because they don't have protein (my birds are still getting enough in their pellet intake) and for the sake of quality of life/happiness.

I thought milk thistle was only helpful for liver issues? Did JaJaBinks find it helpful?
I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Monica]

(just sharing this here as well)

From the limited information I have learned.....

One thing that is highly important when it comes to kidney failure is to have a high moist diet..... so a diet of primarily pellets is far from ideal. Heck, I'm not even sure that 50% of the diet being pellets would be 'safe'.

That said, I did read about TOP's being good for a bird that had kidney failure.


I'm also not entirely sure that a low protein diet is ideal... low phosphorous may be a safer bet... but I'm not entirely sure how you could accomplish a low phosphorous diet with parrots. I believe this is something that needs to be researched further. (this is not something I can say with certainty)

There's a phosphorous binder.... but I have no idea on the use of using binders in parrot's diets. Providing cuttlebone might be a natural way to help bind phosphorous and flush it from the system.

Cooked barley and millet may be good.

I suspect that SBO (soil based organics) probiotics may also be beneficial (with humic and fulvic acids) I would not be surprised if there's really no research about the benefits of these in parrots.


Jason Crean's FB group, Avian Raw Whole Foods may be a good resource to learn more about diets that may be beneficial to birds overall, maybe there could be more info about how to support the kidneys.

 

[AW2023]

Subcutaneous fluids are one thing I'm a bit confused about.
I keep reading that they can be important for keeping hydrated and flushing kidneys, but my avian vet (certified) who is extremely good says that she doesn't do them as regular intervention for illnesses, only in emergency/accident situations?
Is that typical? I know they can be dangerous.
I just want to make sure I'm not missing something important for Tatu's care.