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Likely Cloacal prolapse in 33 year old African Grey

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crzybrdldy

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So sorry to hear about the PC, do you know how long he had been suffering with it? Glad he made it to the vet.
 

Flyte

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He needed the cone collar to prevent him from pulling the stitches out or messing with the area where they pushed it back in.. etc. The prolapse happened yesterday and was taken care of yesterday so I guess that's why the outcome was better. My bf and I will be picking him up and bringing him in next week to have the stitches taken out.
He also had x-rays taken and blood-work done. X-rays were clear, he was never sexed but was not egg-bound so that's good. He has an infection and has antibiotics and an antifungal because of the antibiotics, I don't know the name of the infection, if that caused the problem, or any of that stuff, I am waiting for a technician to call me back with that info including all the bloodwork levels and such..
My sister in law stayed in with him while he was sedated with the little gas mask and while he had the minor surgery, she is just wonderful.. we had a horrible storm last night and she went anyway to get him there asap. when I hear about the rest of the stuff I'll post it.

Thank you all so much everyone for your help and good wishes, this was very hard especially with me doing all the stuff from the phone and then waiting by the phone. And my sister in law had to do even more, running around liek crazy bringing her sick son to the doctor and all the phone stuff and worrying and then the late night trip to the vet and even staying with him in the room.. I'm probably going to kill her next time I see her from hugging her so hard.

The prolapse could come back when they take out the stitches or a month or year from now or never.. we are hoping for NEVER. The vet told her about the invasive procedure they do for birds with a recurring problem but there is no way I would put Tyler through that. My sister in law also said the vet said it could be related to calcium or too much protein so I'll talk to them and we'll adjust his mash accordingly. He is still on harrison's pellets.

Well I will talk to you guys later.. I still can't seem to stop crying, lol.. I look really weird, I think, with huge swollen lizard eyes.

- Sarah
 

birdlady

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I an so happy he was taken in right away...he will be fine . my little kiwi had the procedure done twice. She did not have to wear a collar though. Keep us updated and huge hugs to you.
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Billie Faye

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:hug8::heart::hug8::heart::hug8::heart: for all! Hope he is on the mend!
 

Flyte

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Hi Billie! long time no see!
birdlady, I'm so glad that Kiwi didn't have to deal with the indignity of a head cone, I can't even imagine how pitiful Tyler must look..
Tyler was a major plucker before I got him and so I think he probably would pull at the sutured area since he is already pulling feathers now from the stress.. I'm sure the collar is adding TO the stress but I'd rather he pull at his feathers than his bum... the feathers will grow back, they did when I first brought him home, so many years ago :) All it took then was lots of love and good food!

I called the vet and.. ugh the 'tech' really ticked me off.. obviously busy but that's not my fault, I wanted information about my bird and answers to questions that had not been asked and I was the one who paid for everything and my name is the name on the file. I know it's confusing with my sister in law bringing him in but I was kind of rushed off the phone and was unable to get the names of the meds, I'll see if I can get them from my sister in law. The tech said from what the file said they think the straining to go to the bathroom caused the problem which sounds very similar to what happened to Madison only she was holding her poop because of eggs. Tyler was NOT egg bound and I will have him sexed when we go for the repeat blood work. Maybe he's really a girl and that's why he's been so angry all these years.
We have an appointment for next Thursday so then I'll be able to see an actual veterinarian and they WILL answer my questions or I'll smack them upside the head. :p
I was hoping they were able to view Tyler's legs in the x-rays since he has such problems with them but she was unwilling to even go look and see for me.. even to call back later.. I'll see how it is when we go there and if I don't like them I will locate another vet for my brother and my sister in law so we are prepared better if there is a next time.
That should have been done before now, by me, anyway but it's been so long with me being sick and once I was out of the hospital I still had the line in my arm and was exhausted, couldn't eat..etc. Now that I'm finally starting to feel a little better, the line is out and everything, I can do a little more.. no excuses, I know, but it really was a horrible situation. At any rate, all is well for the moment.

- Sarah
 

The Platinum Parrot

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I'm glad things are ok for now. He will adjust to the collar before you know it. I've had to use them before after surgery and you would think the world was coming to an end. But they got over it, and got better. keep us updated.
 

Flyte

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Well, he prolapsed again, we got a phone call Saturday night around 9pm..
I of course went into full panic mode, if it happened again this fast it's never going to stop..etc.. cried and ran around like an idiot for a few minutes.. then calmed myself down as quickly as I could and called the vet to let them know. My boyfriend and I then rushed down to my brothers house, picked Tyler up and brought him to the vet.

I felt so bad for him, it was obviously painful and he was being such a trooper..
Luckily it was the same Doctor and he was very nice, explained everything.. I got to be in there while they performed the procedure.. They knocked him out with a gas mask, cleaned the area, pushed the prolapse back in, and this time the doctor put in more sutures to make the vent area smaller.
He hadn't wanted to make it too small originally because he wanted to make sure there was enough room for stool to get out but since it popped out again so quickly there was no choice but to make it smaller and for a short time I will be making sure his meals are wetter/fruitier/juicier so it is easier for his little vent to get the poop out.
We got home at like 3am.. I finally got done setting him up comfortably around 5:30 am, after making sure he'd had some liquids and was warm enough and calm, since he was very upset at first.. and he was just so exhausted too. So am I.. I sat next to him for the rest of the 'night' and got no sleep, again.. one of these days I really need to get some sleep
So he is going to be staying with us for the time being, in a hospital cage-like setup, heating pad underneath... It will be easier for me to give him the medicine and he can stay nice and calm here. Once he is doing better and the sutures and collar have been off for a little while without any problems, he can go back home to my brothers house and be happy with the kids again, because that really seems to be where he is the happiest. We are also going to build a small wooden box for him for the inside of his cage that way he has a place he can go if he wants to relax and have some privacy.. That might help if he gets stressed out or something, plus he'll just love it.

Throughout Sunday and today, he has still been grouchy (and who would blame him?!) and quiet but his appetite has been wonderful, his poop is great, his eyes are very bright and clear and when he comes out of his little cage to eat his mash (so I can monitor how much he’s getting) he is moving around fine on top of the cage.. he does get tired faster and wants covered cage naps throughout the day but that is definitely a normal thing, I would think, after being sick and after surgery. He has let me wipe his little bum very very gently to keep it clear of any residue buildup.

I am amazed by his appetite.. I am giving him a different mash without any of the egg or meats to knock out the extra protein, and adding applesauce and apple juice to keep it wet and keep his stools wet.
I couldn't believe how much he ate!! I was afraid it would make his little collar too tight because his crop was getting so full of food but it's above his crop and he's fine..
I even managed to sneak his medicine in a scoopful of food and he didn't notice :D
(So I now have a perfect way of giving him his meds.. I just slip it in the food he loves and feed him that small amount directly off of a spoon or my finger so I’m sure he’s getting it all)

He's also eating lots of fruits and even though he is not his normal talkative self his eyes are bright and he's ok.
Today he even showed a bit of interest in the room and the new additions since he’s last been here so I brought him over and showed him Loki, my Aibo robot dog (I’ve taken to robots like ‘Aibo’ and ‘Pleo’ since finding homes for the birds, you can bring them with you to the hospital when your sick and you aren’t hurting them when your sick and away for a long time.. )
Anyway, I turned Loki on and showed Tyler how he dances and flashes colors and talks, (what more could a parrot ask for???) just for a few minutes as I don’t want to much excitement, but Tyler was flashing his eyes happily at the music and color changes and even bobbed a tiny bit (collar gets in the way ) and really seemed to enjoy it, especially the music and when the dog says hello :)


We got his cage today so we'll set that up and when he's feeling better and is ready he can move back into his normal cage. I'm also ordering his favorite toy online right now, one of those jungle talk ‘cell phones’ with the buttons you can press to make noises, since he broke it... it'll be a nice surprise for him.. :)

The poor little area under the collar is so bare now, he's ripped tons of feathers feathers out but he can't reach the surgery area so it's ok.
I thought you guys might want to see what the collar looks like.. I had assumed it was a little cone like they use on dogs, before I saw it, but this is specially made for this sized bird and it's great because they can still bring their foot up to their mouths and it prevents them from picking at things too far below it... but he's still grabbing whatever he can reach .. %) The feathers will grow back..

I know it looks tight but it fits just fine.. it's just very annoying for him. If you can see in the picture, there is a little screw and bolt on each side of it.. he already unscrewed one of them and took the bolt off once, and that was RIGHT after they put him back in his carrier when the anesthesia was just wearing off.. lol.. so he is a smart little stinker even when stoned. ;D Luckily they fixed it and he hasn't messed with it since then (knock, knock, knock, on wood)

Here it's easy to see the collar and the screws.. I can't imagine HOW he got that thing undone:


tyler collar01.jpg

You can really see the damage he's done to himself in the second picture although it was hard to get him to stop moving, he doesn't like cameras.. I wanted to take a few pictures so I'd be able to gauge how much plucking he's actually doing..


tyler collar02.jpg


For now my little boy can rest easy at home and be super spoiled.. it’s really wonderful to have him here again but I can’t wait for him to feel better.. I hate seeing him with that collar on and feeling like he needs to pull at his feathers because he's upset :(
Thanks for all the help and well wishes, everyone!!


- - Sarah
 

birdlady

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Awe I am so sorry he prolapsed again:( That is what happened with Kiwi. Plus I had rushed her after the second prolapse to U of Penn as she was bloating....she wasn't passing feces as the sutures were too close...it was a stressful time for sure.

I hope your baby continues to improve. So good he is eating and overall seems happy. The collar does look tight but when you think about how skinny a bird's neck is, well, what we see is basically all feathers! I am sure the collar is fine:)

Keep up the good work. i can tell you really love him.:heart:
 

Chicklet

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I'm glad that he's doing much better after the second procedure! Crossing my fingers he stays good and doesn't need any more sutures. I've seen many of those collars specifically used to stop plucking and self-mutilating at the avian vet clinic I work at, there is a thin plastic part that fits on the collar, just above the bottom ridge on the collar. This prevents them from feather picking, it makes it look somewhat like a typical dog cone but flat not curved over the bird's head. :)
 

Chantilly Lace

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Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that. I hope things get much better from here and that he heals very quickly. He looks like he has lots of spunk, so I am sure he will be fine! Hugs for both of you!
 

Anne & Gang

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many prayers on t he way Sarah..:hug8:
 

The Platinum Parrot

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awwwwww..poor little one! My Sydney had the same collar after surgery. He wasnt smart enough to figure out the nut and bolt tho. How about vet wrap around it in the event he starts to play again?
 

Flyte

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Hi guys :) Tyler seems to be doing MUCH better.. his mood improved 1000% once he was able to go back in the cage and he doesn't need any sort of extra heat now although I'm still keeping his cage covered on the sides to give him a bit of privacy..

He hasn't messed with the collar anymore *knock,knock, knock on wood* I think he was very angry and bored being stuck in the hospital cage and now he's fine.. He is being moderately vocal, not his normal talkative bossy self but he is still not feeling perfect and still has that frustrating thing around his neck so I'm sure he'll be better when that comes off this coming Tuesday.. He just shushed Rocky, my Amazon, so he is starting to come back into his own.. :)

One thing that has REALLY helped is that he is in Love with my Aibo robot, "Loki".
In the morning, if we don't turn Loki on right away, we WILL get scolded.. and it's only a matter of time before Tyler starts saying 'let's dance' because that's one of the ways you get the Aibo to dance, sing and play music..
I've already caught him saying Hello and good boy to Loki, which is really funny since Loki responds back when he hears commands he knows.. Tyler told him good boy after he danced :D
He watches Loki all day long.. even when cartoons are on TV!! Since the robot can dock and undock itself to charge he can go around the room all day long and keep Tyler amused.. Maybe everyone here needs to think about getting a therapeutic robot dog if their bird gets sick :D

It's really been helpful because it keeps him so amused he doesn't have time to think about taking off the collar and probably keeps his mind off his little butt, if it still hurts him.. He's even stopped pulling feathers out and there are still a few within reach!!
So he is definitely getting better and when he goes to the vet we'll be repeating the blood work to see if his infection is gone.. I figure since they'll have blood anyway I might as well have him sexed..

Tyler's new best friend: (the white dog robot, not the pink dinosaur robot)

loki & rhea.jpg

- Sarah
 

Anne & Gang

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Sarah I am so glad that he is doing so much better
 

Skyler

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I'm so glad he's doing better.-----And I love the BFF .
 

Flyte

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Hi guys.. I just wanted to let you know, Tyler's collar is off. He is on antibiotics until next Tuesday (one extra week) because his white count was still off but he is 100% back to his normal personality.. Singing, dancing, whistling, screaming random obscenities, and, of course, scolding the dogs, the other bird, the robots and us :D He even picked out our movie for us the other night.. he was laughing so hard at the preview we had to get the one he wanted.
Hopefully he can go back home soon as he has been calling for one of my nephews by name, hehe, and my 'sweet' little potty mouthed 34 year old African gray will hopefully outlive us all!! i will miss him but I know he does better over there.. we will also be building him a wooden box for the inside of his cage so he can 'get away' if he does get stressed out by kids or whatever, even though the kids usually cheer him up.. might help him to feel better :)
Thank you all so much for your help!!!!!

- Sarah & Tyler
 

ncGreyBirdLady

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This is wonderful news Sarah:hug8:
 

Kathie

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Fabulous news, Sarah! You must be so relieved! Way to go, Tyler!
 
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