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
(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:
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..
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