Medicine hacks

[Cndbirdy]

So, our little girl finished her 2 weeks of doxycycline. We just got called today. No chlamydia. No fungus. Its a Staphylococcus infection that caused her lung infection. I am OCD clean, so her cage was being cleaned 2 times a day. We have a cleaning lady daily, so floors are mopped, and house is dusted each day. 2 humidifiers and 1 excellent air purification systemattached to our furnace.. All chemicals are bird friendly. Anyways, the doctor said that because she has such a bad immune system, Staphylococcus happens. It can take a long time to cure, and can reoccur. We bring her in Monday, she may need more antibiotics. She still looks terrible. She eats and drinks. She will not preen herself. No tail bob. My concern is, her temperament completely changed. She hates us. Absolutely hates us now. We had to wrap her to get the medicine in. She really fought us. She will not leave the bottom perch of her cage. She does not want to know from us. She was so attached to us. If we need another month or 2 of antibiotics, I am terrified of her mental state. Did anyone go through this? Any suggestions on how to help her?

TIA

 

[BirdView]

I hope someone here with experience can help you. I had a similar situation when my cockatiel got sick. The vet prescribed him antibiotics both injection and oral. Every morning I had to towel him and give him the medicine. He stopped fighting after a couple of days but his behavior changed. He was silent all the time and appeared miserable and depressed. He stopped preening himself. It really broke my heart to see him like this that decided I will not do this to him again. Fortunately he got better even without medication and a few days later he was back to normal again.

 

[April]

So, our little girl finished her 2 weeks of doxycycline. We just got called today. No chlamydia. No fungus. Its a Staphylococcus infection that caused her lung infection. I am OCD clean, so her cage was being cleaned 2 times a day. We have a cleaning lady daily, so floors are mopped, and house is dusted each day. 2 humidifiers and 1 excellent air purification systemattached to our furnace.. All chemicals are bird friendly. Anyways, the doctor said that because she has such a bad immune system, Staphylococcus happens. It can take a long time to cure, and can reoccur. We bring her in Monday, she may need more antibiotics. She still looks terrible. She eats and drinks. She will not preen herself. No tail bob. My concern is, her temperament completely changed. She hates us. Absolutely hates us now. We had to wrap her to get the medicine in. She really fought us. She will not leave the bottom perch of her cage. She does not want to know from us. She was so attached to us. If we need another month or 2 of antibiotics, I am terrified of her mental state. Did anyone go through this? Any suggestions on how to help her?

TIA

I'm so sorry that she's feeling that way towards you. Something similar happened to my heart dog Penny when she was battling heart disease and kidney disease at the same time she wouldn't hardly eat at all let alone take her multiple pills in any kind of food so I unfortunately had to poke her pills down her throat to keep her alive and after a few weeks of this she started to avoid me and run from me and that shattered my heart I'd literally had this dog from the moment she was conceived and she was like my child so to have her run from me was just something that couldn't have hurt me more than if she'd bitten me. So I really do feel your pain of this dislike of you now.
Is there any food she will completely eat so you can be sure she's getting every drop?
Birdie bread,toast,nutriberry another forbidden treat?

 

[Sparkles!]

Couple things:

are the cleaners you and the maid use bird safe? Many people who think “clean the house” aren’t thinking about the fumes standard cleaners and disinfectants put into the air. Dusting surfaces with an aerosolized cleaner (like Pledge, etc) is one of the worst offenders to sensitive bird lungs. I wouldn’t even use Vinegar with a pulmonary compromised bird. White paper towels, replaced twice a day as cage floor. Twice a week, remove bird from enclosure and using soap and water completely spray and scrub cage down outside or in the shower. Make sure everything is dry before putting bird back.

Staph does need to be treated. Hopefully the CAV did a culture and sensitivity and can place her on the medicine the staph. is most susceptible to. Please do give her the medicine, as directed. Even if you have to towel her.

Depending on the strain of staphylococcus she has, doxycycline might not have even helped her- hence her still feeling and looking poorly. As long as the CAV has done the culture and sensitivity she can be placed on a medicine that will battle the staphylococcus appropriately. Some cases we are seeing Staph. aureus strains resistant to many of the tetracyclines- a lab sensitivity is needed!

 

[Hankmacaw]

Be sure you give her lots of TLC both before and after - even while giving the medicine. I have always done this with my birds and it has never taken them long to accept the meds, even when toweling.

 

[Clueless]

Hang in there!!

 

[Fuzzy]

Is there any food/drink you could add the meds to? Chico the Panama Amazon has just had a course of antibiotics (Baytril). I split the daily dose into 3 - morning and evening mixed with thick Greek yogurt which was placed on a slice of banana in the morning and on little pieces of toast in the evening. I also added a probiotic (because it is sweet), normal vits and minerals that he's used to, milk thistle powder (for his liver problems) and curcumin (for his arthritis, and which makes the yogurt yellow). I find yogurt a good medium to hide antibiotics as it is already a little sour:

The last part of the dose gets mixed with tropical fruit smoothie that he gets via syringe last thing at night (vet suggested pineapple juice, which sounds good as it is again sharp, but can't find that over here) - I first mixed it with tart cherry juice but he refused to take that despite the fact that he previously loved the unadulterated cherry juice:

Ollie (Orange-wing) came to me terrified of humans and hands because he was also caught up to be given meds and have his nostrils cleaned daily for 9 months before being given to me. If you can add meds to food that the bird will eat rather than catching her up, all the better. Work on gaining her trust again. Watch her body language and try to keep it relaxed at all times. You may have to keep your distance for a while or move slowly when approaching. And that's ok. Does she have any absolutely favourite foods/treats? Work up to offering her one of these through the bars of the cage where she'll feel safer - reason being you are pairing your presence with something good - the yummy treat. If you go slow (you have all the time in the world), she'll come around. Ollie came around and your girl will too. When Ollie was desperately ill with AG/PDD I used to mix his meds with children's Organix porridge (iron free) so that is another option.

If she has just come off antibiotics, she should be having pro/prebiotics to repopulate the good bacteria in her gut.