MRSA Infection

[Clueless]

Proud of you for giving it your all.

@Hankmacaw any idea about that med?

 

[Hankmacaw]

@theletterv Yes jasper was on Chloramphenicol for quite awhile (I can't remember what for now). The Dr. warned me about wearing gloves when handling it too, but I'm afraid I got sloppy towards the end. It seems there is a possibility in humans to develop a rare type of anemia by handling it.

Jasper had no adverse effects and she was cured of whatever it was by the antibiotic.

I just know those babies can be cured. My Dr. has about a 50/50 success rate with MRSA patients, but we don't know how bad they were when the came in and how dedicated the owners were.

 

[Nikomania]

MRSA is an absolute bear to eradicate. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, it took me 9 months before my dog was completely cured. I feel for you, Vince. Hang in there! It just takes tons of time.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thanks for the update. Sending positive thoughts to you, your family and flock. You are doing the best you can trying to eradicate it.

 

[Alien J]

And again I say, Vince, you are the BOMB!

 

[theletterv]

Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support. It means a lot.

Also -- I just got word a couple hours ago that the most recent fecal samples showed no growth of staph at all!

Although this does not necessarily mean it won't come back, or isn't still in their sinuses, it is very good news! However, there was enterococcus faecalis once again, which the vet said can be harmless in both birds and mammals or can be infectious. It is sensitive to chloramphenicol so we are going to treat for a little while longer. She also suggested we do nasal swabs next time. I will also keep cleaning because I think enterococcus is good at surviving in the environment just like staph, but it's certainly a good deal less worrying than MRSA. It is, however, a little concerning that it went away and then came back again when I have been so diligent about cleaning, always wearing gloves, and so on.

I've also left a message with the vet about nebulizing them in case of infection in their sinuses or respiratory tracts and I'm waiting to hear back about that, but I wondered whether anyone had experience using a nebulizer with their birds. For example, what kind did you use? There are some rather affordable ones on Amazon but I am not sure if they are legitimate nebulizers. The vet mentioned a very good one that she could give us a prescription for, but it was at least $400. There's also the question of whether we can nebulize with F10 -- the vet mentioned that they have nebulized with F10 before in their clinic but she wanted to do some reading about it to be sure that it's safe. I feel like I have read both that it is safe and that it is unsafe, so I'm not sure.

Although it's too early to say the battle is won, this is really good news, and the first in a long, long while.

 

[Clueless]

Yay!!!!

@Hankmacaw @Macawnutz

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Excellent news!!

I have heard of using F10 in a nebulizer before. I forget where thou, quite likely on this forum. I'll see if I can find it you.

Yay!!!!

@Hankmacaw @Macawnutz

Great people to tag

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Ok found this thread
Urgent - African Grey Breathing trouble | Page 5 | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

Looks like @Hankmacaw is the person to talk to

 

[Alien J]

Wonderful news! Congratulations!

 

[Hankmacaw]

I've also left a message with the vet about nebulizing them in case of infection in their sinuses or respiratory tracts and I'm waiting to hear back about that, but I wondered whether anyone had experience using a nebulizer with their birds. For example, what kind did you use? There are some rather affordable ones on Amazon but I am not sure if they are legitimate nebulizers. The vet mentioned a very good one that she could give us a prescription for, but it was at least $400. There's also the question of whether we can nebulize with F10 -- the vet mentioned that they have nebulized with F10 before in their clinic but she wanted to do some reading about it to be sure that it's safe. I feel like I have read both that it is safe and that it is unsafe, so I'm not sure.

Great news - sounds like you are getting that nasty stuff whipped.
Yes, I nebulized both of my birds with F10 - I was desperate when dealing with their Aspergillosis and saw that the Mideastern falconers used F10 regularly for treating Asper in their hawks. It did no good on my birds, but I used a very, very light solution.

As far as nebulizers go the Devilbus brand was approved by my vet and it has worked well. This is the one I have and it is $50 less than what I paid - but I bought mine at a drug store. Nebulizers work very well on respiratory issues. Hank and Jasper would not have made it without the nebulization. Devilbiss Pulmo-Aide Compressor Nebulizer System - Approved For TOBI

 

[theletterv]

Thanks for the info!

Right now, it seems like my vet thinks that a long enough course of antibiotics should reach the sinuses, but I'm still not sure whether we'll try nebulization or not. It might be a good idea to do some nasal swabs first and see if we actually have anything going on. In a couple weeks we may do that.

As for what's going on right now, I have noticed that one of the babies seems to have regurgitated a small amount over the past two days. It's basically like a very thick paste that looks like, well, chewed up pellets, in a very neat little line. I'm not sure whether it's irritation from the antibiotic, or whether it might be some early hormonal behaviours, possibly? I have noticed that particular little guy going through the motions of trying to feed me from time to time, and I did notice that at least one spot was next to a toy. He seems fine otherwise and it's obviously not vomit, just regurgitated food. I haven't noticed this with any of the others, though.

 

[Clueless]

Great news - sounds like you are getting that nasty stuff whipped.
Yes, I nebulized both of my birds with F10 - I was desperate when dealing with their Aspergillosis and saw that the Mideastern falconers used F10 regularly for treating Asper in their hawks. It did no good on my birds, but I used a very, very light solution.

As far as nebulizers go the Devilbus brand was approved by my vet and it has worked well. This is the one I have and it is $50 less than what I paid - but I bought mine at a drug store. Nebulizers work very well on respiratory issues. Hank and Jasper would not have made it without the nebulization. Devilbiss Pulmo-Aide Compressor Nebulizer System - Approved For TOBI

By the way, thank you....... sincerely....... for all of the advice that you so freely give. You mean the world to us Mary Lynn.

 

[Rain Bow]

This, was a very interesting read, I guess I missed reading about Parront to HankMacaw having the MRSA insanity because until tonight it wasn't something I 'd think about getting & transmitting to my Buddy. It took me about 45 minutes to read & I read fast & even skimmed a tad bit.

Thank you all for your time & energy spent posting.

@theletterv I'm so sorry for all your dealing w ith! It's a ton for 1 person to tackle. My kid visits us & her Boyfriend Buddy & she cares for Seniors in a medical field. I will get on her about washing her hands more when she walks in from work. Thanks from over by Niagara Falls, NY. We're rooting for you Vince! I'll be sending tons & tons of healing thoughts to your family. Please keep us updated & thanks again!

Just know as you learned you also taught @ least 1 person too!

Rain

 

[theletterv]

Hello again everybody. We're doing okay over here, just continuing with the usual routine. The four little guys recently went to see the vet, who did a nasal flush on them as well as general exams. I was under the impression that we would be sending the samples off to be cultured, but apparently there was some miscommunication because all they did was in-house cytology, so I'm not 100% clear on what was learned from the tests, because MRSA can only be detected by culturing. I only briefly spoke to the vet and she said she saw a small amount of cocci bacteria, but didn't seem too concerned about it. Although it sounds to me like there's most likely MRSA in their sinuses if that's what she saw. I'm planning on talking to her by phone to get a bit of a clearer idea about whether it's in their sinuses and what we should do about it, but I think it's possible that she's just hoping a long course of antibiotics will reach those tissues. So, they're going to be on the antibiotic until the end of April.

The vet also discovered that they have an overgrowth of yeast (which, after so many antibiotics, was definitely not a surprise), so they're on Nystatin for 14 days. Strangely, they also had a lot of starch in their poop, so the thought is that they have some kind of starch malabsorption. That could possibly be from all the antibiotics, although it could more worryingly be related to a liver or pancreas problem, possibly even infection of their organs. Whatever the cause, they also have a daily enzyme to try to combat that. I guess our hope is that it's because of a depletion of gut bacteria, even though I've been giving them probiotics--she did say that their poop was very depleted of any type of bacteria. A bit alarmingly, it was also discovered that two of the babies may have heart murmurs -- the vet wasn't entirely certain. We will have to do some more checking on that, and do blood tests at some point. I am a little worried about it, but my main focus is just to finish this course of antibiotics and try to keep them going. They are all fairly thin, two of them especially--the same two who may have heart murmurs, actually... They have been through such a difficult time, and they went through so much as babies. I have been trying all along to save them, but it has put them through a lot as a consequence.

So, for now, the plan is to continue the antibiotic until the end of April, then do more testing by mid-May. I thought I might ask for the vet to do choanal swabs and send them off for culturing as well, because I thought that might be a good measure of whether it might be in their sinuses? But I'm not sure if that would be redundant or not, because we'll definitely be doing fecal tests. I'm also hoping to at least keep their weights stable or even put a bit of weight on them if possible. If anyone has any suggestions for foods that help to put weight on birds, that would be really appreciated. They eat Harrison's high potency pellets and chop every day, and they seem to eat a lot, but it hasn't helped them to put on weight.

I've also found myself wondering about whether it truly is in their sinuses, or even on their feathers, and whether I'm basically fighting a losing battle because of those things. It's hard to know what to do. But, for the most part, they all seem pretty content and playful, and I'm doing as much as I can, or at least, as much as I can think to do.

Thanks once again for all of your support through these long months. It has meant a lot.

 

[Clueless]

I'm truly impressed by your dedication to these guys.

 

[Hankmacaw]

What a challenge you have had with those baby's. You ar now the MRSA expert on this board.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I'm truly impressed by your dedication to these guys.

I second that!! I can't imagine going through it. Its gotta to be so draining at times. But you keep fighting the good fight and I really applaud you for it.

 

[Rain Bow]

Hi Vince!

The only things I could tell you to get them to gain weight would be bad for them. I wonder w/ how sick they were if some extra good fat like maybe a nut or part of a nut would help. Check w/ the vet & maybe he/she can recommend something. I think that their normal flora is a mess from the hard hitting longterm antibiotics. It also sounds like the probiotics may need to be greater & if it were me I'd be asking the vet more about that too.

Thank you for doing so much & being so dedicated to them!

You're their disguised as Dad the human
machine!

 

[Hawk12237]

My birds haven't gotten mrsa, though 3 years back we lost half our flock of 30 chickens from it. Took lots of precautions my wife and I did, like coming in thru back laundry room and stripping our clothes off and right into washer .( w hoo hoo!!) , then immediately washed after dealing with chickens...needless to say we had to off the rest as they tested positive. Decontamiate coop and run....I really prayed it didn't get to our parrots, had them all tested and were fine....whew! But it's scary thit to go thru!!