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Urgent My 35 year old double yellow head is showing signs of concussion

saroj12

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Get an inexpensive gram scale, keep him home and nurse him back to health. Weigh daily and if he’s still losing weight then vet again.
 

saroj12

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Don’t aspirate him by feeding too quickly. Put tiny bits in his beak. One of mine eats it off a spoon—safest option for a newbie. Please update when you can
 

saroj12

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Try with a spoon. Or give him a taste on your fingertip . All the usual folks who advise you are asleep. I hope I’m giving you good advice.
 

iamwhoiam

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Nothing good about the foot troubles . I took him back to vet yesterday and was-told that he had lost weight since the visits a-week before And they want to keep him for observation tree days and get his weight back up . Plus blood work and X-rays showed that everything was great . Even had a neurologist took a look and got nothing . Meanwhile, they offer no encouraging hope for a recovery , let alone a full recovery, and won’t answer questions about hand feeding , or filling crop on my own , but said their tube feeding was tolerated ok . If I can’t feed him while trying to recuperate him , than he’s a goner . I tried constantly for a week to feed him , but he’ll only eats when he wants so I’m screwed if I can’t play Moma bird and fill the crop . Living on a very tight fixed income has its drawbacks . In the last ten days , I’ve spent $1965.00 , and that’s with no $1000.00 CT scan witch might reveal some hidden damage but it doesn’t matter if they can’t fix it . Very tough to decide the next step if i can’t keep his weight up , and I neurol care is just nuts anyway , he might be going to the happy hunting grounds . Anywho , sorry I lost touch , but this whole thing is freaking me out in a huge way . This guy turns 35 on Tuesday and I had a Nanday for 11 years prior to Gandalf . I hate to imagine a household with no birds . can I hand feed a 35 year old bird ? , Scott
It's good that everything looks great but sorry that he is not eating a lot and has had a drop in weight. I would offer him a buffet of foods. What does he like? Even try things that he hasn't had before. Sometimes a bird will try something new. Eat your own food while sitting next to him because sometimes that will encourage and motivate a bird to eat. You might also want to gather together all of the information from the other vet or have the records forwarded and get a second opinion since they won't answer questions that you've asked or give you other recommendations. Sometimes vitamin B-12 injections are used to stimulate appetite. You can ask about that. Does he like pellets? In addition to the formula you can moisten and soften the pellets with warm water and see if he will eat that on his own or take that from a spoon or your fingers. If you aren't secure using a syringe then just use a spoon. If you use a syringe make sure you direct/aim it correctly. You go from the left side of the bird's beak to the back of the right side of the mouth as in @saroj12 video. You just need to insert it a little bit. Hoping that he will start eating more and gaining weight. Sending positive thoughts your way. BTW, how much weight has he lost?
 

Clueless

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Secret takes her medicine from the syringe. She started it by accident when I was squeezing the medicine slowly into a spoon from the syringe. I let HER decide how to eat. She puts her tongue on syringe, I squeeze medicine in a LITTLE bit at a time.
 

Gandolf

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Get an inexpensive gram scale, keep him home and nurse him back to health. Weigh daily and if he’s still losing weight then vet again.
It's good that everything looks great but sorry that he is not eating a lot and has had a drop in weight. I would offer him a buffet of foods. What does he like? Even try things that he hasn't had before. Sometimes a bird will try something new. Eat your own food while sitting next to him because sometimes that will encourage and motivate a bird to eat. You might also want to gather together all of the information from the other vet or have the records forwarded and get a second opinion since they won't answer questions that you've asked or give you other recommendations. Sometimes vitamin B-12 injections are used to stimulate appetite. You can ask about that. Does he like pellets? In addition to the formula you can moisten and soften the pellets with warm water and see if he will eat that on his own or take that from a spoon or your fingers. If you aren't secure using a syringe then just use a spoon. If you use a syringe make sure you direct/aim it correctly. You go from the left side of the bird's beak to the back of the right side of the mouth as in @saroj12 video. You just need to insert it a little bit. Hoping that he will start eating more and gaining weight. Sending positive thoughts your way. BTW, how much weight has he lost?
I wasn’t paying enough attention, but it was a little over 400 grams and lost enough for a red light on the lost and got a four day stay at vets . The bird eats just about everything I eat , plus bird food . One of the highlights of the Daly fourteen mile bicycle ride was a slice of Costco pizza and nightcap of dryers ice cream . I tried for a week straight with just about constant offerings and he lost a lot , so hopefully the syringe and formula will be a hit .
 

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saroj12

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how Is he doing today?
 

Gandolf

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Just fyi, birds can't digest dairy.

I know Secret loves cheese (from former owner) but I won't give it to her.
Did not know that . Thanks , anywho bird came home this afternoon and vets had no answers again , but the weight is back up around 415 grams . The original stats on weight loss was visit on 4/12 440 grams and then on 4/21 380 grams . That’s quite a bit . I haven’t had my kaytee exact and syringes delivered yet , so its off to petco tomorrow and a spoon or modified smaller syringe . Sure hope I can get him to eat . He’s actually improved dexterity in bad foot a bit , witch is huge considering previous condition was really grim . I’m continuing the same drug regiment . He was glad to get a spritzing with a sun dry .
 

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Clueless

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Try letting him eat close to you while YOU eat. Secret has been eating organic carrots by us through dinner time. It works because that's what they do in the wild. Someone has to guard the flock to keep them alive.

Put his regular pellets/food in a small plate.
 

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@Gandolf Sounds like he is doing better. The foot, of course will take time -keep up the physical therapy.

Hand feeding him is an excellent plan. He needs fuel and that is a good way to get it.

He appears to me as if he had a stroke. Strokes almost always leave some permanent or semi-permanent damage while seizures rarely do have consequences that last over a few hours.

Amazons are one of the top three species at the highest risk for atherosclerosis (plaque gathering in the circulatory system and restricting circulation) often atherosclerosis will cause strokes and/or seizures. You need to control his diet closely. He needs a lean diet with no bad fats and very little simple carbohydrates. Lots of protein and vegetables. Moderate exercise is very important.

I wonder why your vets have not recommended medication for atherosclerosis? This disease appears in almost all birds after middle age and into old age. I have owned three macaws, all adults when I got them, and all three had atherosclerosis. My Jasper (deceased) was 6 1/2 when I got her and had sever atherosclerosis and heart disease when I got her. The conditions were caused by a horrible diet for the first 6 years of her life.

Please read;

 

Gandolf

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@Gandolf Sounds like he is doing better. The foot, of course will take time -keep up the physical therapy.

Hand feeding him is an excellent plan. He needs fuel and that is a good way to get it.

He appears to me as if he had a stroke. Strokes almost always leave some permanent or semi-permanent damage while seizures rarely do have consequences that last over a few hours.

Amazons are one of the top three species at the highest risk for atherosclerosis (plaque gathering in the circulatory system and restricting circulation) often atherosclerosis will cause strokes and/or seizures. You need to control his diet closely. He needs a lean diet with no bad fats and very little simple carbohydrates. Lots of protein and vegetables. Moderate exercise is very important.

I wonder why your vets have not recommended medication for atherosclerosis? This disease appears in almost all birds after middle age and into old age. I have owned three macaws, all adults when I got them, and all three had atherosclerosis. My Jasper (deceased) was 6 1/2 when I got her and had sever atherosclerosis and heart disease when I got her. The conditions were caused by a horrible diet for the first 6 years of her life.

Please read;

 

Gandolf

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,
vet said that there was some build up in heart valves . First feeding with Kaytee was meet with a lot of “ get that thing away from me “ . Wish I could blend it with Vanilla ice cream , but that would ruin one of the high lights of the day , so I’ll keep trying with formula . Sure am glad he’s home , but hand feeding is going to tough , and I couldn’t imagine sticking a tube down into his stomach . Also , can I use soapy mix to clean vent area ? . Warm water doesn’t seem to loosen up feathers enough .
anywho , I once again thank every and all of you guys for sound advice . Scott
 
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iamwhoiam

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Gandolf

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,

vet said that there was some build up in heart valves . First feeding with Kaytee was meet with a lot of “ get that thing away from me “ . Wish I could blend it with Vanilla ice cream , but that would ruin one of the high lights of the day , so I’ll keep trying with formula . Sure am glad he’s home , but hand feeding is going to tough , and I couldn’t imagine sticking a tube down into his stomach . Also , can I use soapy mix to clean vent area ? . Warm water doesn’t seem to loosen up feathers enough .
anywho , I once again thank every and all of you guys for sound advice . Scott
He spent the whole day looking out the window . This guy has been and outside bird his whole life . Hates the baby formula so far and is pretty skimpy on the H2O . The syringes that have been used for meds has really screwed him up , and I don’t want to aspirate him . Whelp it’s about thyme for PM feeding . Kiss another syringe tip goodbye
 

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iamwhoiam

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You might want to add a small amount of organic baby food to make the formula more palatable. When I've handfed (babies and adults) I've added a small amount of the fruit based baby food....applesauce, peaches, etc.
 

Clueless

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@Hankmacaw any tips?

I know my guys loved some pellets that were softened with water. I think it was zupreem?
 

Mizzely

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Will he eat off spoon at all? I've had better luck with that than syringes for handfeeding
 
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