Natural remedies for joint swelling

[Tanya]

I don't think it will hurt him to step in his poop, since that is not likely to have dangerous chemicals in it.

 

[Tanya]

You could do as much as half a cherry a day. Some of the cherry can show up in his poop and look frighteningly like blood. If in doubt stop for a day or two and it should clear up. Also, beaks and feet can end up with a lot of red. Nothing as scary as that moment when I thought Rhubarb was bleeding out of everywhere and she'd only been enjoying a strawberry she found.

I don't have a milk thistle/tumeric brand to recommend, but if you find one that standardizes the dose of active ingredients between batches, that's a good one. It means they test the source plants and make sure you're getting the same thing in each bottle.

(Which makes sense to me as a gardener. Every year I plant the same types of hot peppers but depending on the heat and rain, they may be more or less spicy tasting. The same happens in tumeric and milk thistle with their active ingredients. And standardizing adjusts for the natural variabity of growth conditions.)

 

[Brittany0208]

Nothing as scary as that moment when I thought Rhubarb was bleeding out of everywhere and she'd only been enjoying a strawberry she found.

That reminds me of the time Java had his first raspberry. The room looked like a crime scene afterwards. And as far as milk thistle, would it be better to buy the capsule or the seeds?

 

[Tanya]

I did the capsule because its standardized. Later I tried out the seeds... Rhubarb bit one and then avoided them like the plague. I also tasted one and it was fairly bitter. It's really up to you and his preferences.

 

[Brittany0208]

I did the capsule because its standardized. Later I tried out the seeds... Rhubarb bit one and then avoided them like the plague. I also tasted one and it was fairly bitter. It's really up to you and his preferences.

Okay, I'll probably go with the capsule just in case he turns his beak up at the actual seed. How often do you give the capsule(s)?

 

[Tanya]

I dissolve one capsule in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of juice and then gave it to her at 1 ml per day. I freeze it down in 1.5 teaspoon cubes so I wouldn't need to have too much thawed in the refrigerator at a time. That amount (1.5 teaspoons worth) lasts a week.

So 1 capsule = 2 months of daily doses for a 300 g bird. (Rhubarb goes between 290 and 310 grams).

 

[Brittany0208]

I dissolve one capsule in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of juice and then gave it to her at 1 ml per day. I freeze it down in 1.5 teaspoon cubes so I wouldn't need to have too much thawed in the refrigerator at a time. That amount (1.5 teaspoons worth) lasts a week.

So 1 capsule = 2 months of daily doses for a 300 g bird. (Rhubarb goes between 290 and 310 grams).

Can it be in plain water since I'll be offering fresh cherries when I can find them, or would it be easier to use cherry juice?
And Java weighs 430g, at his heaviest he was 449g but he quickly slimmed back down.

 

[Tanya]

It can be in anything he eats or drinks.

 

[Fuzzy]

Reading along with interest. Chico's (elderly Panama Amazon) foot/leg joints look similar to Java's. He has a big problem with arthritis too.

I'm feeding dark cherries right now... one a day. Apparently black cherries are better re eliminating uric acid than paler ones. I think I'm going to switch to organic black cherry juice because fresh cherries are one of the highest re pesticides. Is tart cherry juice better than black cherry or are they the same? I remember when cherries came into season Boo my Budgie's uric acid levels would go down (he had a problem with gout). In those days we didn't have black cherry juice.

What do you think about alcohol free Milk Thistle Tincture such as Nature's Answer? Natures Answer Milkthistle Alcohol Free Fluid Extract 30ml – G Baldwin & Co I used to use it for my budgie and he used to love it. Maybe because of the glycerin content. Or is it better to use the capsules? The seeds are hated here because they are so bitter.

I used to mix full spectrum turmeric power in almond butter for Chico, but he refuses to eat it any longer. Maybe he would take it again in a juice mix that you suggested, @Tanya .

@Hankmacaw I am interested in the DMSO - have found a 99.9% pure brand on the English Amazon. I am guessing it would be ok if he were to chew his feet?

 

[Brittany0208]

I think I'm going to switch to organic black cherry juice because fresh cherries are one of the highest re pesticides.

I didn't think about pesticides. If I were to give tart cherry juice, would I just find it in the juice aisle at the grocery store or is it something I'd have to order online? I know a lot of fruit juices have added sugar.

 

[Fuzzy]

I think you could find it in a good health store as well as online. I know they do an organic black cherry juice in my health store here. And yes, watch out for added sugar.

 

[Hankmacaw]

No, the DMSO won't harm them if ingested. Just remember it is not a medication - just an anti-inflammatory. Because it penetrates skin and tissue, you want to be sure to wash before applying, because it will carry anything on the surface with it. Don't put any type of salve or medication on the surface before you apply DMSO and give it time to soak in before applying anything else.

It does a very good job at reducing inflammation and the pain caused by inflammation.

 

[Brittany0208]

I think you could find it in a good health store as well as online. I know they do an organic black cherry juice in my health store here. And yes, watch out for added sugar.

Do frozen organic cherries have a lower pesticide percentage? Considering I've avoided cherries like the plague, I haven't the slightest idea what's considered better than the other and what brand of cherry juice is the 'purest'.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I can find the organic tart cherry juice at my Safeway store.

 

[Brittany0208]

No, the DMSO won't harm them if ingested. Just remember it is not a medication - just an anti-inflammatory. Because it penetrates skin and tissue, you want to be sure to wash before applying, because it will carry anything on the surface with it. Don't put any type of salve or medication on the surface before you apply DMSO and give it time to soak in before applying anything else.

It does a very good job at reducing inflammation and the pain caused by inflammation.

When washing a bird's foot, do you just use warm water? Java has a lot of dead skin on his foot that he picks off when I hold him on his back, but he doesn't get all of it.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Just plain warm water

 

[Brittany0208]

I can find the organic tart cherry juice at my Safeway store.

I just checked to see if they deliver in my area, and they don't

 

[Lady Jane]

Apple cider vinegar can be given and this will help to maintain the optimum pH balance so that minerals don’t crystalize in the joints of your bird; a small amount can be mixed into your bird’s water Aloe Vera gel or a small portion of the leaf can be fed to your bird; it must be organically grown so as to not harm your bird with pesticides (some birds may have a negative reaction to Aloe Vera so it is important you test this treatment first by putting some on your finger and touching your bird’s foot; you can then wait 24 hours to see if there is a reaction)

 

[Fuzzy]

Ooops forgot to say that I am using organic CBD oil (lowest percent - 3 or 4%) just one drop a day for pain. It was discussed by Dr Driggers.

 

[Brittany0208]

Ooops forgot to say that I am using organic CBD oil (lowest percent - 3 or 4%) just one drop a day for pain. It was discussed by Dr Driggers.

What's CBD oil?