Pain Management for Cockatiel Arthritis

[JennKerry]

Woo has been on meds since Dec 9th. She is a totally different bird now. She won’t even talk to me anymore. Singing has stopped regardless of how I try to coax it out of her. I’d rather her just hate me and not both of us. I think it’s her age. The vet said she’s at her expectancy.
But I made an appointment with the vet, she goes back in on Tuesday at 9am. They’re gonna run more tests, this time bloodwork to rule out everything else including gout.
I hate to talk about it but amputation might be on the table. We’ll see how it all pans out Tuesday. I’m just thankful it’s unseasonably warm. She doesn’t have to deal with 18 degrees

 

[SandraK]

Have you considered putting out milk thistle seed for her to eat?

 

[JennKerry]

Milk thistle seed? I’ve given her millet and she eats it. We don’t have any bird stores near us. I’ve never seen that type of seed

 

[SandraK]

I don't think you'd find it in a pet store but Danita's Avian Organics carries it. If you're interested in a bag (they're small) let me know I was sent 2 freebies but the bird I used to give it to is no longer with me. I'll be more than happy to send you a bag; if you can PM me your address.

 

[enigma731]

Is therapeutic laser at the vet an option? If so, that might be something to try before amputation.

 

[JennKerry]

Is therapeutic laser at the vet an option? If so, that might be something to try before amputation.

I’m heading there this morning. I’ll ask them! I’d rather not take her leg! And certainly it isn’t time to put her down. She was more talkative yesterday which was nice. So, fingers crossed we hear better news today and have some options to help

 

[Lady Jane]

Milk thistle seed is sold on Nuts.com plus many other healthy seeds.

 

[JennKerry]

I’ll take a look and see what I think she may eat. So, the vet visit is over and it went shockingly better than expected.
First, she gained a few grams which was nice. She went from 75 to 79 in 3 weeks.
Next they ran bloodwork. You name it, they ran it!
No gout, not even close to it!
Cholesterol is fine, muscle mass is fine, liver and kidney functions are spot on for a YOUNG bird!!

I said jokingly....not bad for a near 25 yr old seed junkie. He laughed and said he was very surprised! He said she’s extremely healthy for a bird her age which is not common.
So he said it looks like it could be just the narrowing of the arteries or a combo of that and a mini stroke she MAY have had. No evidence of that.
I was told that I should just keep trying to coax with food or just do the toweling. He hopes she’ll get over it in time. These are life long meds. He said amputation would kill her and laser therapy is better for other conditions.

Unfortunately I am left with now a handy capped bird and I’ve gotta make her perches more friendly by wrapping them in a softer material. Her good foot is beginning to show signs of wear and redness since she’s favoring that one. So it’s just a matter of making the cage handy accessible

 

[SandraK]

I’ll take a look and see what I think she may eat. So, the vet visit is over and it went shockingly better than expected.
First, she gained a few grams which was nice. She went from 75 to 79 in 3 weeks.
Next they ran bloodwork. You name it, they ran it!
No gout, not even close to it!
Cholesterol is fine, muscle mass is fine, liver and kidney functions are spot on for a YOUNG bird!!

I said jokingly....not bad for a near 25 yr old seed junkie. He laughed and said he was very surprised! He said she’s extremely healthy for a bird her age which is not common.
So he said it looks like it could be just the narrowing of the arteries or a combo of that and a mini stroke she MAY have had. No evidence of that.
I was told that I should just keep trying to coax with food or just do the toweling. He hopes she’ll get over it in time. These are life long meds. He said amputation would kill her and laser therapy is better for other conditions.

Unfortunately I am left with now a handy capped bird and I’ve gotta make her perches more friendly by wrapping them in a softer material. Her good foot is beginning to show signs of wear and redness since she’s favoring that one. So it’s just a matter of making the cage handy accessible

Try using something called vet wrap on the perches, my handicapped birds have liked it because it gives them a better grip and isn't slippery or rough on their feet.

 

[enigma731]

Yes, vet wrap is excellent. Or you can make fleece covers.

 

[taxidermynerd]

First I'd like to say that I'm so sorry you and your bird are going through this. But I admire your strength and I am glad you are pursuing every option. I am dealing with something similar (a long term, life-limiting illness) and I know how tough it is to handle.

Milk thistle will do wonders for the liver- my bird is on it for liver disease. The vet prescribed it and I just pick it up there, it's liquid form. My bird is on celebrex for pain and so far we only have to do it every other day so he can be a normal bird, but I'm sure at some point we will have to switch to daily doses.

The vet wrap you can get on amazon, or at Tractor Supply Co or any farm-type store with horse supplies. For fleece, walmart has cheap ($2.50) fleece blankets I cut into little squares, otherwise I keep an eye on sales at Joann fabrics.

 

[SandraK]

If you are looking for something to pad the bottom of her cage with JoAnn Fabrics has this - Quilted Ironing Board Cover Fabric 43” | JOANN - which my handicapped tiels like. It's padded underneath to protect from falls but the silver top makes it easy to clean (wipe off). Just a thought.

 

[JennKerry]

Thank you for all the wonderful tips! Which I have applied today!! There’s an update on Woo. So I took her back to the vet yesterday because I needed know if there was anything else working on her.

They ran every blood test under the sun and when the dr came in, he was shocked.
No infections, liver and kidney function was excellent, no gout, cholesterol was fine. And things I can’t remember were all excellent!
Basically she has the numbers of a young healthy bird. AND she’s been a seed junkie her whole life, near 25 years. He was was really floored as was I.

So we have concluded that the foot issue is either vessel related or mini stroke. Or possibly both. Either way, she’s staying on the meds and he said she’d get used to being handled in this manor.

OKAY! So I was super mom today and modified her cage even more to make it more disability friendly. I went to Walmart today, bought fleece, 1” thick foam padding, 2mil plastic sheeting, and moleskin for her flat perch. Her good foot is starting to show red marks from her standing on it.

I took the sheeting and wrapped the foam in it. Took the fleece and sewed the corners so I can slip it off the foam for washing. Then I put the moleskin on the perch. She took the transition like a champ. Didn’t flip out once. A few weeks ago I built a platform that raised the bottom of her cage so she can’t hurt herself when she falls. I’m glad I did, she had a night fright last week.