Sun Conure Enlarged Heart

[Tracey8]

Hi Everyone,

I took my My Sun Conure, Sophia, to see an Avian vet on Thursday- 12/10/20- as she had been breathing rapidly and tail bobbing. (We had been to my vet the week before who is not an Avian vet but does have experience with birds and she was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on Baytril.) An x-ray was taken and she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. She was put on .03 ml of Pimobendedn to be given twice a day We started that day so she has had 9 doses of the drug so far, and has not shown any improvement with her breathing and tail bobbing. I called the vet's office today and they advised me to continue with the Pimobendan and check in with them on Thursday. She is around 12-14 (I adopted her so am not positive of age) and fortunately has been eating, drinking, and pooping fine.

I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with enlarged hearts in Sun Conures and what treatments were successful

Thank you for any input,

Tracey and Sophie

 

[ParrotNuts]

@Hankmacaw 's Jasper had an enlagred heart, I think. Hope Sophia gets well soon

 

[Hankmacaw]

Yes, Jasper had congestive heart disease at 6 1/2 years of age. Through lots of vet care, careful attention to her diet, medications, exercise and many crises she lived for 20 years. Jasper was a happy girl for the most part. She just died in Sept. I will miss her forever.

It sounds like your vet is doing what needs to be done to help your conure, so stick with it. medications don't work overnight.

 

[Tracey8]

Thank you for the info Hankmacaw- it gives me hope that Sophie will be with us for a long time to come. Do you remember what meds your Jasper was on? Diet? Sophie has mangled talons and a fractured leg that was never taken care of so her exercise is limited though she does get around remarkably well on the platforms that I set up in her cage.

I am so sorry to hear about Jasper. It is never easy losing one so close to us but it does sound like you gave her a great life despite her ailments

Tracey

 

[Hankmacaw]

Jasper was started on Enalepril first, then Benazepril and lastly on Sildenafil. She was never on Isoxsuprine, which is another common heart/circulatory medication. She also had to take furosamide (Lasix) daily for 20 years, because congestive heart failure (CHF) generally cause their body to accumulate excess fluid. Jasper developed high blood pressure and therefore the switch to Sildenafil.

Because CHF is generally caused to some extent by accumulation of fatty plaques in the circulatory system, a lean diet is a must. Stay away from fats - this means saturated fats. A diet high in vegetables and protein and very low in carbohydrates and fats is a requirement.

Have you discussed your bird's treatment with your vet? You can ask him about all of the above and look them up on the internet.

The silent killer: Atherosclerosis in pet birds (Proceedings)

Atherosclerosis is a devastating disease common in older birds and often associated with sudden clinical decline and unexpected death.

www.dvm360.com

https://www.vetexotic.theclinics.com/article/S1094-9194(02)00031-2/pdf

 

[Tracey8]

Thanks for the info Hankmacaw- I will check it out. I am starting to change her diet as well as getting her to exercise a bit more- she has deformed talons and, I just learned, an old fracture that was never taken care of so that is a difficult duty. What kind of bird was Jasper?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Jasper was a Greenwinged macaw. She was my roommate for 20 years. I miss her terribly.

 

[Tangoares]

My just about 2 year old cockatiel Tango has an enlarged heart and liver.. milk thistle twice a day for the liver, and currently on a compound of enalapril and methycellulouse 0.05 ml twice a day for his heart..
He was sick for other reasons this February so we took him in, and we found all this out..
It wasn't causing him any symptoms though.
My vet says they'd like to keep him on it and we go back every few months for a check up currently .
I'll be following your post to see how it goes with your guy

 

[budgieluv3]

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis. My thoughts are with you!

 

[CrazyCakes]

How’s ur conure doing. Mine was just diagnosed with a large heart and was wondering about putting them on meds

 

[Shezbug]

How’s ur conure doing. Mine was just diagnosed with a large heart and was wondering about putting them on meds

You might be best to start your own new thread, I’m not sure you’ll receive a reply here, the OP hasn’t been back since a few days after joining unfortunately.