Suprelorin Implants and Birds?

[~birdybea~]

It's been ages since i last posted over a month ago when Zoe started laying eggs for the first time. Turns out she doesn't do things half way and today she laid her 22nd egg. Around egg #15 i took her to work for a hormone injection to try to stop it. When it became apparent that the injection hadn't worked i ordered a Suprelorin implant. It came in today and so Zoe had a short anaesthetic while the absolutely enormous implant was placed under her skin and slightly into her breast muscle using the scariest needle i've ever seen. I know that Dr Sandy has done this in a 'tiel before with success so fingers crossed Zoe is eggless for the next 12mths (that's how long the implant is supposed to last).

I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with these implants or knows of anyone who's used them? The implants were designed to chemically sterilize dogs but have since been used to counteract hormone related behavioural issues (including hormonal aggression in birds) among other things. It just scares me that such an enormous thing is under Zoe's skin. You can just see it poking out under the skin, which is apparently exactly how it was on the tiel. I'm hoping it doesn't annoy Zoe too much.

 

[Birdlover]

I have never heard of this. I hope it helps her out though - 22 eggs

 

[expressmailtome]

I have never heard of them either but I wish you the best of luck.

Matt

 

[Danita]

22 eggs!!!!

 

[GG.]

poor baby - I can't imagine so many eggs

sending prayers and positive energy that this will work for her

 

[Gen120]

I have never heard of that before either! I am praying that Zoe is OK!

 

[~birdybea~]

I was really hoping someone would have had experience with one. I got to reading about them and started panicking that i'd made an uninformed decision and that it might not be safe. But Zoe seems to have recovered from the procedure very well. She just has a little spot where you can see the skin cause the super glue used to close the puncture hole from the needle stuck a few feathers apart.

Anyway, today will be the day that egg #23 is due if she's going to lay another one. Hopefully she won't! She hasn't been acting quite so nesty the last 24hrs so maybe we've seen the last egg.... *fingers crossed*

 

[expressmailtome]

I really hope that it helps her. I will keep my fingers crossed for no egg #23 as well.

Matt

 

[Flockers]

~birdybea~
Thank-you for sharing your story with everyone.
We have found ourselves in a similar situation and are very nervous.

How did it work out for ZOE and her implant?

We have a lovebird that has been a chronic egg layer for over a year now and is not responding well to Lupron anymore.

Our Vet has suggested we go for the implant but we are worried about such a large implant in a little bird.

 

[Billie Faye]

WOW!
Did you try all the other stuff, like less day light, no nesting material, moving cages around etc?
What are you feeding her?
Never heard of this and was wondering why/how your vet came to this decision and how it has worked on other birds he/she had done it on...would love to know...
Hope everything goes OK...

 

[Flockers]

We have been feeding her Tropimix for lovebirds, with fresh broccoli cantaloupe and carrots daily. Also sometimes blueberries, strawberries and grapes. But she doesnt really like the berries or anythign that is stickey. She has spray millet and Avicakes for snacks along with walnuts every day.
She had layed over 200 eggs on a regualr cycle like clock work until we put her on Lupron injections about a year ago.
That started at every 6 weeks then 4 weeks then 3 weeks then down to 2 weeks recently. It seemed to be working still at 2 week intervals but this week we had some blood in her stool. Not from the digestive track but from her reproductive area.
We brought her in and they said it is probably hormonal and they are suggesting instead of her next lupron shot next week-end they want to try the implant.
We are concerned about this and wish there was another option. It isnt the money it is the idea of a little bird like her having to deal with that in her back side.
It is also a major concern that there doesn't seem to have been any other small birds that have had it yet.

The smallest bird they have given it to so far is a Cockatiel

 

[Karen]

Wow, perfect timing for this thread to surface. I was just going to do a search and start a thread on this topic.

I was into the AV's office last week and she was telling me about these implants. Guess they have been used in Europe for quite some time. She said it will be years before they are FDA approved in the US.

Anyway she has several client birds (she mentioned Cockatoos and Macaws) that are implanted and are doing very well and are no longer experiencing excessive hormonal activity. I can ask her if she's done any smaller birds if you would like to know.

Does anyone else have any information or experience with these implants?

 

[Flockers]

I'd love to hear it. Our lovebird is scheduled for Friday, unless we change our minds before then.
We have heard of larger birds but the smallest we have heard of so far was a Cockatiel, which is larger than a lovebird.
Any info about smaller birds from anyone would be great.

 

[Birdlover]

I was talking about this with an avian vet recently. He was telling me that they worked better than the lupron injections because where the injections "spiked" the hormone level when injected, the implant doesnt. The implant is supposed to keep the level more even and lasts longer. Sounded good in theory and he has had really good success with it. I am thinking of talking to my regular AV about it for one of mine as Lupron has absolutely no effect on her (Blue Front Amazon).

 

[Mystics Mom]

wow this is a very interesting thread...i really am interested in this also

 

[Flockers]

Anyone know of anyone that has used it with smaller birds?

 

[Flockers]

Still hoping ~birdybea~ will update this post about her bird ZOE.

I cannot PM her because I have not made enough posts yet to be allowed to PM in this forum.
I'd really like to know how her bird made out before I let the vet try the implant with our lovebird.
If anyone has contact with ~birdybea~ or knows anyone who has done the implant with a small bird please let me know.

Thanks

 

[Renae]

A friend of mine (breeder) has a female Cockatiel that is currently getting implants every 9 months due to prolapsing several times and she kept laying eggs. The female Cockatiel was getting injections, but they didn’t have any affect on her at all, and didn’t stop her from laying. The Avian Vet I see (which is the same one my friend goes to) is actually the one that has been giving this female Cockatiel the implants, she is wonderful!

If you want any more information re: implants, I can ask either my friend, or the AV and forward it to you.

 

[Flockers]

I would very much appreciate any info we can have right now. Our lovebird has been on lupron for about a year but has gone from every 6 weeks to every 2 weeks and the vet wants to move to the implant. However I don't think anyone has ever implanted a bird this small before and we don't want to be the first to try it.
We are very attached to her and so are our other birds. We wouldn't want to take any dangerous risks with her.
She is scheduled for the surgery this week.
Any info would be great.

 

[Flockers]

Well just in case anyone was wondering. I thought I'd update my earlier post in regarding our lovebird who was scheduled for an implant today.
I wasn't able to find anyone who had had the implant done on a bird as small as a lovebird.
I had tried to find info on both superloren and deslorelin implants. While it appears to have been safe and successful with larger birds, I was not able to find anyone who has had success with small birds, and did not want our bird to be the first to try it.
So until we are able to find more info, our lovebird will be staying with her Lupron injections. I wish we didn't have to put her though it every 2 weeks, as is the case right now, but we couldn't allow her to be a test project.