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Tanya the Hispaniolan- Sad Update Post #24

Navre

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IMG_3492.jpg IMG_3613.jpg

This is Tanya. She is at least 26 years old, perhaps older. At some point she was surgically sexed, so she may have been a breeder at some point.

She was surrendered to a parrot rescue at which I volunteer. She had been on an all seed diet, and it had taken its toll. She was very weak, foot injuries had left her unable to perch, and she was covered with fatty limpomas. Her tests showed liver disease and high cholesterol.

Despite her problems, Tanya seemed to be happy, and loving. The staff at the rescue, and the rescue's vet, carefully weighed what was best for Tanya, and decided that with medical care and rehab, she had a chance at a happy life.

The rescue, with its many birds, loud noise, and rotating volunteers was not the best place for Tanya. A volunteer offered to foster Tanya at her home. Tanya was put on a low-fat pellet, and given healthy chop in the mornings, She was started on milk thistle and dandelion extract, and she was started on some exercise every day. She couldn't do much, at first, but as she got stronger, she was able to do more and more.

It became apparent that her feet would never get better, and she would always be a ground bird. Her foster mom made her pads of memory foam, and covered them with layers of fleece to give tanya the soft surface she needed. The sores on her feet were treated daily, and a few times a day she was taken out to have her bottom cleaned. Her foster mom really saved her life, by showing that although it seemed like a lot of work, it really was possible to give Tanya a safe, healthy space in which to recover, as much as she can, from years of poor care.

I adopted Tanya at the beginning of December, 2015. I put her in a ferret cage. It has a big floor space, which tanya can utilize, but not too much vertical space, which tanya can't use, anyhow. I hung woven seagrass mats from the back wall, on which to hang toys. We cut a thick piece of me more foam, sewed mattress into a much to protect it, and sewed fleece covers into pouches over that. Over this we put lawyers of fleece to protect her and absorb. I have small squares of felt or fleece that I place over her droppings as soon as I see them. Once a day, I change the whole thing. I'm doing more laundry now than when I had 2 human babies.

Tanya is under the care of a very qualified Avian vet at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. We make the drive into the vet quite often, and she has had a lot of tests, so far. Our biggest concern right now is getting her very high LDL cholesterol level down. We have tried a few drugs, with no results, and right now we are trying an amino acid. I also add oatmeal to her frozen chop/gloop mix that she gets in the morning. I mix aloe vera juice into her water, and give her drops of milk thistle/dandelion extract. If we can get her cholesterol down, then we can biopsy one of her limpomas, and start to work on her liver function. We will also consider some long-term pain medicine for her feet. We are tying to do as much as we can without overtaxing her. The big thing is that she knows she's loved

She has been with me about 3 1/2 months, now. She is getting more vocal, and wandering around more when I have her out of her cage. (I'll post a video to show you how she moves.)

She's very sweet. I'm so glad to have her.
 

iamwhoiam

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Thank you for taking Tanya into your home and creating a safe and cozy environment for her! BTW, she is very pretty.
 

Sylvi_

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What a beautiful girl Tanya is. :heart:

Thank you so much for taking her into your home, wishing you and her the best of years together.
 

greys4u

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:thankyou:for taking in such a sweet lady
 

camelotshadow

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Hope Tanya continues to improve. Thank you for giving this sweet lady a loving home.

:hug8:
 

Ziggy Stardust

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Ahh Tanya looks like a sweetheart and you are as well for taking this very special special needs little girl into your home and heart. Please, time permitting, more pictures and updates on her health . She is very pretty but it does look like she has some difficulty getting around. There are good people in this world and you are one of them, hugs to you both!
 

sunnysmom

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Tanya is beautiful. Thank you for helping her.
 

Birdbabe

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Awwwww, Bless her heart, and Bless you for helping this precious little girl!:hug8:
 

Karen

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Best of luck to you and Tanya. She's a beautiful girl. I hope you're able to help her and she's feeling better soon.
 

Aubrey

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Those noises she made are :swoon::cloud9: Thank you for taking Tanya in and doing right by her. :marlenesmile:

You also remind us all the importance of a well rounded diet and exercise for our parrots :)
 

Dartman

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She definitely looks and sounds happy and she certainly is determined to get where she wants to go as well as she can:xflove:I hope she continues to do better so you can work on her other issues and make her life that much better.
 

VictoriaVague

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She's gorgeous. Thank you for caring for her :hug8:
 

slinky-kitty

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Thank you to you and all the people involved in taking care of her. Her story has brought tears to my eyes. I am so grateful to you and she is extremely beautiful and trusting. Good luck with her cholesterol and other issues. You are doing a wonderful job. :hug8:
 

Dartman

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That's awesome she's showing improvements, poor girl certainly deserves it with her issues and what's she's been through. She's certainly happy and seems greatful in your care.
 

iamwhoiam

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Great news!
 

Navre

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She's been hospitalized for 3 days now. She stopped eating and got really weak. She's at a 24 hour facility being tube fed.

The rescue from which I adopted her has started a fund drive to pay her medical expenses. The support has been overwhelming.

I am here for visiting hour, again. She can't be tube fed, forever, so I hoe they figure this out soon.
 
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