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Urgent Vomiting Cockatiel (Sad update post #8)

cassiophys

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Rhodie is a 4-month old normal grey and she's only been home for a month. (She has not been DNA tested, so she could be he.)

She was fine Sunday, maybe just a little less vocal and active, but nothing major. I woke up Monday morning to see that she had thrown up throughout the night and there were drops of blood in her stool. I quickly called the vet and got her in to see him as a walk-in. He gave her a physical and prescribed her a nausea med and an antibiotic that we've been giving her every 12 hours. He also told us to give her Gatorade, which we've been doing. She seemed better on Tuesday and started to act like her normal self later in the evening, but relapsed yesterday morning. She ate some pellets and applesauce and we gave her some fresh watermelon juice to help the meds go down, which she seemed to really like. I woke up this morning to find vomit on the side of her sleeping cage. She's still sleepy, completely puffed up, sneezing more than usual (clear nares and no discharge), constantly losing her balance, and won't eat on her own. Normal stool, no more blood. Going to call the vet again to ask for a care plan.

She still has a nasty habit of eating (not just munching) her poop, even though we've been feeding her egg every week.

It just feels odd that the vet didn't do any tests, not even when we took her last month for her first well bird check. As a first-time bird owner, I just want to make sure I'm not overreacting and know what to ask and look for in a vet. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. She's become my family's whole world and it hurts me to see her so sick. :(
 

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sunnysmom

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I'm so sorry she is sick. He didn't even do a gram stain? I will tag some people that know more about meds than I do. Is your vet an avian vet?

This is a minor point compared to her overall illness but often tiels eat their poop due to a vitamin deficiency. Once everything else is under control, you can try adding brewer's yeast (human grade) to her diet for a couple weeks.

@Hankmacaw ? @Birdbabe ? @Karen
 
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cassiophys

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I'm so sorry she is sick. He didn't even do a gram stain? I will tag some people that know more about meds than I do. Is your vet an avian vet?

This is a minor point compared to her overall illness but often tiels eat their poop due to a vitamin deficiency. Once everything else is under control, you can try adding brewer's yeast (human grade) to her diet for a couple weeks.

@Hankmacaw ? @Birdbabe ?
Thank you for the suggestion! I will keep that in mind.

Nope, just a physical. Yes, he is. We see Dr. Milton McKelvie in Cape Coral, FL, if this helps.
 

Karen

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She's still sleepy, completely puffed up, sneezing more than usual (clear nares and no discharge), constantly losing her balance, and won't eat on her own. Normal stool, no more blood. Going to call the vet again to ask for a care plan.
I'm sorry Rhodie is feeling so poorly. What you describe is definitely something you will want to question your vet about today. Is there an Avian Vet within reach that he can see? You may want to ask that some tests be run. Did the vet address the blood in the stool? Is there anything he has chewed on that he shouldn't have? Is everything in his cage and sleep cage parrot safe? Does he fly? Any toxins in the home, candles, sprays, etc.?
 

cassiophys

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I'm sorry Rhodie is feeling so poorly. What you describe is definitely something you will want to question your vet about today. Is there an Avian Vet within reach that he can see? You may want to ask that some tests be run. Did the vet address the blood in the stool? Is there anything he has chewed on that he shouldn't have? Is everything in his cage and sleep cage parrot safe? Does he fly? Any toxins in the home, candles, sprays, etc.?
Dr. McKelvie is an avian vet, which is why I was surprised. He didn't really address the blood, just said something must have really upset her stomach. We've kept a pretty good eye on her and besides the poop, she only chews on her toys and perches (and occasionally pecks at my laptop when she's out. absolutely NO power cables around her, though). Everything seems to be safe, as far as we can tell. She came home clipped, so she isn't flighted No candles, sprays, etc., we were given a head's up about how dangerous those are. Even our soap is mild and unscented.
 

Tiel Feathers

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I’m sorry your new little friend seems so sick. I hope you can get the vet to run more tests or get a second opinion and find out what’s wrong. I hope she’ll be okay!
:sadhug2:
 

cassiophys

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Final update: We took her to the vet again, but by the time we got there, her breathing was so labored and she could barely stand up. They put her on oxygen to try and help her, but she didn't make it. The vet said something had gotten stuck in her lungs, though we only fed her apple sauce, watermelon juice, Gatorade, water, and meds, since she wouldn't eat her pellets. We're still trying to figure out how this all happened, but it'll take a while for us to think clearly. The vet says we did everything we could, but I can't help but feel this could have all been prevented... :sadhug: She's being cremated and should be coming home in the next two weeks. :sorrow:
 

Karen

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I’m so sorry.
 

finchly

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Oh, no. I am sorry for your loss.
 

Shezbug

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I am so sorry to hear of your loss :sorrow:
 

Tiel Feathers

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I’m so very sorry for your loss.:sorrow: You really did everything you could, so don’t beat yourself up. A long time ago I had a 4 1/2 month old tiel who passed away very quickly, with very similar symptoms. The vet didn’t know what was wrong, but suggested it might have been something internal that was beyond our control. I don’t know, but I do know how attached you can get to such a sweet heart in a very short amount of time. The guy at the place I had gotten her from felt so bad he gave me Sunset, who helped me feel a bit better and turned into a very special friend. Hopefully in time you will find another special bird to love. Sending big hugs you way.
:sadhug2:
 

sunnysmom

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I'm very sorry for your loss.
 

cassiophys

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I’m so very sorry for your loss.:sorrow: You really did everything you could, so don’t beat yourself up. A long time ago I had a 4 1/2 month old tiel who passed away very quickly, with very similar symptoms. The vet didn’t know what was wrong, but suggested it might have been something internal that was beyond our control. I don’t know, but I do know how attached you can get to such a sweet heart in a very short amount of time. The guy at the place I had gotten her from felt so bad he gave me Sunset, who helped me feel a bit better and turned into a very special friend. Hopefully in time you will find another special bird to love. Sending big hugs you way.
:sadhug2:
Thank you for sharing your story with me. My mom feels very guilty about letting it get this far and when I read this to her, it seemed to ease her mind a bit. :bluhug: It means a lot to us :tiel:
 

Zara

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I´m very sorry for your loss.
 

iamwhoiam

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So sorry for your loss.
 

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Just seeing this, I'm so sorry Sweetheart, you did all you could,, :sadhug2:
 

cassiophys

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I can't thank you all enough for all your kind words. :heart: It's only been a day, but you've all really helped us get through this. :sadhug:
 

expressmailtome

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I am sorry for your loss.
 
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