Why did my moms lovebird suddenly die?

[Az97]

Thank you for whoever is taking the time to read this.. means a lot to me.

I gifted my mom a lovebird, Ria, in summer 2019. She was already an adult when I purchased her but I never knew her exact age. Ria never enjoyed playing with toys nor was she active. She didn't allow anyone to touch her but she was very bonded to my mom. My mom always fed her a healthy diet but we have noticed a few changes with her in the past year. Her feathers weren't as bright, she plucked her feathers from time to time, she no longer knew how to fly, she wasn't good at getting around her cage.. she didn't jump munch from stick to stick and seemed like she just couldn't maneuver around her cage like a normal bird, and her tail was almost missing? (possibly due to plucking). Other than that, her behavior was the same, she ate, and continued being the Ria we always knew. My mom took her to the vet in the past year and she was fine. There was one occurrence where we woke up one morning and she was completely purple around her eyes, beak, body. We took her to the vet right away and it seems like she somehow fell overnight and we didn't see her? Very strange... A few months after, she passed away.. My mom came home, opened her cage, and next thing you know she fell to the ground (my mom didn't see how it happened), but she was on the ground flapping her wings and passed away seconds later. Could this have been a seizure? Could it have been a heart attack? This happened the weekend before Thanksgiving and we are still not able to process what it was that might've happened and we keep carrying this guilt that maybe we should've done more for her. Any opinions on what could've happened?

Any opinion/comment will be helpful. Thank you so much

 

[Hankmacaw]

From the symptoms you described, it was very likely atherosclerosis and it got worse over time until she died.

The silent killer: Atherosclerosis in pet birds (Proceedings)

 

[sunnysmom]

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[MnGuy]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[fashionfobie]

I am sorry for your loss

 

[BirdG1rl]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[BirdLady13]

This won't help now, but in the future if you want to know the cause of death you can bring the body to an avian vet and they can perform a necropsy.
My best guess in Ria's case would either be aspergillosis or atherosclerosis.

Aspergillosis: The most common clinical sign for birds with atherosclerosis is sudden death, however a small percentage of birds display clinical signs consistent with circulatory problems. Clinical signs can include lethargy, dyspnea, fainting or sudden falling, and nervous symptoms due to blood loss in areas of the body (lafeber). Acute aspergillosis may include a variety of nonspecific clinical signs: anorexia, lethargy, ruffled feathers, respiratory signs, polydipsia, polyuria, stunting, or sudden death. In the chronic form, dyspnea, depression, dehydration, and emaciation are described. Nervous system involvement causes ataxia, tremor, opisthodomos, lateral recumbency, torticollis, seizures, convulsions, lameness, and hind limb paresis (beautyofbirds).
Atherosclerosis: The disease is found in all common parrot species, but especially in African Grey parrots and Amazons. It is a disease of older birds that is seen in both males and females. The most common sign is sudden death, but clinical symptoms that can be found include dyspnea, lethargy and nervous signs, such as paresis and collapses. Because the clinical signs are seldom seen, it is difficult to diagnose atherosclerosis and therefore it is mostly an unexpected finding at necropsy. Age and species are determinants of atherosclerosis in parrots. Suggested risk factors include an elevated plasma cholesterol level, diet composition, social stress and inactivity, but research is needed to confirm this (pubmed).

 

[Skyler]

I'm so sorry.

 

[expressmailtome]

I am sorry for your loss.