Please Help! High Lymphocyte Count - Pineapple conure

[intsybee]

Hi!

I'm not sure if anyone can help me here, but here it goes. I have a 6month old pineapple conure name 'Piper' who I adore more than anything.

At the start of April, I took Piper to the vet as she was vomiting, they put her on some antibiotics that I had to inject into her for a week, they were unsure of the cause, though knew it wasn't metal poisoning due to an x-ray they took. Since they weren't 'Avian' vets, I then took Piper to and avian vet a week later, they did a complete blood count and a Pscittacosis test which were all clear besides having a high lymphocyte count. She is very active, eats well, her faeces have been tested and are fine. Her feathers are a little chipped though, but she does like to chew them a lot. Stress maybe? Unsure why as I look after her so well, diet of pellets and fruit and veg.

These are the readings;

HAEMATOLOGY

Test Result Alert Units Reference Range

*PCV 0.46 L/L 0.40 - 0.55
*PLATELETS Normal

*WBC 20.7 x10^9/L 5.2 - 22.0
*HETEROPHILS% 12 %
*HETEROPHILS 2.5 x10^9/L 2.0 - 19.1
*LYMPHOCYTES% 83 %

*LYMPHOCYTES 17.2 High x10^9/L 0.6 - 9.4
*MONOCYTES% 4 %
*MONOCYTES 0.8 x10^9/L <= 1.3
*EOSINOPHILS% 0 %
*EOSINOPHILS 0.0 x10^9/L <= 0.9
*BASOPHILS% 1 %

*BASOPHILS 0.2 x10^9/L <= 0.3
*BLOOD SMEAR Mild lymphocyte activation
EXAMINATION Red cell morphology normal.

BIOCHEMISTRY

Test Result Alert Units Reference Range

*GLUCOSE, SERUM 15.8 mmol/L 7.4 - 22.7
*UREA 0.8 mmol/L 0.5 - 1.1
*ALBUMIN 11 g/L 8 - 16

*AST 205 IU/L 140 - 360
*CK 120 Low IU/L 147 - 418
*CHOLESTEROL 4.8 mmol/L 3.5 - 7.3
*AMYLASE 699 IU/L 170 - 2170
*GLDH 8 High IU/L 1 - 4
*URIC ACID 0.30 mmol/L 0.16 - 1.04

*BILE ACIDS FASTING 18 umol/L <= 80
*SAMPLE APPEARANCE Normal

Run on 1/3 dilution, insufficient sample for Calcium
and Total Protein.

The Vet now wants to do x-rays, and I really need advice whether this is the right thing to do, as I have now gone into study and am unable to afford unnecessary expanses, though want to do the right thing. I am willing to spend/do whatever it takes to help her, I just want advice on what the right next step to do. She means the absolute world to me.

Thank you so much.

Breanna

[Wolf]

Did you have the first vet send his x rays to the second vet?

[Pajarita]

Well, for one thing, just because the Xray doesn't show metal it doesn't mean there isn't metal poisoning. For another, if she was vomiting, they should have done a choanal swab or a crop flush instead of a fecal (not that fecals are not useful but vomiting is a crop or pro-ventriculus problem more than intestinal). Has she had another blood test done after the treatment was finished?

One thing that I did not like was the antibiotic injections... I don't know why your vet did this instead of giving her oral medication because injections to birds are dangerous (they damage muscle mass something terrible) so, unless they are ABSOLUTELY necessary due to an emergency situation, oral is the way to go.

Wolf, it's possible that the first Xray was of the crop and now want to take a full body and lateral.

[Wolf]

Pajarita, while that is quite possible, we don't have that information. Some just like to use their own x rays instead of another's, and again, I don't know. But if they can use the first x rays it would save a little money.

[Pajarita]

Yes, that is correct but, personally, I would argue with any vet who would not use anybody else's xrays and insist on doing his own because, let's face it, if the first radiographs are good and current, you know it's just to charge more money.