Cancer

[Wolf]

I considered trying to provide you with a list of parrot forums that I visit, but although I do recall a recent case of tumors in Rosie, a macaw on the AA forum, I can't remember which other forums that I have read about a bird with some form of cancer. I will say that there are not many on any one forum but when you visit a lot of forums you begin to get a different picture of the prevalence of this disease in birds. My list of forums that I go to fairly often consists of about 20 different forums and It is only the tip of the iceburg it seems as their are many more than what is on my list.

I do try to stay away from most of the fluff forums as I like the forums that provide real useable information instead of the pat on the back and it all great forums, although I don't mind a little fluff. I also have a list of scientific resources for purely factual information about parrots, but I find that it is helpful to me to try and understand the human factors involved with parrots, other than just my own. This is because if I am going to try and help to improve the lives of these birds I must do so through their humans, and I know that dealing with humans is not always my best suit.

If you visit enough parrot forums you will read of one or two cancer cases here and there so you really have to add them together and take into account that just as with humans many cases are not diagnosed until nothing can be done and many more that are never diagnosed for the very reasons that others have given already.

[liz]

Haley the boxer had cancer. She acted healthy and happy as if nothing was wrong. Her cancer popped out her side as a bloody lump. If it had not we would not have known what was wrong with her and she would probably have died soon on her own. We got her surgery and medication but when the lump came back after a month we did the loving thing and let her go. But I am sure there must be many undiagnost who suffer without help because they don't show their illness.

[Pajarita]

Thanks Chantilly, Parjarita. The under-reporting makes sense, sadly.

Chantilly, your bird looks quite a bit like my remaining guy, a mostly naked rehomed cinn. gcc. We are drawing together in this new relationship, sans Suk. I have pictures of her in frequently viewed places, and videos for when I want them, which help a lot. Nothing like that video of a particularly good ear rub and the resultant extraordinarily undignified "wark" to help. Thank you for your condolences.

Parjarita, I am sorry for your loss, even if it wasn't recent.

Thank you! She was RLA hen and my very first rescue which I had for 18 years... I still miss her as she was very special to me.

I had several canaries dying from a type of cancer that is caused by a virus passed on by direct contact and this was a terrible thing because I not only lost my best hen and the root of all my bloodlines (she came from Spanish champion lines) but also several of my birds even though my avian vet and I tried so very hard to find a way of making them better. My avian vet did the necropsy and sent tissue samples to her professor at PennU who specialized in canaries - he was the one that figured it out and tested for it even though, at the time, it was believed to be only a fowl disease -like I said, not that much is known about cancers in pet birds.

[pukeko]

Liz, your Mom sounds like quite a formiddable lady! Mortimer got to see her body, as did our elderly dog who also grew up with her. She never let him become very close to her, and he has only been with us for seven months, so I kind of feel like he is missing her company more than he is missing her, if that makes sense. Regardless, I agree, especially as he has a drastically lowered tolerance for me leaving the room even if another family member is around. He came from a neglectful home and I doubt I can be enough company for him in even the mid term.
Suk's cancer progressed very rapidly, and we were lucky enough to have her pass quickly at home while her digestive system and faculties were all still functioning, from only one seizure. The vet said that that was about the best possible case : ( Euthanasia is important, but I am glad that she didn't need it.

Wolf, thank you for thinking of it, I completely understand why you didn't write them all out I will perhaps pass on larger pattern-spotting for now. Fluff is ok when it isn't used to excuse or ignore bad practices, but that doesn't seem to be the trend on forums.

Parjarita... I hope heart birds never leave, just become happy memories. Viral cancers are terrible! How did you beat it? Is there a vaccination? The only other one I know of is the one that is threatening the Tasmanian Devils.

[Wolf]

Yeah, the fluff factor depends on the forum, but regardless of that there is a human factor involved with parrots that I find is just as important to me as strict scientific facts. This human factor or factors affect the well being of the parrot as much as anything else, I think.

I know how hard you are grieving or at least I think I do and truly wish there were something I could do to alleviate at least some of it, but all that I can do or say it to remember and hold on to the good times that you shared even the more frustrating ones as it is in this manner that the bird lives in your heart and mind.

[pukeko]

Thank you. She was kind and trustworthy and so strong. I have been trying to upload a picture of her, but can't edit file size appropriately on my phone. This is the only one which might be small enough... but it is certainly not the most beautiful. How do CML and Erithicus (?) upload such lovely images?

[Wolf]

Although I can't really say how they do it, especially with the videos, I suspect that they download them from their cameras onto their computers and go from there. I know that is what I do and then I use Windows Live Photo Gallery to resize the photos since it works and came as part of the windows operating system om my computer. If you don't have this program then you could use a site such as dropbox and post your pictures their and then post a link to them on the forum, or you can PM me for my email address and send me the pictures and I can post them for you.

[Pajarita]

Parjarita... I hope heart birds never leave, just become happy memories. Viral cancers are terrible! How did you beat it? Is there a vaccination? The only other one I know of is the one that is threatening the Tasmanian Devils.

I didn't beat it, every single one that had been either mated to her or bred from her died. And no, as far as I know there is no vaccination but they did not die in vain because the professor got proof (the tissue samples from her and the others that died -he asked me to send him all the corpses) that the virus is not exclusively a chicken disease but that it affects other species, too. The name is Lymphoid leucosis and, if you look it up, you will see that it's still listed as a fowl disease.

[Wolf]

Well it is a very foul disease !!!

[Pajarita]

Yes, it is indeed an foul fowl disease!