Baby lorikeet with Tricho and Megabacteria, won't eat

[Birdymum90]

Little Sherbet the rainbow lori was given to me to handraise after falling out of a tree three weeks ago, he is now approximately 6 weeks of age. He was always too vocal (sounded like pain shrieks) and too thin and my gut told me something was wrong (I've handraised several cockatiels ), Then a week later he started regurgitating after his meals. I had some tests done with one avian vet who diagnosed sour crop and coccidiosis based off a crop smear. 8 Days later I took him to another avian vet who found from a crop wash and fecal exam that his candidiosis and coccidiosis were cleared up, but he has a bad case of trichomniasis in his crop, and megabacteria in his gut.
For almost a week he has refused food altogether, merely licking a few flowers and fruit, I'm having to crop needle him and even then he is still regurgitating.
He is currently on amphetoricin and metronidazole, but he is only three days in and I really don't know how much longer (a) his little body can hold out and (b) I can deal with having to crop him 6+ times a day and still see him bring it back up half the time.
Does anybody have any advice to help him with his obviously sore throat, food aversion or any recovery tips?
by the way I've started to give him some apple cider vinegar in his formula because apparently a more acidic environment can criplle the growth of both trich and megabacteria.
Please help if you can, my vet and I will have to out him to sleep soon if he still fails to improve. It's hurting me to see him hurting

[Pajarita]

Oh, geez, poor little thing! Have you tried natural remedies? Things like slipper elm, chamomile, linden, fennel, ginger, garlic, oregano, etc?

[Birdymum90]

beyond the apple cider vinegar, no. Do you have any links to sources that could tell me the ratios and ways to administer them? I'll try anything. I'm a vet nurse, but unfortunately that means I only know some of the modern medicine and still feel like I'm paddling against the tide with this little guy. Megabac/avian gastric yeast has such a nasty reputation

[Birdymum90]

Oh, geez, poor little thing! Have you tried natural remedies? Things like slipper elm, chamomile, linden, fennel, ginger, garlic, oregano, etc?

It should have occurred to me before, I feel like a doofus. I have a 100% organic herbal tea I take for my chronic reflux with chamomile, fennel and marshmallow root in it. It works 300x better than antacids, and helps with my anxiety too (I know he's stressed). Not to mention I take ginger for nausea! So I googled it based on your suggestion and mixed up my tea with some apple cider vinegar and ginger root and he just happily drank 1.5mils! Nor regurgitation or fighting with me. This is the little guy that hasn't eaten or drunk anything willingly in days. Somehow he must know these things will help him, incredible I'm genuinely awestruck.

If he keeps this down then I'll give him some formula with this solution mixed in just very weak, lots of little feeds and hope for the best. I'm wondering if I should add in some aloe juice as well for his sore throat.

I found so many natural remedies over the years that work for me, but I genuinely didn't realize how beneficial they are for birds. Avian medicine is hardly touched on in vet nursing and even then it's all conventional.

Thank you from Sherbie and me, the fact he's having a little rest now without regurgitating or crying in pain gives me some serious hope

[Wolf]

Unfortunately I do not know enough to be of help with this, but I still care very much about your little Sherbie and am pulling for him to get better. Please keep us informed as to his progress.

[Pajarita]

Great news! And yes, herbals and other natural meds are great for birds -especially since we have so little medicines that are actually approved for birds and they been so very different from dogs and cats.

Of the things I mentioned, the only two you have to be careful about is garlic and oregano oil because they can be too strong but the others are pretty innocuous. Slippery elm is wonderful for internal irritation and even ulcers (it coats the mucose and the 'protection' it gives allows it to heal better). Linden and chamomile are both nervines so they also help with spams (as in nausea) - ginger you already know it's great for nausea and as a general digestive aid. Oregano oil and garlic are excellent as antibacterial/fungals (but be careful how much and how often you use them, just a drop and not more).

[Birdymum90]

Thank you again for people's advice and well wishes. So far he has almost completed his week of med sfor the trichomoniasis flagellates and the megabacteria/avian gastric yeast. The Trich meds last for a week, and the megaba/avian gastric yeast ones for a fortnight with the opportunity to extend it to one month if needed.
He is eating maybe 50% of what he should be by spoon or syringe, so I'm only having to tube him half the time now, and his little throat isn't anywhere near as inflamed.He is also nibbling several fruits and adores spinach!
If I give him a sufficient amount of his chamomile, ginger, fennel and ACV 'tea' before and incorporated into his meals, he hardly regurgitates at all. If I forget to give him a sip before a meal he sometimes still regurgitates though.
He cries far less now, and doesn't hang his beak open and whimper like he did when his throat was very sore, I suspect that is because his Trich is more under control.
He is still too skinny despite very frequent meals, but I'm hoping that will resolve with the avian gastric yeast. I've told his vet about the apple cider vinegar and how I believe it is helping, from now on she will recommend it as a supplement to all yeast-treatment regimes
The amount he has improved in a week despite being given a 10% chance to live convinces me that natural supplements have made a massive difference in tipping the odds.
I'm still scared for him in the long run, but I don't spend half the night awake any more checking to see if he's still breathing!

[Pajarita]

Thank you soooo much for taking the time to come back and tell us the great news!!! I would say that, if all continues as it is going now, he will completely healed in no time at all. Fabulous job! And how big of your avian vet to recognize the benefit of utilizing natural remedies with birds and going as far as incorporating them into her own practice! Not many avian vets are that open to unconventional medicines.

Now, a word of caution, do not give it spinach very often. It's hugely high in iron (parrots requiring very little of it and the excess getting stored in the liver -bad for them) and oxalic acid (it inhibits calcium absorption). I never feed it to my birds for these two reasons because I figure that, as there are so many other greens one can offer, why risk it?

[Birdymum90]

He still needs a few crop feeds a day, but is diversifying his diet more and having a little nibble at everything. Thank you for the tip on spinach Pajarita, he only gets a tiny bit as a treat now. I had no idea iron was such an issue for birds!
Sherbet is finally getting a little pot belly and his keel bone isn't razor sharp. It's so good to be able to hold him in my hand and feel the pudgyness of a baby bird at last.
I will keep everyone updated xx

[Pajarita]

Ah, wonderful news!!! I love stories with a happy ending! Yes, please, if at all possible, we would appreciate getting updates on him.