Help! Is my IRN sick?

[ihijazi]

The diagnoses is indeed yeast infection.

I've been given:
1. Something for the pain: drops, 0.2mm, twice a day
2. An anti fungal: drops, 1 drop only
3. Powder to mix with 0.5L of water

In the morning, I mix #1 and #2 in #3 (instead of water), with some food (formula, Harrison). And make sure he gets it all. Then I give food, mixing it with #3. So there is NO water involved, since the bird doesn't drink on its own.

In the evening, right at sunset, I give him #1 in #3 with some food (formula, Harrison).

In between, I given small portions of formula (formula, Harrison), mixed with #3, throughout the day.

During the day, I keep him close to light bulb, which he seems to like and stay very close to. At night, cover his cage completely, and keep it warm.

Does the above make sense to you? How long does it take for me to see improvement? I feel so bad for the little guy, not playing or enjoying his baby age

[Pajarita]

You can't keep a bird close to a light bulb unless you are completely blocking the light because, if you don't, you are damaging its eyes. Personally, I only recommend heating pads at the bottom of the cage with the cage covered to 'hold' the heat inside. Heat rises so the only way a light bulb works is if you put it under the cage and none of them will work that way because the heat they produce is not that strong so you never achieve the temperature you need to for the bird to get better.

Make sure the formula you give is at the right temperature throughout the entire feeding and that you never use 'old' formula or implements just washed with water and soap. I assume the pain medication is meloxicam but what is the name of fungal meds (one drop sounds way too low for a bird the size of an IRN) and what, exactly, is the powder?

[ihijazi]

It's a neon night bulb.

The powder is: ORNICURE
The two times drug is: Mycostatin, 0.2 for each dose
The one time drug: doesn't have label, it's the pain reliever, I believe, which is one drop.

[ihijazi]

Before I sleep, and because I'm too concerned, I had to find my parrot doctor on FB, and message him to get back to me with detailed explanation, which I'd like to share with you, and get back your own comments/feedback:

His response:
My dear friend, thank you for your message and for the feedback about your baby bird. To make the story short, as it is a bit late for a long chat, but I'll be happy to call you tomorrow. Your birdy suffers from acute multiple infection. because there was no time for diagnostics, as most probably the bird would not make it before we get the results. Like most of hand reared birds with weak immune system, he suffers from multiple infection (though we do not know the primary reason - food related, food poisoning, viral infection, and many others). The protocol for bird treatment is that if one uses antibiotics which kills apart from the "bad guys" also saprophytic (probiotic flora), it makes place for pathogenic fungi - mostly candida or aspergillus. For that reason alternatively to antibiotics anty-fungal treatment must be applied. Your parrot gets a broad spectrum antibiotic - doxycyline (broad spectrum including mycoplasma), nystatine - any-fungal antibiotic and as antyinflammatory - meloxicam (NSAID - reducing symptoms of an inflammation). I presume that intestinal flora will be replaced with the liquid food you are feeding , which should include also strains of probiotic bacteria. Please keep you baby warm (electric bulb, place the bottom of the cage on a heating pad or pillow but be careful and keep the electric cords away from you parrot beak.) Do not use AC and feed it few times a day 5-6 times with lesser amount of food but more often. Always use the antibiotic water solution as a food diulent!!! In case if you are not sure if it gets enough food or enough amount of recommended medicines, pleas bring it over and I will teach you how to feed it with a crop catheter directly to it's crop (stomach) as a force feeding. And stay in touch. Wishing you good luck and good night. Peter

[Pajarita]

OK. Your vet is correct in that the protocol he followed (antibiotic, antifungal, NSAID) is the one vets used when the cause of the problem is not known. Doxycycline is a good wide spectrum (I prefer Baytril -liquid enrofloxacin- but doxy is good) but you have to be careful not to prepare the solution (diluting the powder in the water) in advance (meaning, you should make it right before you give it to the bird). The other two are fine, a common antifungal and the meloxicam (NSAID).

I don't know how much heat a neon night light would give but, as I said before, constant high temperature without exposure to light is essential for birds to get better so, if I were you, I would get myself a heating pad (make sure it's the kind that either doesn't turn off automatically after a couple of hours or one that gives you the option to use this feature or not) and regulate the heat so the thermometer shows a steady 85-90 degree heat inside the cage (you need to cover the cage so the heat doesn't 'escape').

Some bird hand-feeding formulas do claim to contain probiotics (what replenishes the intestinal flora the vet is talking about) but I would not count on it to be effective. I have read lots and lots of studies done on probiotics and they all agree that most of them are completely ineffective. You need to buy the real good ones and they need to be super fresh (the bacteria die off after a while). I use KeyBiotics but only if and when a bird has been sick and needed the extra help because all my birds eat fresh produce which is the best way of getting good bacteria into them.

Are you mixing the handfeeding formula with pureed fruit for him? Because, without it, it would have way too much protein for an IRN.

[ihijazi]

Thanks for your reply. I'm taking your notes into considerations.

Do you have any idea how long does it take to see improvement? So fat, I still see no obvious improvement, he's still sleeping all day long, and only wakes up to eat (by me feeding him).

[ihijazi]

Day 3 passed with medications with no improvement

Sleeping all day long, only wakes up to eat (by me feeding him), and of course giving him the medicine.

Hoping for a better tomorrow.

[Loriusgarrulus]

We have found a heated plastic plant propagator with a sealed in base heater is a good way of keeping a smaller parrot warm when ill. The clear plastic top is good for keeping an eye on them and can be covered with a cloth at night. No accessible cables and a gentle heat. Good chamber for nebulising too if ever you need to. Keep away from other pets and children.
Line the bottom with an old towell and change it daily. Keep a small eathenware pot hamster sized with water in to provide a drink when wanted and to keep the air from getting dry. Shallow small heavy water dishes are best as they don't tip over easily and a sick bird is less likely to fall in and drown.
Change the water 3 to 4 times a day.(filtered or cooled boiled water is best) No chilled water.
Weigh the parrot every day with a weighing scales in grams and note the weight. Weight gain is the best way to monitor recovery and weight loss a good indicator of things not right.
Provide a food pot in case they feel like eating. They will sometimes eat a little when you are not watching even if you think they aren't. Good Luck with the little fellow.

[ihijazi]

So I just got back from the doctor. The doctor disagreed with me and said he's getting better, even though I don't see it? Said not losing weight, and I'm doing great with feeding him and the instructions given. He also gave me a new medicine for the liver (liver tonic called Versele-Laga Avi-Chol) as a supplement.

I tried to go to some other avian that HE recommended in case I want to get a second opinion. Unfortunately, by the time I reached, they were closed. And where I live, Dubai, is a weekend on Friday/Saturday followed by Christmas holiday.. So good luck to me and my little one.

Anyway, maybe I'm going crazy here a little bit, but I do see him a little better now. Seems like the car ride refreshed him somehow?!

Will share more info tomorrow. Thanks guys, I feel someone understands me here while I share all this, 'cuz my family thinks I'm nuts taking a bird to a doctor

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the club of nuts that take birds to vets! I think all our families think we have 'lost it' with the birds...

I don't like that supplement your vet gave you. It's given to chickens to fatten them up but chickens are not meant to live more than a few months while parrots live VERY long lives - and it has sorbitol which is a completely indigestible form of sugar and can cause diarrhea -something you do NOT want for a bird that is already sick! The reason why your vet did it is that all the medicines he gave you are bad for the liver but, personally, I would use herbal liver tonics instead of chemicals. I have a few liver damaged birds and they all get milk thistle and dandelion root extracts as well as methionine (the supplement you have also has methionine).