Sick Senegal

[sbooth13]

Hello everyone,
This is Senegal Mom. Thanks for your advice about my Senegal's urine. I took him to an avian vet yesterday and he has enteritis (an intestinal infection). I had never had a bird to this vet before but he was very good. He explained that a young bird like Sami freqently gets ill at this time because of all of the stress that it undergoes adjusting to a new home, weaning, a new owner, changes in diet, first molt, etc. In Sami's case he knew me before he came home at the age of 4 months because I went to the breeder's place every week to spend time with him from the time that he was six weeks old, and he had taken to me, so I thought the transition went very well and didn't realize that he was stressed. The vet didn't want to put him on a conventional antibiotic because he thought that the bird would be further stressed by it, instead he put him on a natural antibiotic and an avian pro-biotic. I am not entirely comfortable with natural products, if the bird isn't better in a couple of weeks, I will request a conventional antibiotic. The vet doesn't think Sami"s liver is affected, which I was afraid of, only perhaps his bile duct.
I invite all Senegal owners to e-mail me for friendship and the exchange of ideas. Please text me under private messages, and I will text you back. Thanks!

[Michael]

Good thing you got the bird to a vet. The stress can happen to any "new bird" and it doesn't mean you did something wrong or that it was scared of you. The stress can come from adjusting to a new environment, atmosphere, food, noises, etc. Hope your Sennie gets better soon!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Is this a mainstream vet or one who specializes in alternative practices? I am not aware of any "natrual" antibiotic which is known to be effective. I am a newbie bird owner, but seems to me science is science. Did the vet not think he was all that sick? Did the vet take a culture to see what is causing the infection? In mammals, enteritis is usally an inflammation of the small intestine, not sure what it means in avain anatomy.

Myself being the newbie I am and the scientist I am would be inclined to get a second opinion.

[bmsweb]

. . I am would be inclined to get a second opinion.

I with you on that. Did the vet do any test?

[sbooth13]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for responding to my post. My bird has enteritis and an intestinal infection. You were right about enteritis just being an inflammation, my bird has both.[I have only had him on the natural products for two days, but already I'm noticing a difference, and I believe that they are helping. The antibiotic the vet prescribed is made from the spice thyme. Sami's poop looks better and instead of eating comfort food (in his case Pretty Bird pellets) he is trying foods that I've been giving him since he came home 1 1/2 months ago. but that he hadn;t eaten. The vet did several tests on Sami's poop. Sami is not very sick, he is quite active and is eating well, and if it wasn't for the changes in his poop and minor changes in his behavior I woudn't have noticed that he was ill. I now believe that he may have caught the infection within a few days of coming home, because I noticed changes in his behavior then. I didn't think much of it at the time, the breeder that I got him from told me not to worry, he was getting everything that he needed from the PB pellets, but he wouldn't eat anything else, even apple or other foods that he loved formerly. PB is a comfort food for him, and the vet said that when a bird is ill, it usually only eats comfort foods.
The vet put him on Quiki Med (the natural antibiotic) and Morning Bird probiotics. The breeder that I bought the bird from says that she has both products and that they are very effective. If the bird does not continue to improve, I will get a second opinion, and I will get a conventional antibiotic as well. Thanks again for your advice!

Senegal Mom

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Did the vet say what organism was causing the infection? I'm assuming he did a culture, not just a visual inspection.

Personally, I'd be a lot more comfortable with a vet saying "I think he's better off fighting this off on his own" rather than recommend an herbal product as an antibiotic. I doubt it kills bacteria when ingested, and in many cases these things haven't been tested enough to confirm they are harmless.