PDD

[a.susz]

i agree, a new bird will help you cope. when i lost a cat, my bird really helped me cope, he never has been a cuddler, but my guy jumped right in my lap and knew my pain.

[thegreatkatsby]

I'm am so sorry to hear about OG.

This has been very hard to read, because Earlyn (my BFA) became very ill and symptomatic over the weekend (fluffed, quiet, not eating well, drinking a lot of water, polyuria, food in droppings). I did not receive my usual greeting when I got home on Saturday night, and my vet was not available until Monday morning. I put the heat lamp on her and sat by her cage for hours making sure she was eating something... just trying to get her through the weekend. I took her to the vet first thing Monday and unfortunately she was given a "guarded prognosis". Her weight dropped from 360 grams in July (when the vet told me she was overweight) to 266 on Monday morning. I'm actually thinking that her weight issue might have been what saved her life over the weekend, and gave us enough time to get to the vet. Thankfully she is still eating/drinking a little, but it doesn't seem to be digesting properly. She has been in the animal hospital since... receiving tube feedings in order to hopefully get enough strength back to do blood work today. The barium x-rays showed very slow movement (motility?) through her GI tract. I'm scared to death.

I don't want to assume it's PDD until the vet knows more, but I can't help but wonder if things over the past year might have meant more than I thought they did (i.e. scraggly plumage, less aggressive and more affectionate, worse balance than usual). I'm kicking myself because I assumed everything was OK since she has always been a healthy eater and a very vocal parrot. I'm praying that it's something "fixable" or "manageable", but at the same time I feel completely helpless and devastated. I adopted her six years ago, and although there has been the occasional tummy-ache or boo-boo, she has never had any kind of significant health problems. Her vet visit in July only showed slightly low calcium levels and a possible heart arrhythmia. She hasn't had any exposure to other birds except for a roommate's parakeet 4 years ago (who lived in a different room), and the newest flock member, Pi.

I adopted Pi (a Pionus) in August, and I am concerned that either (1) he might have introduced something to the environment, or (2) he is now at risk for something. I quarantined him properly for the first 1-2 months, and only recently moved him into the same room. Given that some of Earlyn's symptoms may or may not have stretched back farther than the time I've had Pi, I'm leaning more towards concern (2). Pi also had a vet checkup--in August--and was given a very good bill of health.

The other thing that crossed my mind was an ex-boyfriend's cockatiel, who died earlier this year (she was vomiting, and died within a day or two). I haven't had any exposure to his birds in at least 2.5 years, but if it is PDD then perhaps I transmitted it to or from his birds on my clothes at the time? Then again, the cockatiel had some problems related to flying into a window at the pet store she came from, so it's hard to tell if those problems eventually caught up with her, or if there is a possibility that she carried PDD.

I am so terrified. Please keep Earlyn in your thoughts and help me hope for the best.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

. Please keep Earlyn in your thoughts and help me hope for the best.

Done. So sorry to hear this.

[lzver]

Your both in my thoughts.

Our local parrot club meeting is tonight and a vet is doing a presentation on PDD. If I find anything out that I think may help, i'll be sure to let you know.

[thegreatkatsby]

Thank you. We took her to Tufts today and the vet said it definitely looks like PDD. Because of the state of her condition, she may not survive anesthesia (for the catheter) or surgery (for the biopsy). If she does survive, we will start anti-inflammatory medication immediately. I'm hoping for the best, but trying to prepare myself for the worst.

[lzver]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

Just attended our parrot club meeting and an avian vet from the Ontario Veterinary College out of Guelph University was talking about PDD and the test they helped develop to test for the Avian Bornavirus (ABV) which they have proved is linked to PDD. I'm not sure how widely available the test is, but there is a fecal test they can do that tests for ABV. Not sure if your vet mentioned the test, but it might be worth it to ask.

I'll keep you and Earlyn in my thoughts.

[lzver]

I'm kicking myself because I assumed everything was OK since she has always been a healthy eater and a very vocal parrot. I'm praying that it's something "fixable" or "manageable", but at the same time I feel completely helpless and devastated. I adopted her six years ago, and although there has been the occasional tummy-ache or boo-boo, she has never had any kind of significant health problems. Her vet visit in July only showed slightly low calcium levels and a possible heart arrhythmia. She hasn't had any exposure to other birds except for a roommate's parakeet 4 years ago (who lived in a different room), and the newest flock member, Pi.

I just want to add that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Parrots can carry the virus for quite sometime before showing any signs of illness and until recently there wasn't even a method for testing. We all know that parrots hide signs of illness very well and don't show symptoms until the disease has progressed.

I adopted Pi (a Pionus) in August, and I am concerned that either (1) he might have introduced something to the environment, or (2) he is now at risk for something. I quarantined him properly for the first 1-2 months, and only recently moved him into the same room. Given that some of Earlyn's symptoms may or may not have stretched back farther than the time I've had Pi, I'm leaning more towards concern (2). Pi also had a vet checkup--in August--and was given a very good bill of health.

It might be worth while to inquire about the fecal test for your Pi as well. I would also suggest doing a thorough disinfecting and cleaning of all surfaces that Earlyn was on because they suspect it is transfered in fecal matter, however they are still doing further research to confirm this.

[a.susz]

praying and thinking about earlynn.

[Jenny]

Thank you. We took her to Tufts today and the vet said it definitely looks like PDD. Because of the state of her condition, she may not survive anesthesia (for the catheter) or surgery (for the biopsy). If she does survive, we will start anti-inflammatory medication immediately. I'm hoping for the best, but trying to prepare myself for the worst.

oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this. You & Earlyn are both in my thoughts & prayers.

[kathis]

I am so sorry to hear about Earlyn. I hope she does not have PDD and recovers, as I would not wish what we went through with OG on my worst enemy. The night she died was horrific, and truth is we had to take her to an emergency clinic and have her put to sleep because we could not bear the thought of her suffering anymore. It was the hardest thing we have every done and Jack and I cried nonstop for days.

OGs crop biopsy preliminary results showed positive for PDD but the lab wanted to test further. We are assuming she was positive. OG was never around any other birds other than the aviary where she was born and the vets office. Because she seemed to have the slower version of PDD, we believe she may have had it before we adopted her.

We have spent hours disinfecting everything. We threw away all of OGs toys and perches, and soaked her cage and playstand in a heavy bleach solution. Every inch of our condo that OG may have had contact with has been or is being bleached. Both our vet and the aviary where we got our new Green Cheek Conure told us that the best way to prevent the new bird from getting sick is by bleaching everything.

We brought the new guy home yesterday, but he has not been allowed upstairs yet as there are areas we wanted to reclean, just to be safe, as that is wear OG spent most of her time. We have not yet named the new guy as we were waiting to name him something that "fit" him. We also want to get a DNA test to determine if in fact it is a him and not a her. The owner of the aviary felt his belly and said she believed it was a boy, but we'd like to be sure.

This little guy is something else! He is fully of energy and spunk and we believe we are headed for a wild ride! I will get pictures of him soon to post.