BIRD SEVERELY ILL - Last Hope

[ruo42]

^ Thanks for your wishes, I hope not too but I don't really know what to do any more, I guess I'll have to make the decision as I see how he does..

[Crazypetlady]

I think if he's going to pass away, then it will happen on its own soon. From the sounds of it his condition is fluctuating wildly. No telling what will happen from one day to the next. I would give him whatever his favorite food is. If you live in warm climate take him outside and let the sun warm him up. I would probably let him sleep in a more secure place like a pet carrier with soft bottom.

Whatever happens, I hope he's as comfortable as possible.

I have read hear a d there than human saliva is deadly to birds. All I gotta say to that is I'm shocked my birds are still living if that's the case.

[Crazypetlady]

Take a look at this.
http://www.stoppdd.org/livingwithpdd/livingwithpdd.html

Whether your bird has pdd or not, this might be helpful.

[ruo42]

Thanks for the reading, I'm going to talk to the vet about celebrex as treatment, as this seems to be the only viable treatment that vastly prolongs their life, if not, cures them.

[Shelby]

Would this not include human contact as well? What's the story behind this then? Is it dangerous to just touch our birds or are we an exception?

Yes, humans are included. That's why people who kiss their birds or teach the "give kisses" trick need to be careful that their lips are dry. You could suck your lips in between their teeth to be extra safe. Just a touch (skin on feather) is fine, but saliva and other bodily fluids have this bacteria. So if a dog licks your bird, the saliva gets into eyes/nose/mouth or is ingested from the feathers during preening. A cat scratch creates an opening in the skin for the bacteria to enter. They have this bacteria (and many others) on their paws and toenails.

Please keep us updated on your bird!

[ruo42]

Guess what!?

Birdy is getting better

No idea why or how though - the vets are shocked. I'm assuming this rules out PDD. He's getting some of his balance back, although he still needs to grab the cage with his beak, there's a notable improvement. Sometimes he falls of the perch but now doesn't just sit at the bottom and instead tries to climb back up, sometimes even right to the top towards the opened top piece, which I'm sure is a good sign. He's also chirping, while not as loud as when he was healthy, still probably a good sign. Starting preening a bit too although I don't see it much ever.

A few things though:
While eating is improved (mainly eating pellets and then soy beans as treats), his poop is of a different consistency, and is more runny than it was when he was worse - it also smells wayyyy worse and sometimes splatters out quite a distance and is almost diarrhea-like. Is this of concern or could it be a further sign of improvement?

[marie83]

That sounds promising. Fingers crossed for you. Regarding the poop issue I would have a word with your vets again about it, maybe the change will offer some insight as to whats wrong or may be a seperate issue. I pray for more improvements for you.