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Author Topic: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?  (Read 354 times)

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lisarn3

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #15 on: October 05, 2011, 01:24:14 PM »
Oh my, I will be a nervous wreck with you from here.  This will be a long day for you Chip.  I hope everything goes well.
I have graduated from crazy cat lady to crazy bird lady.  Mommy to Cody (grey)  Sonny (citron) Cher(U2) Chicken (Ducorp) Sunny and Maggie (quakers)  4 kids, and an entire menagerie of other critters.

chip

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #16 on: October 05, 2011, 01:52:05 PM »
Thanks lisarn3!

I've just got a call from the vet...

The endoscope can only go as far as the syrinx (voice box) and the vet said he saw white areas there which indicate Aspergillosis! He also said that the xrays showed something similar in one of her air sacs.

This would explain why she has stopped talking.

He said I have 2 choices...

1. Give her anti fungal medication to treat what he can see
2. Perform another Endoscopy, this time going in through the skin into her air sac to take a sample and perform tests etc.

I've gone for option 1 as I don't want to put her through all the stress again so soon. I may well get another Endoscopy done soon but I want to give it a go with the medication first.

I'm going to pick her up shortly, I can't wait to see her again!

I'll keep you posted!

Matt

alicat

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #17 on: October 05, 2011, 02:16:13 PM »
just to reassure you, last year a friend of mine took on a timneh from the same house my cockatoos were rescued from.
within a few days he took ill and ended up in the vets extremely poorly with aspergillosis. he was there for several days .
samsam is now absolutely fine after getting the antibacterial treatment and has become a happy loving parrot chattering away.
so he can totally recover from this. good luck x
Ali and Poppy

lisarn3

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #18 on: October 05, 2011, 03:46:48 PM »
I think option 1 wounds extremely reasonable.  Vet saw something, so let's treat it!.  Hang in there, give her lots of love and her medicine and hopefully she will be herself again very soon.
Good job being an attuned parront there and knowing that something just wasn't right and getting her checked out!
I have graduated from crazy cat lady to crazy bird lady.  Mommy to Cody (grey)  Sonny (citron) Cher(U2) Chicken (Ducorp) Sunny and Maggie (quakers)  4 kids, and an entire menagerie of other critters.

jules

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #19 on: October 05, 2011, 06:27:38 PM »
oh poor macey  :'( aspergillosis is highly treatable but it can be a long process,so dont expect a quick recovery. i'm sure the antifungal treatmaent will do it's job  :(

i would do as suggested too and throw out all the food you already have and buy fresh. does macey have any supplements like extra calcium or vitamins? as i'm sure asper can only occur if a birds immune system is already low  :(

kins23

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #20 on: October 09, 2011, 04:02:02 AM »
Aspergillis infections in birds, is bad. But.... totally treatable. As well as humans. The fact that she is eating and drinking, not sitting on the bottom of the cage, you are probably experiencing a light case. The antibiotics should help.
     Dont focus on vocalizing, focus on diet, drinking, position on cage. Watch her consistency of poop. Vocalizing, will be the last thing you see come back. Your baby is conserving his/her energy. Totally normal, when fighting an illness.  Nancy

chip

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #21 on: October 10, 2011, 07:29:12 AM »
Thanks for the comments folks...

One of the first things I did was to throw all her food out and replace it, along with giving her cage a super clean and I also bought a very good air purifier.

Jules you're right (from what I have read), asper is usually caught when the bird's immune system is low. But I also read that they can get it if exposed to large quantities of the 'spores', and thinking back, I think I may have given her some strawberries that were beyond their best. I fed her strawberries one day and when I went to the fridge the next day, they were mouldy! So I guess they would have been bad the day I gave them to her, especially in her cage and not in the fridge. (I wouldn't mind but I'd only bought them 2 days earlier from Morrisons!)

As for her treatment, the vet said that there are 2 different anti-fungal medicines available, the general one and a more recently available (4 years or so) one which is supposed to be much better - but it also costs 5 times the amount of the general one, Ouch!!! Anyway, I went for the expensive one.


I wasn't expecting to see any rapid results but the day I picked her up from the vets, she seemed a hell of a lot better (maybe the preivous bout of anti-biotics were kicking in) - strange! Anyway, she's been on the anti-fungal meds for about 5 days now and she seems to be getting slightly better, she's trying to talk alot more (although her voice sounds horrible, painfull) and she has lots more energy than before. She's flying more and playing with her toys more etc. Generally she seems 'happier'.

So, she seems to be going in the right direction but we've got a long road ahead of us!

lisarn3

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #22 on: October 10, 2011, 02:23:50 PM »
Poor girl!  I am so glad she is getting better and quickly!!!
I have graduated from crazy cat lady to crazy bird lady.  Mommy to Cody (grey)  Sonny (citron) Cher(U2) Chicken (Ducorp) Sunny and Maggie (quakers)  4 kids, and an entire menagerie of other critters.

kins23

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #23 on: October 10, 2011, 10:19:02 PM »
Chip... good job on the early intervention! She'll get there.You are so lucky to have a vet that is on the ball!  Nancy

jules

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #24 on: October 10, 2011, 10:49:34 PM »
that's great news chip,maybe the first lot of antibiotics has finally started to work.  :)

i cant believe the amount of fresh food i keep throwing away,it never seems to keep very long so i see what you're saying  :(

i often use frozen vegetables for that reason,and cook them for jasper as i cant get to the shops every day to buy fresh foods. also if i'm going out early in the day i tend not to give jasper anything fresh as i know it wont be eaten and will sit there for hours going stale. jasper just has his pellets,nuts and seeds until i get back  :) for some reason he doesnt seem to eat while i'm out!

kins23

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Re: Is Macey ill or is she just in a mood?
« Reply #25 on: October 10, 2011, 11:03:06 PM »
You guys should get an Amazon! They are eating machines. I put out fresh fruits and veggies first thing in the morning, as Kiki the Amazon is waiting! I have to literally give her a piece of toast, to keep her busy so Sophie and Sunny can have a chance to check out the fresh fruit and veggie tray first. There is no option, to give them each individual fruit and veggie trays, as they have all chosen to live together. Two cages next door, sit barren!
     I know it is bizarre, for three birds of different species to choose to live together. Having trouble with fruit flies! I went crazy yesterday swatting them.... Sophie thought we had a " new game" to play. Cages are clean, trays are clean. I can't spray obviously... what can I do?  Nancy