Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 I had to take Bud to the vet today. She said he is one sick budgie Here is what he used to look like... and here he is today... We suspect pneumonia or some sort of chest infection. You can actually hear him rasp as he breathes and he has been sneezing (not just saying "Achoo! either!!). He can't sit comfortably as his breathing is restricted. He also appears to be rather full in the vent area but seems to be pooing as normal and he is eating and drinking fine. He is also having trouble sitting on his perch at times and spends some time on the floor resting. He has stopped talking, or making any noise at all for that matter, and sleeps most of the time. The vet has given me a 1ml syringe full of antibiotic I need to try and get into him. Any suggestions? I need to get 1 marked segment into him each day for 10 days. I know the total is 1 ml but I don't know what 1/10th of that is called :roll: It seems like a lot of liquid! I can't hold him and squirt it in as he hates being touched. I will try to hold it so he nibbles on it like a baby bird would when its mother was feeding it. He likes carrot but that won't absorb the liquid. I could soak a sultana in it but I doubt he would eat a whole sultana. If I can't get him to take it off the syringe I will put it in a bottle cap and see if he will voluntarily drink it that way. The vet said to try not to dilute it. Interestingly enough, she had never heard of the testicular cancer theory in regards to his changed cere but also said she had not come across one whose cere had changed so dramatically. She did point out you could see the blue up his nostrils though :lol: If anyone has any suggestions on how to get the medicine into him I would be grateful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 oh no! keep him in a dry environment at a constant temp to assist with the recovery, but as far as giving him the meds, you may have to force feed him even if he hates it. I hope he comes all-right though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 He hangs (or his cage does) from a bungee in the corner of the living room so is warm and away from drafts. Although he loved the ride to the vet this morning top down in the MX5 :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 I have no advice for you, but hope he makes a full recovery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imsweet Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Sorry to hear Caryl (and Grant & Bud) I have tube fed birds before to get meds in, but not that small. You could try wraping him in a flannel to stop him flapping about (peg it to keep done up) also you'll have both hands free, one to help hold his head still - one to unfortunatley force feed him his meds. If the vets not too far away you could ask for a catheter and take the needle out so youre just using the plastic part on top of your syringe? little bit easier to get it in the mouth. Good luck and speedy recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thanks for that suggestion. I am worried that holding him like that will kill him due to stress! The syringe doesn't have the needle on it, just a thin tube. The vet did not want to inject such a small bird either as she thought it would stress him too much. If he is going to die anyway perhaps going quickly from the stress is preferable to slowly drowning with fluid on his little lungs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Poor wee Bud, i am hoping he'll have a quick recovery. Hmm i have a lorikeet and they love anything sweet that disguizes tastes, so not too sure on how to get the meds into bud. Is he still drinking? maybe try putting some meds into a small amount of water? but i'm afraid you may just have to force the meds into him, I had to do that to my lory and I know it's not nice having to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Poor Bud. He doesn’t look very well at all. Caryl, I think your ideas for medicating him are valid and are exactly what I would try. I always prefer direct administration though since I know the medication all got in. However, a bird with respiratory problems is very fragile and any stress can quickly become life threatening so handling him as little as possible is probably best. If you do decide direct administration, get everything ready beforehand – quickly capture him, and give the medication straight away then return him to his case. All up it should take less than 30 seconds to minimise stress. In any case, I would recommend keeping him warm, 29 degrees is a standard hospital incubation temperature and humidity also helps. With his appearance, and distended vent, I would be very worried that it was more serous than an infection though. Budgies are very prone to cancer, especially kidneys & gonads, and internal tumours usually go undetected until illness occurs. I have seen dozens of budgies present with these same symptoms in practice. The common clinical signs are a distended abdomen (from an expanding tumour), difficulty breathing (as a result of the tumour pressing on the organs/air sacs) or lameness of one leg (the tumour presses on the nerves resulting in lamness). They can live for a year or more with a tumour before it gets too large. Surgical removal of the tumour can often be successful but will often reoccur over the course of a few months to a year. Not to worry you, just some things you can look out for if things don’t improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 wish i was there to give you a hand with him i usually hold bird in left hand with head between index and middle finger tip of syringe under beak and gently push up as they try to bite it small squeeze into beak and let them lick it up back into cage good luck with him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Oh dear!!! When my budgie got sick while i was away, my mom was the one who had to take him to the vet for me and then administer the meds and extra fluid nutrition. She isn't exactly trained in that sort of thing (never was the one to clip the wings or nails) but she was just really careful and followed the instructions of the vet. She held him in a towel (tried to cover the eyes as much as possible), in a darkened room, and the slipped the tip of the syringe into his mouth, by going in from the side. You can also gently hold either the top or bottom of the beak to help get his mouth open enough. The first couple times were a miss because she wasn't quick enough and ended up spilling half of the fluid onto his chest. But she soon got the hang of it...so i'm sure you will too, especially since you have much more experience handling him. Birds can die from stress, but remember that bud trusts you so the whole experience won't be as bad as if he was in a new place with a stranger handling him. Just try to do it as quickly and gently as possible and then return him to his warm cage to rest. Because he is sick, he shouldn't put up as big of a fight as usual. Did the vet instruct you to add a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel to the cage? I don't know how hot it gets during the day where you are, but its not unbearable, then I would suggest you do that as Bud will probably like to rest on top of it. It will help warm up his chest to fight off the infection. My budgie pretty much stayed on it 24/7 for the first few days, even though the house was warm, and even allowed us to cover him with a smaller towel. After the 5th day or so we finally heard a little chirp from him as he started to perk up! Hope he makes a speedy recovery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Good luck with him Caryl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Dang... Get well soon Bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carznkats Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Oh no Hope he gets better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 I'm not actually sure he will get well. I am hoping to make his last days more comfortable though Since Grant is not yet home from work, and won't be until well after Bud's bedtime, I asked my dad to come over to help as he used to breed them and has experience handling budgies. What a performance! First, I tried to offer the end of the syringe for him to nibble, which he did but not enough to get the meds into him. He then refused to go near it and kept taking off whenever we were about to pick him up. I did not want to try and catch him while he was in his cage as that is his safe place and he doesn't like hands in there. We finally managed to catch him and dad held him while I pinched his beak open and got the meds in. He was not a happy chappy for a while and is now sitting on top of his cage so exhausted from trying to get away from me ever since that he has fallen asleep. On a good note, he pooped on my shoulder. I was starting to think he was constipated but have proof he isn't :lol: Only 9 days of this to go :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Good on you for getting the job done. One thing I find very helpful is using a small facecloth over your hand to catch him in the cage. This is quicker, which is much better than him flying around trying to escape, and the cloth tends to hide the fact that it is your hand. :roll: It is easiest if there aren't a lot of things in the cage first though (e.g. perches or toys). Don't know what you were planning on doing with him when you come down on Saturday, but if you are bringing him with you I am happy to help medicate if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 If he is still sick (and not dead) I think we will have to bring him with us as I would hate to leave him home sick all by himself and he will still be being medicated. Your offer of help may just be what we need and we will take you up on it! :lol: He knows when something is sneaking up on him be it hand or cloth. We tried both tonight and finally caught him in a 2 pronged attack - while he was dodging the net coming up behind dad grabbed him from the front 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 sounds like he's got plenty of fight still left in him! Good job on tag teaming him! My poor budgie didn't even fight being handled and all he did was sleep If he is still sick (and not dead) I think we will have to bring him with us as I would hate to leave him home sick all by himself and he will still be being medicated. Your offer of help may just be what we need and we will take you up on it! :lol: He knows when something is sneaking up on him be it hand or cloth. We tried both tonight and finally caught him in a 2 pronged attack - while he was dodging the net coming up behind dad grabbed him from the front 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Yes, he has got some fight in him! Good on you for detecting his illness so soon. Birds have a 'survival reflex' where they pretend to look completely healthy so as not to become a conveneint snack but it is a ruse they cannot keep up for long, especially when they are very ill. Often treatment isn't sought for a sick bird until it is found fluffed up on the bottom of the cage and near death. Those subtle signs of tail bobbing (difficulty breathing) and droopy wings can say a lot to a perceptive owner. Fingers crossed he will come right with some TLC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Sending good vibes your way Caryl, Grant & especially Bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Oh dear, having sick pets is never easy... Hang in there! Best wishes to Bud & all his helpers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 He is still alive this morning so the stress can't have been too bad for him. Yes Jennifer he perked up the vets like nothing was wrong but it didn't last long! Because he is usually such an active bird, and talkative, I noticed quite quickly when he started going downhill. It was actually the way he was holding his wings that made me suspect something more was wrong. Before that I thought he was just not coping so well with the heat I think we actually miss havinbg him chewing up the books and throwing computer screws and pens off the desks! :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdspider Posted January 26, 2010 Report Share Posted January 26, 2010 Poor Bud. My thoughts are with you, hope he feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Poor Bud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Still no change but at least he isn't worse! I don't think we will bring him to Chch as his balance isn't too good and I think it would be too stressful for him to keep steady in the moving vehicle. At the moment he isn't flying much as he is having trouble landing He will go to his grandparents who will look after him and give him his meds (dad helped with the first dose). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 28, 2010 Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Sorry to hear that Caryl. I hope he takes a turn for the better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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