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Post by easttex on Feb 4, 2015 10:34:01 GMT -5
It's just an occasional thing. I've noticed it three times in the about the last six weeks. This last time he slept a lot and was quieter than normal all day.
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Post by biteybird on Feb 5, 2015 2:23:58 GMT -5
Hope you get to the bottom of it. Poor little guy.
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Post by julianna on Feb 8, 2015 14:45:26 GMT -5
Just a little comment. Oscar will bring up saliva but only while he is cleaning his tooth on his cage and when he wants to feed my finger. Hopefully your little guy doesn't have anything seriously wrong. Best wishes.
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Post by easttex on Feb 12, 2015 5:05:08 GMT -5
We saw the vet again yesterday. Coincidentally, Peppy brought some stuff up while the tech was in the room, but it wasn't the usual clear saliva. It looked more like mucus. It didn't save him from having his crop swabbed, though, poor guy.  The good news no sign of the internal parasites he had. I should hear something in the next day or two, and he's on an antibiotic in the meantime. He slept most of the 50 miles home, or tried to, but seemed fine once we got home. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 12, 2015 15:43:17 GMT -5
Let us know how he goes. You are lucky he slept all the way home - can you imagine what it would be like if he was screaming at you? You would have a permanent hearing impediment  |
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Post by aaron on Feb 12, 2015 17:44:16 GMT -5
Aw, poor peppy. I hope you guys get to the bottom of this soon! Hopefully the antibiotic helps.
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Post by biteybird on Feb 13, 2015 0:41:20 GMT -5
All the best to you and Peppy.
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Post by easttex on Feb 13, 2015 13:52:25 GMT -5
Got the crop swab results back today. Peppy's gut flora is way out of whack. His gram negative bacteria presence is up around 80%, where it should be more like 10%. He's already started antibiotics, so we'll continue with them and hope this clears up. Why the gram negative started colonizing like that, I don't know, but I'm really going to watch like an eagle how long I leave cooked food in his cage and how carefully I wash the fruit and veggies I give him. The vet said it could have been something like a scratch in his crop that started it. You wouldn't realize he's not feeling well, to look at him.
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Post by aaron on Feb 13, 2015 15:17:47 GMT -5
Eeek! Well, I'm glad you have figured out what the source of the problem is. I hope he gets better soon!
There's got to be some way you could modify his diet to help the gut flora regenerate properly in the wake of the antibiotic. I'm not familiar with the use of probiotics with birds but I would imagine that kind of thing is possible.
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Post by easttex on Feb 14, 2015 10:19:13 GMT -5
I've read that giving probiotics on a temporary basis doesn't result in long term good bacteria population, and that to be effective they have to be given all the time. I don't know how true that is. It's something I don't want to undertake if Peppy hates them and/or there is no long run benefit. Anyone have experience with bird probiotics?
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Post by aaron on Feb 14, 2015 11:49:21 GMT -5
I dunno... there might be some truth to that, but I would think it would vary from case to case as far as how long the supplementation needs to continue... I would be interested to know more as well. It seems like the best avian probiotic is Avi-Culture ( website). Here's an article in Parrots magazine that endorses it ( link)... And this testimonials page is extensive. It also says it is the only non-GMO probiotic for avians out there, which in my opinion is a pretty big deal. Makes me think about getting this for Cupcake just as a preventative measure. I've read some forum threads that speak of it in a positive light as well. |
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Post by easttex on Feb 15, 2015 5:20:57 GMT -5
I did order some probiotics. If everyone will take to them, I might start giving them to both my birds regularly. I'll ask my vet what she thinks about them when I call to update her on Peppy. He seemed to be perking up a little late yesterday. I had seen without really registering that he had been napping a lot, and was more active yesterday.
Administering the meds is causing a setback in our relationship, but I hope to repair the damage later. I'd recommend that everyone do training on giving medicine before you're in a position to have to do it. I wish I had.
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Post by aaron on Feb 15, 2015 11:22:40 GMT -5
Aww that's sad to hear that your relationship with Peppy is being stressed, but I'm sure it will be repairable. That's good advice about the meds training-- we did have an episode early on with Cupcake the final time she was clipped where she fell to the ground and cracked her beak open, and I had to administer an anti-inflammatory a couple times, and she did okay with it. But I wonder if I had to do it over and over for many days if she would get angry about it.
I'm really happy to hear that Peppy is more active. That is great news!
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 15, 2015 15:41:39 GMT -5
Shah is terrible if I have to administer medicine to him. The setback is only temporary. Bribery goes a long way in re-establishing your relationship and try to relax when giving the meds - if you are tense he will pick it up and muck around. Play a few games with him after the meds so you are ending on a positive note. Good luck to you and Peppy - he will be better before you know it.
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Post by easttex on Feb 15, 2015 18:47:21 GMT -5
It went better this afternoon. He didn't enjoy it any more than usual, but did consent to stay with me for a snuggle . And he's looking quite a bit better. He was very chatty today, especially with my husband, who he favors. But I feel like a heel for not noticing he wasn't feeling very well. He was giving subtle cues, but it took the pools of saliva before I got a clue. |
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The good news no sign of the internal parasites he had.
