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Post by cnyguy on Aug 17, 2024 13:04:07 GMT -5
Ralph is worse today than he was on Monday. Very lethargic, sleeping most of the time. He did eat and drink a little, and he came out of his cage and sat with me and got head scratches. There are absolutely no veterinarians available on Saturday, and the emergency vet doesn't take care of parrots. I'm trying an online consultation but I have to wait for a response from a vet. Sad to say, things don't look good. The emergency vet offered euthanasia but I would rather keep Ralph with me if it comes to that.
Update:
The online consultation was worthless. All I got from that was the usual "keep him warm and hydrated, offer him his favorite foods to make sure he eats something and schedule a physical examination as soon as possible." A waste of time and money.
Ralph perked up around 3:00 this afternoon and he wanted to come out. He sat in the cupboard for a while and played with the honey dipper. I fixed some food for him and he ate well. He went back to his cage and rested while I had my dinner. After I finished Ralph wanted to come back out and he sat in the cupboard and played for quite a while and ate some popcorn. He stayed out a little longer than usual but eventually he wanted to go back to his cage. He didn't seem eager to sleep though. Sometimes I think he has his days and nights mixed up. He was up late last night and was making clicking sounds quite late last night, so evidently he wasn't sleeping.
I really thought I was going to lose him this morning but it doesn't seem so dire tonight. I intend to get him in somewhere to see a vet on Monday.
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Post by Caseysmom on Aug 17, 2024 21:45:54 GMT -5
Oh no, what a stressful day you’ve had , it’s a good sign he perked up this afternoon hopefully. I hope you can find a good vet on Monday just to get checked
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Post by heatherg on Aug 17, 2024 22:12:48 GMT -5
I am sending my best wishes to Ralph and to you. I have been thinking of little Ralph this week. I hope he is ok.
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Post by heatherg on Aug 17, 2024 23:32:26 GMT -5
When Lucy broke her leg and I had to wait a day to get her treated I fed her drops of sugar water. Not enough for her to aspirate but allowed her to lick the sweet liquid from a syringe. I also kept her warm and comfortable.
Best wishes to Ralph and you.
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Post by cnyguy on Aug 18, 2024 12:40:27 GMT -5
Sunday update:
Things are going somewhat better today. Ralph has been more active and alert, though he still naps from time to time. He's still not quite his usual self, but a lot closer to it than yesterday. He ate well this morning, including his favorite sugar snap peas, and he's been out to visit the kitchen cupboard. We've been playing while he's in his cage too. A few rounds of "Ouch! The parrot got me" and the similar game "My fingers aren't edible," and the usual tapping games. He hasn't felt like building or weaving for the last two days. Of course he's had a little popcorn too.
I've found two veterinary practices that I didn't try before that both treat parrots, so I'll try to get in to one or the other tomorrow morning. Neither is that far from here so that would be less stressful for Ralph. If neither of these can see him, I'll try the one way across town where George's former vet is in practice. It would be a long and difficult drive through the city to get there and Ralph could get stressed out. Me too. But Ralph needs a physical examination from a vet who understands parrots.
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Post by Caseysmom on Aug 18, 2024 15:44:08 GMT -5
That sounds promising, hopefully he continues to improve. Casey loves car rides and watches out the window chirping away. That’s too bad Ralph isn’t a fan.
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Post by cnyguy on Aug 18, 2024 19:10:16 GMT -5
No, Ralph hates riding in the car. He didn't even like going down the road to the nursing home when I used to take him to visit our friend. George loved it though, and he would laugh and sing. Until we got to the vet's office, then he would go silent. He knew where he was and what was going to happen. It would be easier if Ralph could relax and enjoy the ride, but he really gets tense. I hope we won't have to go too far for a vet exam since he's not feeling well and doesn't need added stress.
He was out a few more times to play in the cupboard and the dishwasher. He hasn't been in there in a while since it's gotten harder for me to get up from the floor. He had fun in both places. He was a little drowsy this afternoon and again after dinner until it was time to come out again, then he was ready for action. I think he slept better at night last night and I hope he does the same tonight. I checked on him once before I went to bed and I got that "what did you wake me up for? look. It's probably going to be a busy day tomorrow so he needs a good night's sleep.
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Post by heatherg on Aug 19, 2024 0:25:54 GMT -5
I’m so glad Ralph’s doing a bit better and you have prospects of a place to take him. I would lay on the guilt when you talk to the vets tomorrow morning. (I’m sure I don’t have to even say that; you’re clearly worried about your little guy, and it would be good if he didn’t have to go far. Could you maybe take a cab? Or have someone drive you, so Ralph can be on your lap and maybe happier?
Best wishes to Ralph and you. I found some shaped links by looking up “plastic flower links” and maybe he’d like that.
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Post by cnyguy on Aug 19, 2024 19:31:23 GMT -5
Unfortunately there's no one nearby who could drive Ralph and me anywhere and a cab ride across the city would be prohibitively expensive. Most of my neighbors work days and there are only one or two I would ever think of asking for any kind of help. If we don't have to go too far, Ralph will hold onto the cage bars for dear life and grumble all the way. On a longer ride he might get panicky.
Thinking of all the suggestions I received to go to Cornell, right now would be a bad time to go there. The students are just returning to campus, and on top of that, more than a thousand service workers at Cornell are on strike. I remember what a madhouse the Syracuse University campus was when students were returning, and there were no striking workers to complicate matters.
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Post by heatherg on Aug 21, 2024 21:47:11 GMT -5
Oh dear. I hope you find a good option.
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Post by cnyguy on Aug 22, 2024 20:02:00 GMT -5
I took the soonest available appointment at any vet office and we had the vet visit today. I posted the details in a separate thread.
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