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Post by cnyguy on Sept 3, 2024 19:44:07 GMT -5
Ralph really hasn't made enough progress toward recovering from whatever illness he's had so I made an appointment to take him back to the vet tomorrow afternoon. He still isn't as energetic as usual and spends more time sleeping during the day than I would like. He's had some issues that have cropped up since his first vet visit too. His nose seems stuffy and he's been sneezing more than usual. That seems to clear up the stuffy nose, but it's not normal and needs to be checked. I can't help thinking that he might have picked up a new germ on his earlier vet visit that's causing these new problems. On his previous visit the vet thought that Ralph didn't need any medication but at this point I suspect that he does. I'm hoping that he'll finally get the help he needs to recover and get back to normal. Wish us luck for tomorrow.
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Post by heatherg on Sept 3, 2024 23:24:08 GMT -5
Good luck! I’m sorry he hasn’t perked up like he should have.
I hope the vet figures out what’s going on. Maybe some gram stains front and back to see what’s in there?
Of course there’s so much you can do.
I really hope Ralph is feeling better soon.
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 4, 2024 19:25:07 GMT -5
Ralph has a sinus infection. Dr. L. did a sinus flush (and I doubt that Ralph enjoyed that), and she prescribed an antibiotic for him. He'll need a daily dose for two weeks. It's in liquid form and I can either put it in his drinking water or add it to his softened pellets (I asked the vet if that would work and she said it would be fine). I started him on the medicine tonight, in his water and apparently he likes the taste (cherry flavored and sweet). He had a small piece of cracker tonight and dunked it in the water and antibiotic. He doesn't ordinarily dunk a cracker, so I guess the medicine must taste good. It will be a few days before there's likely to be any significant change in how Ralph is feeling, but we should have better progress this time.
Today was sort of an in between day for him. He wasn't especially active but he wasn't that sleepy either, at least not until after we got back from the vet. I think the examination, sinus flush and the car ride wore him out. He did come out to play before and after dinner. Tonight he was ready to go back to his cage a few minutes early. Once inside, he wanted to play tapping games for a few minutes before setting down to rest.
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Post by Caseysmom on Sept 4, 2024 21:41:44 GMT -5
Hopefully this course of treatment will get Ralph feeling like himself in no time, it’s good he likes his medicine. Casey and I wish him to get well soon
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Post by heatherg on Sept 4, 2024 22:47:29 GMT -5
I’m so glad your vet found Ralph’s problem. I hope he can get to feeling better. And I’m glad he likes the antibiotic!! I worry when a drug is bad tasting that the bird will get less of it.
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 5, 2024 19:36:46 GMT -5
Today was kind of an odd day for Ralph. He started the day active and cheerful. I had to go grocery shopping this morning, and even when I was out Ralph kept busy weaving his strings in the bottom grate. After I put the groceries away, I brought him out to play for a while and he played in the cupboard and we sat on the floor for a while and he found some stray pellets to eat. After I took him back to his cage, he spent the rest of the afternoon resting or sleeping. He woke up when it was time for me to get his dinner ready (and get mine started) and I brought him out again. He mostly just sat on his shelf in the cupboard and watched me. He ate well and then went back to sleep. I brought him out again as usual after dinner but he wasn't really interested and only stayed out for a few minutes then wanted to go back in his cage and sleep some more. I left the cage door open in case he changed his mind, but he kept sleeping, and just before his regular bedtime, I decided I might as well close the door and cover the top of his cage. His reaction was "Hey! Don't close that door. I want to come out and play!" And he did-- in the dishwasher, on the floor and on the cabinet by the drawer where he used to take out the silverware. He was up more than half an hour past his usual bedtime, but when I asked him if he was ready to go back he was. But we had to play tapping games for a few minutes before he settled down to rest again. Sort of a mixed up day. When he was out past his bedtime, he was the closest to his normal self he's been in two weeks. I'm afraid he's not going to sleep as much tonight after sleeping half the day.
I decided to divide his antibiotic dose in half, putting half in the water and mixing the rest in with some softened pellets. He ate all the pellets but every time he came out he wanted some plain water. Maybe he's already tired of having the medicine in his water, so I might put it all in with the pellets tomorrow. He gets 0.5 ml a day.
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 6, 2024 21:42:02 GMT -5
Ralph had a quiet and lazy day today. He didn't have much to say and he rested or slept much of the time. When he came out of his cage, he didn't want to do the things he usually does. Mostly he sat on the open silverware drawer and we played tapping games and we also played fetch with an empty yogurt container. He didn't want to play in the cupboard at all today and he only spent a little time in the dishwasher. He normally contact calls when I'm not in the room, but because he's sleeping so much, he isn't bothering with that. I put the full dose of the antibiotic in his softened pellets but he didn't eat all of them today so I made up the difference by adding some to his water tonight. I know that it takes time for the antibiotic to work, and it's reasonable for Ralph to rest or sleep, and not to feel like doing the things he normally would do. That's how I feel when I'm sick too. It's still a little discouraging that Ralph isn't showing more signs of improvement yet.
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Post by Caseysmom on Sept 6, 2024 22:00:12 GMT -5
Come on Ralph. We are all rooting for you to get better, those meds better start showing an improvement this weekend. Fingers and feathers crossed
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 7, 2024 19:16:26 GMT -5
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. He was still drowsy when I uncovered his cage this morning, but while I was in the kitchen making my coffee, Ralph climbed up to his food dish to munch on some pellets. He alternated between being awake and active and resting or sleeping. He played independently, weaving with his strings and playing with one of his plastic keys, and he started a construction project but only used one stick. When he was out, we played tapping games while Ralph sat on the silverware drawer, and for a while, we sat on the couch and played "Ouch! The parrot got me" and Ralph got lots of head scratches too. Tonight after dinner he played in the dishwasher and went back to his cage to eat a little, came back out so we could sit together and play a few more rounds of "Ouch! The parrot got me" before he was ready to go inside and settle down for the night.
I'm still concerned that he isn't getting enough of the antibiotic. I put a little in his water today but most went into the softened pellets, and he only ate about half of them. On Monday I'll call the animal hospital and see if they can offer any suggestions.
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Post by heatherg on Sept 8, 2024 1:50:26 GMT -5
Remember that antibiotics make humans feel crappy. I’d bet they make birds feel crappy, too.
Birds DO have to take in a certain amount of water daily. I would think the antibiotic manufacturers and vets have to assess that realistically to determine the antibiotic concentration in the water. But you could always get an antibiotic that you administer directly to the beak. If it’s yummy like kids’ liquid antibiotics then my Quakers have licked that right up.
Can you check his nose and see how clear it is, if his nares are crusty or the feathers around them have discharge? You can even use a magnifier to look at his nose and nearby feathers. I don’t recall if you shared how the vet determined that he had a sinus infection; but if they told you how, then you can check that yourself.
I hope Ralph feels better soon!
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 8, 2024 19:14:52 GMT -5
Ralph was noticeably better today. I don't want to be overly optimistic since he's had pretty good days followed by not such good days, and he obviously isn't feeling completely well yet. I suppose that the antibiotic could be making him feel "blah" too. He had an active morning, both inside and outside his cage. This afternoon he played for a while, slept for a while, played for a while, slept for a while, etc. Tonight he played in the dishwasher and finally decided to go into the cupboard and play with the honey dipper, which he hasn't wanted to do for a few days. He was a little more talkative today too. This morning, I put about 1/3 the dosage of his medicine on a very special treat that he can't have too often-- a small piece of toast with some strawberry jam on it, just a light coating of jam, with the antibiotic mixed in. I put a third each in his water and softened pellets too. He didn't eat as much of the pellets as usual but he drank normally. His appetite is unchanged and his poops are normal.
When Dr. L. did the sinus flush she said that it removed a lot of congestion and its appearance indicated the presence of infection, along with the frequent wet sneezes and stuffy nose. I suppose it's similar to humans where infected mucus is discolored. There's no discharge now and his nares and adjacent feathers are clear. He still sneezes a few times a day and like with his everyday sneezes, the nares and feathers are damp for just a short time. He's not sneezing nearly as much as he was a few days ago and his breathing is neither rapid nor labored.
Let's hope for another small step forward tomorrow.
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 9, 2024 19:25:13 GMT -5
The habit of alternating good days and not so good days continues. Ralph seemed pretty good this morning, though less active than yesterday. The afternoon and evening weren't so good though. He slept nearly all afternoon and didn't want to stay outside his cage for more than a few minutes, and he didn't want to do much when he was out. When I brought him out before dinner he went into the cupboard and just sat on his shelf and watched me. He wasn't interested in playing. He ate well but went right back to sleep. I wasn't sure if he would want to come back out after dinner but he did. Mostly he wanted to explore and inspect things that really aren't his business. He discovered the bag of his seed mix and I was going to put a little on the palm of my hand for him, but he wanted to dive into the bag. I vetoed that idea and we stuck with putting the seed mix on my hand. Then he was interested in the former cottage cheese container I use to keep a small supply of Zupreem pellets ready to use. He ate a few pellets out of the container and had some fun tossing the lid onto the floor. He tried to dump out all the pellets but fortunately I had a tight grip on the container. This was the most active and engaged he was since early this morning. He went back into the cupboard for a while and we played tapping games until a little past his normal bedtime. He wanted to go back to his cage for more pellets and a drink of water, and I covered him for the night.
For now, Dr. L. wants us to continue with the same antibiotic in the same dosage, even if he's not getting the full amount every day. I can split it up however I think Ralph will take it in whatever food I want to try, as well as his water. He did eat some of the softened pellets with the medicine in them and drank some water with the antibiotic added too. I tried another piece of toast with strawberry jam but he didn't want that tonight.
If the trend continues, tomorrow should be a better day. I certainly hope so.
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Post by heatherg on Sept 9, 2024 22:13:39 GMT -5
Can you just get an antibiotic that goes right in his beak? You go up and over the tongue and it goes down easily.
I’m sorry Ralph is not feeling great. But if he’s getting in trouble, he must be feeling a bit better.
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Post by cnyguy on Sept 10, 2024 19:26:56 GMT -5
Ralph was a little better today. He still slept most of the afternoon except when I had him out. He played independently a little this morning. He was more active when he was out before and after dinner, and he's learning a new two word phrase-- "butter knife." When he was sitting on the silverware drawer he insisted on inspecting one and when I told him what it is, right away he was very quietly attempting to say the words. He also spied the small saucer I put certain treats on. If I crack an almond, I only give Ralph half or less at a time and there was about a third of an almond on the saucer, and he had to have it. He ate about half of it, then he spotted the repurposed cottage cheese container where I keep crackers, so he had to have a tiny piece of cracker too. On the negative side, he's still sneezing more than normally and sleeping a lot. On the positive side, he is extremely enthusiastic about eating, he enjoys investigating things he ordinarily doesn't notice much and he preens a lot. He drank some of the medicated water and ate some of the softened pellets today. I made some barley for him today as a change from his usual quinoa (sometimes he gets tired of quinoa), and I watered down some strawberry jam and saturated some barley with that, and added a little antibiotic to it. He ate some of that too, so he got some of the antibiotic today. I'm hoping for another good day like Sunday was, but even slightly better makes me happy.
As for administering medicine directly to the beak, Dr. L. is against it. I am too, really. Knowing Ralph as well as I do, I'm sure it wouldn't work well at all. I might be able to get a little medicine in him on the first try, but it would be a battle any time after that and would stress both of us too much.
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Post by heatherg on Sept 10, 2024 23:06:43 GMT -5
I’m glad Ralph is feeling a bit better. If he’s learning a new word, and stealing crackers, he must be feeling pretty good.
I wonder if you could squirt the antibiotic into or on a berry? You know what’s best for Ralph. I have not yet tried to medicate Willow, so I don’t know if that would upset him. He doesn’t like to be restrained for grooming but he gets over it pretty quick. Lucy learned to block a syringe wuth her tongue if the medication tasted bad; but she’d take a tasty medication fine.
I hope he continues to feel better. I wonder if steam or having his nose flushed would help? My dr I’d always telling me to do a sinus rinse to cut down my sinusitis.
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