Post by cnyguy on Apr 14, 2015 20:36:20 GMT -5
Ralph wasn't feeling well this morning. When I first uncovered and greeted him, he wasn't sitting in his usual place, and seemed a little lacking in energy. 
He normally starts the day by untying all his strings and waiting impatiently for his breakfast. He did neither today. When I brought him his fresh food, he ate a few peas, and immediately spit them back up. 
I noticed a few undigested pellets on the bottom of the cage that he must have brought up during the night. So a vet visit was in order. The vet who usually sees him is away for two weeks, and no one else at that office is good with birds, so I had to try a different vet. The third one I called was able to see Ralph right away. He checked Ralph over carefully, examined his droppings, and determined that Ralph must have eaten something that didn't set well-- there were no signs of infection or other indications of any serious illness. By then, Ralph had perked up and eaten a few pellets and safflower seeds (comfort food provided in his transport cage to ease the distress of the car trip and vet visit), and was pooping normally. The vet said that Ralph looked to be in good condition, his weight was good, feathers in fine shape, etc. The vet recommended eliminating fresh vegetables and fruits from Ralph's diet for two days and temporarily increasing his ration of the seed mix, and monitoring his activity and behavior. If he shows no further signs of digestive distress, then he can resume his normal diet on Thursday.
Ralph missed his vegetables, especially his favorite fresh peas, but he ate well with no distress or difficulties. He came out to play tonight and worked on another building project with spoons, and was a little more vocal tonight too. So it looks like he's recovering quickly.
He normally starts the day by untying all his strings and waiting impatiently for his breakfast. He did neither today. When I brought him his fresh food, he ate a few peas, and immediately spit them back up. 
I noticed a few undigested pellets on the bottom of the cage that he must have brought up during the night. So a vet visit was in order. The vet who usually sees him is away for two weeks, and no one else at that office is good with birds, so I had to try a different vet. The third one I called was able to see Ralph right away. He checked Ralph over carefully, examined his droppings, and determined that Ralph must have eaten something that didn't set well-- there were no signs of infection or other indications of any serious illness. By then, Ralph had perked up and eaten a few pellets and safflower seeds (comfort food provided in his transport cage to ease the distress of the car trip and vet visit), and was pooping normally. The vet said that Ralph looked to be in good condition, his weight was good, feathers in fine shape, etc. The vet recommended eliminating fresh vegetables and fruits from Ralph's diet for two days and temporarily increasing his ration of the seed mix, and monitoring his activity and behavior. If he shows no further signs of digestive distress, then he can resume his normal diet on Thursday. Ralph missed his vegetables, especially his favorite fresh peas, but he ate well with no distress or difficulties. He came out to play tonight and worked on another building project with spoons, and was a little more vocal tonight too. So it looks like he's recovering quickly.
He was all set to greet me this morning in his usual place, and immediately set to work untying all the little strings attached to his cage-- the way he usually starts his day. He ate his pellets and a little of the seed mix with no problems. He noticed that there were no fresh vegetables served, but didn't grumble about it; tomorrow, he can go back to his regular diet. He was active and vocal all day, and we did move spoons from the dishwasher to the silverware drawer, and rearrange them in the drawer. 
