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Post by aaron on Jun 28, 2015 12:17:50 GMT -5
So about 45 minutes ago, we believe Cupcake threw up. I did not see the typical head bobbing motion that precedes regurgitation, and the stuff that came out was accompanied by a lot of saliva, which she got on top of her head because she was flicking her head side to side-- from what I understand, these are tell-tale signs of vomiting, not regurgitation, but please let me know what you think. There is undigested millet and cucumber in there, which she had just eaten, and it smells like cucumber, no unusual odors. It has only occurred this one time. She was on a perch, and we were at a distance, so this was not something that she did "for us", so to speak.
All of this being said, she has been extremely hormonal lately, as she just returned from my Parents' house, and has established a love affair with my Dad, who we have concluded does not understand that he should not stroke her back and has probably been doing so regularly for the past 3 days. I've never seen her as enamored with anyone as she was when we picked her up this time. Upon returning home she has been very sweet, much less hormonal, although still displaying those behaviors somewhat. We were having a very nice morning with her and she seemed to be very happy to be home, so I suppose it is possible she was feeling very close to us, but again, the episode was not directed toward anyone or anything, and seemed very sudden and unexpected for her.
My gut feeling is that this was not regurgitation, despite all of these factors. Her behavior is pretty normal at this point, although she seemed a little weird for 10-15 minutes after the episode. At the moment she is eating vigorously, so we will see how things go afterward. She seems to have plenty of energy, and her eyes look bright, and she clearly has an appetite.
Her droppings look pretty normal if not a little small and dry, but the color is not dark, and they are well formed. No odors. I've looked at all of her food carefully, tested it myself, and the cucumber seems fresh, as do the sprouts.
Do you guys have any thoughts? Our vet is closed today otherwise I would probably already be there-- do you guys think I should be seeking out emergency care or should I just shoot for tomorrow?
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Post by aaron on Jun 28, 2015 13:29:16 GMT -5
Update -- Cupcake has been eating, pooping, and behaving normally since the episode (~1 hr 45 mins ago). If anything her poop is a bit small and a bit more frequent than usual, but pretty much what I would expect otherwise. She seems fine.
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Post by easttex on Jun 28, 2015 13:38:29 GMT -5
Hi Aaron. It does sound like vomit and not regurgitation, but you already know that.  Since she seems normal otherwise, I would wait until tomorrow when, presumably, her regular vet can see her. Vomiting is always a concern, but as long as she's showing no other symptoms she's probably okay to wait. |
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Post by aaron on Jun 28, 2015 13:47:29 GMT -5
Thanks!! Do you think if she continues to behave normally that I should still take her in? From what I read in some places, it seems like a single isolated episode of vomiting that isn't accompanied by other symptoms can be okay. I don't want to stress her out needlessly, but of course I don't want to ignore a potentially troublesome symptom either.
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Post by easttex on Jun 28, 2015 14:08:01 GMT -5
I would probably call my vet and ask if she thinks Cupcake should be seen. Where I live there is only one vet who sees a lot of birds, and there are zero emergency services for them, so I like to cover my bases. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Jun 28, 2015 16:20:37 GMT -5
Hi Aaron, Pippin did this a few years back. He had a crop infection. I am not saying this is the problem with Cupcake but I would get her to the vet. After my recent scare with Pippin I wouldnt take any chances. As you know, birds are very good at covering illness. There may be something else going on. It is not worth the risk of waiting to see if anything else presents.
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Post by cnyguy on Jun 28, 2015 19:25:25 GMT -5
That's one of the things that Ralph did a few weeks ago when he had his digestive upset. In Ralph's case, the vet determined that he ate something that didn't set well with him, and the same may be true for Cupcake. You may still want to see Cupcake's vet, just to make sure it's nothing more complicated than that. Sending along best wishes to Cupcake and hoping all is well with her.
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Post by aaron on Jun 28, 2015 19:55:02 GMT -5
Thanks! Yeah, I agree. We will be calling the vet tomorrow and probably taking her in. Luckily she has been doing great. Acting normal and in a great mood. Probably because we have been paying so much attention to her all day . But I am pretty sure I want the vet to see her even if he says it is not necessary. |
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Post by aaron on Jun 29, 2015 7:02:13 GMT -5
She is still acting normal as of this morning... We plan to call the vet on the way to work in 30 mins or so. Will keep you guys posted. Thanks for the replies!
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Post by aaron on Jun 29, 2015 9:01:08 GMT -5
We are taking her in to the vet today at 4:30pm. Hoping I do not need to medicate her, as I really dislike medication and really think it should be a very last resort. The vet was talking about giving her anti-nausea medication but she's only thrown up once and it's been nearly 24 hours so I don't think that's necessary. But he mentioned antibiotics too, and I'd really like to not have to put her through that, if at all possible. We'll see.
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Post by easttex on Jun 29, 2015 9:53:27 GMT -5
My only experience with lots of bird saliva turned out to be infection, and I don't know if it indicates something else when it is accompanied by vomit, but I'd get mentally prepared for antibiotics. Peppy and I got better at the administration as we went along, and he didn't seem to be too stressed out by it after I got more comfortable with it. |
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Post by aaron on Jun 29, 2015 13:45:37 GMT -5
Yeah, I am trying to get used to the idea. I keep telling myself that the volume of liquid is simply because she had just eaten so much cucumber, and the saliva is there simply because it was coming from past the crop, but yeah... it seems like there's a good chance of infection, so I'm working on getting used to it. |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Jun 29, 2015 16:45:12 GMT -5
I am glad she is going to see the vet. I have had vast experience with antibiotics - both human and animal. There is simply nothing else that will clear an infection (if she has one). I am currently watching the transformation with Spike as Pippin's antibiotics are in the drinking water - he is putting on weight and is brighter which means he probably has a low grade infection. I realise that antibiotics can be over-prescribed in humans but for animals there is simply no other choice. By the time the bird presents with a problem, you have limited time to fix it. Explain your concerns to the vet and see what he can come up with. If she does need antibiotics try and get one that you can give in her water. Good luck with her and please let us know how you go at the vet.
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Post by aaron on Jun 29, 2015 17:27:22 GMT -5
Well, we went to the vet, and I gave them the whole story... they did a full physical, and are doing a test on her droppings that they will give us results for later. He said he could not detect any problems-- breath smelled good, eyes look bright, he couldn't feel any problems on her body and nowhere he pressed seemed to hurt her, she was well hydrated, poop looks good and doesn't smell, feathers look great, heart and lungs sound good, etc... He offered to do a crop flush for testing but said he personally would not recommend it, or any other form of invasive testing at this point, as he felt she seemed in perfect condition, so I decided to hold off. We are going to go back to putting apple cider vinegar in her water, and just keep an eye on her and let them know if this happens again or anything else seems off. They also gave us a vial to collect anything she might spit up if it happens again, and told us we can rush it in without an appointment and they will run tests on it to help determine if there are any problems... So for now, I guess we are ok. Thanks everyone for your support and help! Hopefully we can bring this to a close and won't have to revisit the subject  |
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Post by aaron on Jun 29, 2015 19:42:14 GMT -5
Well, unfortunately I am back posting in this thread. So the results for the fecal-gram test came back and they show a bit more yeast than they should, and a very small amount of clostridium bacteria. The vet says that going back on apple cider vinegar in her water should be more than enough treatment to resolve the matter, but he wants us to come back in for another fecal-gram test in two weeks. He says that if it has advanced at all in two weeks that we will probably need to resort to antibiotics. He says that while the situation is still extremely mild, it is enough to cause a single episode of vomiting.
So, not too bad, but definitely glad that we decided to go to the vet, and will definitely be keeping a close eye on this little lady during the next two weeks.
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Since she seems normal otherwise, I would wait until tomorrow when, presumably, her regular vet can see her. Vomiting is always a concern, but as long as she's showing no other symptoms she's probably okay to wait.
