# Bird the Pigeon is Sick



## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

Hi all, 
I just registered for this site but I am a long time lurker. Bird has been throwing up for 2 days. He was moulting and looking generally crappy and light, he threw up a few times so we took him in and got x-rays and blood work. The blood work came back that he was low on sodium and protein and the Vet told us it was because he wasn’t getting greens and that his diet was causing him to do poorly. She recommended Harrison’s high potency and we went ahead and gave it to him. Then he threw up what looked like worn down glass shards which we cannot figure out how he got. He’s been throwing up for two days and has green watery poop. He looks nauseous after he eats. The doc doesn’t have imaging with barrium so she recommended that we go to an emergency room to get images in case of an obstruction that didn’t show up on his x-ray. Problem is that none of the emergency pet hospitals are not taking birds right now and all avian vets are booked for 2 weeks. I got an appointment for Saturday to get imaging, but I’m concerned that it’s yeast or bacterial and we are waiting around for new images when he could be starting a treatment. Our vet hasn’t tested him for yeast or bacterial infection and I’m frustrated that she’s trying to rule out obstruction without considering other optionsI gave him a few drops of pepto bismol to help him strengthen up and rehydrate, but I don’t want to hurt him if he needs to pass something. I’m not sure he will make it to Saturday. We are trying the peas method to feed him and offering him water. Please help. I really need experienced advice because I don’t trust our vet. How do I keep him afloat until Saturday?


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

BirdThePigeon said:


> Hi all,
> I just registered for this site but I am a long time lurker. Bird has been throwing up for 2 days. He was moulting and looking generally crappy and light, he threw up a few times so we took him in and got x-rays and blood work. The blood work came back that he was low on sodium and protein and the Vet told us it was because he wasn’t getting greens and that his diet was causing him to do poorly. She recommended Harrison’s high potency and we went ahead and gave it to him. Then he threw up what looked like worn down glass shards which we cannot figure out how he got. He’s been throwing up for two days and has green watery poop. He looks nauseous after he eats. The doc doesn’t have imaging with barrium so she recommended that we go to an emergency room to get images in case of an obstruction that didn’t show up on his x-ray. Problem is that none of the emergency pet hospitals are not taking birds right now and all avian vets are booked for 2 weeks. I got an appointment for Saturday to get imaging, but I’m concerned that it’s yeast or bacterial and we are waiting around for new images when he could be starting a treatment. Our vet hasn’t tested him for yeast or bacterial infection and I’m frustrated that she’s trying to rule out obstruction without considering other optionsI gave him a few drops of pepto bismol to help him strengthen up and rehydrate, but I don’t want to hurt him if he needs to pass something. I’m not sure he will make it to Saturday. We are trying the peas method to feed him and offering him water. Please help. I really need experienced advice because I don’t trust our vet. How do I keep him afloat until Saturday?


Update: went and got fluids from our vet and they did more x-rays without telling me. I’m not sure why they would do that if they said he needed more intensive imaging than the X-rays. She said to give NOTHING by mouth until Saturday at 1pm!!!! So he’s supposed to survive in his already weakened condition for 44 hours without food or water? He was raring to go when he got home. He was begging for food, so we put him to bed early. Please, I need some answers from people with pigeon experience. I don’t trust my vet, but I don’t know if I’m just frustrated because I’m so worried for my little fellow.


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## hdslilhideout (Nov 15, 2020)

Sorry, I've never experienced anything like that. I would give regular pigeon food and grit for feed. I would also make sure to mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar per 2 gallons of water for the bird to drink. For sure do the water asap. This will help change the gut to more acidic and kill off some of the bad bacteria and maybe settle down in the crop and digestive system. I would try Googling any sympoms you see, and maybe you will find something that's out there. Good luck with things; I wish I had more to offer.


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## hdslilhideout (Nov 15, 2020)

I should have clarified; we mix our water at 2 gallon buckets. Only give a small drinker of water for the bird, not the full 2 gallons 😀😀.


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

hdslilhideout said:


> Sorry, I've never experienced anything like that. I would give regular pigeon food and grit for feed. I would also make sure to mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar per 2 gallons of water for the bird to drink. For sure do the water asap. This will help change the gut to more acidic and kill off some of the bad bacteria and maybe settle down in the crop and digestive system. I would try Googling any sympoms you see, and maybe you will find something that's out there. Good luck with things; I wish I had more to offer.


Thank you! I’m concerned that the doctor doesn’t even want us to give water to Bird for 44 hours.


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## hdslilhideout (Nov 15, 2020)

Our vets don't know anything about birds. We have a mini pharmacy in our kitchen for the birds and use google to make our best judgement based on pigeon diseases and symptoms we come up with Usually that works better than wasting time and money on our vet. My wife would have a meltdown at our vet if they gave us the advice you were given. The apple cider vinegar has reduced our issues in our loft substantially. Maybe 2-3 days a week of mixed water and the rest of the week plain.


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

hdslilhideout said:


> Our vets don't know anything about birds. We have a mini pharmacy in our kitchen for the birds and use google to make our best judgement based on pigeon diseases and symptoms we come up with Usually that works better than wasting time and money on our vet. My wife would have a meltdown at our vet if they gave us the advice you were given. The apple cider vinegar has reduced our issues in our loft substantially. Maybe 2-3 days a week of mixed water and the rest of the week plain.


It seems like even the “Avian and Exotics” vets don’t understand pigeons very well. She was saying that since he had fluid in his crop she didn’t want to prescribe any medication that could possibly help, but that she wouldn’t milk his crop because he would probably aspirate and she wants to sedate him to do it. I hear milking talked about in the forum as a routine procedure. I’m going to stock up on meds and follow your lead. It’s insane.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Is there a good avian specialist near you? Would not withhold water. Where do you live?


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

cwebster said:


> Is there a good avian specialist near you? Would not withhold water. Where do you live?


I’m in Southern CA. Good news! I got an appointment for today at 2pm with one of the best avian specialists around. I called over 50 places over the last 2 days and the earliest appointment I could get, in a place with barium imaging capability, was for Saturday at 1pm. That’s how long my original vet wanted Bird to go without food or water from yesterday at 5 to Saturday at 1pm!! I only went back to my original vet because Bird was crashing and needed fluids— and they did another x-ray even though they said we needed to get better imaging somewhere else and they didn’t ask me. We are still waiting on the second set of x-rays and I am really angry that my original vet clearly is in over her head but won’t admit it. Bird is protecting his perch again and just growled at me, so I’m guessing the fluids did him good, but I don’t know how long that will last. I’m feeling a bit gaslighted by our vet. She told us she wouldn’t give us medication for other possible ailments because she was afraid he would aspirate, but we are giving him calcium that she prescribed to him days ago. It’s all really confusing. The avian specialist office was super confused by his treatment too. I’m counting down to 2pm today for some real answers I can trust.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Glad you are seeing a great avian specialist and hope Bird is all better soon.


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

cwebster said:


> Glad you are seeing a great avian specialist and hope Bird is all better soon.


Just updating and writing the whole story out because I know how frustrating it is to read forums and never hear a diagnosis or outcome, especially when your little pidge has the same symptoms.
We started getting concerned for bird in mid-May, he was molting and there was some spring regurgitation, but he seemed off, so we made an appointment and our vet told us that his x-rays were clear and his blood work looked “really weird” and it was because we were feeding bird a crappy diet (which we weren’t) and that he wasn’t getting enough sun (which he was) and that basically we had neglected our boy to the edge of death and wouldn’t listen to what we were saying about the actual care he was getting. She said he was like “a child who only ate McDonald’s French fries his whole life” and that he would “never be very healthy.” She said he might just crash, and that the vomiting and diarrhea was all due to malnutrition. She told us to ONLY feed him Harrison’s parrot food and green veg and if he refused, don’t give him anything else. He was already skinny and dehydrated enough that she gave him fluids at his visit, but, when I asked several times out of concern for his weakened state, she said we weren’t even to give him electrolytes or any rescue foods. I’m just so glad I listened to my instincts and at least kept giving him flaxseed and grouts and an electrolyte with the parrot food. I assumed (husband took him for the visit) she had done more tests for other causes because the bill was so high, but nope. When he didn’t get better she decided he was obstructed and that he needed barium imaging and we needed to take him to an emergency room right away, except that when we called around they weren’t taking birds anywhere (I called at least 50 places). By now, I realized she hadn’t looked for any other causes and I was just trying to get him in with someone who knew what they were talking about, but there were no appointments for two weeks. I finally found an appointment for two days away and decided that I needed to get Bird back in with our first vet to get fluids because he needed immediate support. I wouldn’t have taken him back to her, but she was our only choice to get fluids and I wanted her to test to make sure it wasn’t something else (yeast or bacterial,?, etc), so we wouldn’t delay treatment thinking it was something else. She did another x-Ray, that I didn’t ask for or approve, even though she had said that x-rays weren’t telling us anything, gave him fluids and told us to give Bird nothing at all including water until our barium appointment in 2 days. I got a call early the next day that we had an appointment that day and took Bird to the Avian doc and he immediately suspected heavy metal poisoning and told us if we had followed the other vet’s recommendedation of not giving food or water to Bird for 44 hours(!!!😡) he would be dead. He recommended starting chelation therapy immediately and keeping overnight so he could gavage rescue food every 6 hours and observe. Oh, and Bird clearly had beads or something in his gizzard that might be the cause in the FIRST x-Ray from 6/3 there was less of it in the new X-rays, so she absolutely missed that. He said an obstruction was possible, but unlikely. We’ve sent a sample to test for heavy metals. The doctor called late last night and said Bird was digesting and pooping after a couple of feedings! Fingers crossed for our little guy. We don’t know what he ate or where he got it, it may have been something passing through, we don’t know yet, but at least we know what’s going on and are doing everything to treat it. I know that was a long post, but maybe it will help someone else who is in our situation. And BTW the first vet treats birds all the time in her practice, so I really thought she knew what she was doing, I feel stupid, heartbroken and robbed. Moral of the story is AVIAN SPECIALIST and a vet who listens. 


cwebster said:


> Glad you are seeing a great avian specialist and hope Bird is all better soon.


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

BirdThePigeon said:


> Just updating and writing the whole story out because I know how frustrating it is to read forums and never hear a diagnosis or outcome, especially when your little pidge has the same symptoms.
> We started getting concerned for bird in mid-May, he was molting and there was some spring regurgitation, but he seemed off, so we made an appointment and our vet told us that his x-rays were clear and his blood work looked “really weird” and it was because we were feeding bird a crappy diet (which we weren’t) and that he wasn’t getting enough sun (which he was) and that basically we had neglected our boy to the edge of death and wouldn’t listen to what we were saying about the actual care he was getting. She said he was like “a child who only ate McDonald’s French fries his whole life” and that he would “never be very healthy.” She said he might just crash, and that the vomiting and diarrhea was all due to malnutrition. She told us to ONLY feed him Harrison’s parrot food and green veg and if he refused, don’t give him anything else. He was already skinny and dehydrated enough that she gave him fluids at his visit, but, when I asked several times out of concern for his weakened state, she said we weren’t even to give him electrolytes or any rescue foods. I’m just so glad I listened to my instincts and at least kept giving him flaxseed and grouts and an electrolyte with the parrot food. I assumed (husband took him for the visit) she had done more tests for other causes because the bill was so high, but nope. When he didn’t get better she decided he was obstructed and that he needed barium imaging and we needed to take him to an emergency room right away, except that when we called around they weren’t taking birds anywhere (I called at least 50 places). By now, I realized she hadn’t looked for any other causes and I was just trying to get him in with someone who knew what they were talking about, but there were no appointments for two weeks. I finally found an appointment for two days away and decided that I needed to get Bird back in with our first vet to get fluids because he needed immediate support. I wouldn’t have taken him back to her, but she was our only choice to get fluids and I wanted her to test to make sure it wasn’t something else (yeast or bacterial,?, etc), so we wouldn’t delay treatment thinking it was something else. She did another x-Ray, that I didn’t ask for or approve, even though she had said that x-rays weren’t telling us anything, gave him fluids and told us to give Bird nothing at all including water until our barium appointment in 2 days. I got a call early the next day that we had an appointment that day and took Bird to the Avian doc and he immediately suspected heavy metal poisoning and told us if we had followed the other vet’s recommendedation of not giving food or water to Bird for 44 hours(!!!😡) he would be dead. He recommended starting chelation therapy immediately and keeping overnight so he could gavage rescue food every 6 hours and observe. Oh, and Bird clearly had beads or something in his gizzard that might be the cause in the FIRST x-Ray from 6/3 there was less of it in the new X-rays, so she absolutely missed that. He said an obstruction was possible, but unlikely. We’ve sent a sample to test for heavy metals. The doctor called late last night and said Bird was digesting and pooping after a couple of feedings! Fingers crossed for our little guy. We don’t know what he ate or where he got it, it may have been something passing through, we don’t know yet, but at least we know what’s going on and are doing everything to treat it. I know that was a long post, but maybe it will help someone else who is in our situation. And BTW the first vet treats birds all the time in her practice, so I really thought she knew what she was doing, I feel stupid, heartbroken and robbed. Moral of the story is AVIAN SPECIALIST and a vet who listens.


UPDATE 
Bird has gained 9 grams and is coming home at 1pm! Doctor said he’s now the favorite pigeon of the practice, he took out number one and two because he’s so cute.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Am very glad Bird is doing much better!


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## BirdThePigeon (Jun 17, 2021)

cwebster said:


> Am very glad Bird is doing much better!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Bird is lovely.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I'm glad he is ok. Real crappy advice from a vet to withheld food and water for so long.


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## hdslilhideout (Nov 15, 2020)

Awesome to hear that everything worked out with your bird!!! I never would have thought about heavy metals, but I guess you learn something new every day. Congrats and sorry you had the run around with vets. Great work and hopefully no more drama with him.


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