Severe Head Trauma - what would you do?

I apologize up front because this may be long.

My 6 year old green cheek had a freak accident. He was taken to the vet (with an avian specialist on hand) and has been there for 6 days.
From what we've been told, xrays show no breaks, no spinal compression, airsac is fine. Bird is concussed. They are giving him anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds.
He cannot stand. Little motor control. From what we've been told, he only seems to react when we are their for our brief 15 minute visits twice a day. Then he will try to move around, use his beak to pull himself across the box to our hand and lay in it. Or if we pick him up he's content to lay on our chest, and nibble at our shirts and try to climb/pull himself up to our shoulder where he would normally perch.

He's had ups and downs in the almost week that he's been there. He's had really good days where we've seen plenty of lucidity from him, which has been followed by a day where his breathing was labored and he was on oxygen for for over 12 hours.

I've read that brain injuries could potentially take months for recovery.

My better half and I are at a disagreement. Do I bring my baby home, possibly a special needs Bird for the rest of his life, to see if he possibly needs several months to recover?

Or do we play God and make the decision to euthanize him?

Bringing him home means hand feeding and special accommodations (which we have no problem doing and have somewhat started in hopes he would be better) until he recovers, or quite possibly for the rest of his life.

My take is, if he is alive and there's a chance it could take several months for him to recover, then I owe it to my baby to try.
My husband says that he would basically be a feathered ornament in the house and that it isn't fair to him (the bird) to keep him in that state.

I'm not asking anyone to make my decision for me. I will make a decision based on what my vet advises is the best course of action after we discuss all of our options.

I'm curious what you think you would do in a situation like this? Or if you've ever been in this position yourself, i`d love to hear your story. Has anyone else had experience with severe head trauma and a long recovery time?

I had a tramatic brain injury , from working with my Arabian horse. I was in highschool at the time. At first I could only speak as a toddler and couldn't remember my family. My family was told I was basically mind wiped and would have to relearn everything... A week later I "woke up'" as my normal self.
I also worked with a puppy that an abused three year old boy had bashed repeatedly in the head. It was alive, but had no reflexes, no gag reflex even. We had it on a ventilator. We were just basically keeping the puppy alive so the mom and the therapist could work with the little boy to connect his actions with the consequences.... I didn't think the puppy would live even with all our help. I can't remember the exact time line but that puppy started to recover!!! It was brain damaged, but was able to be a "special dog" I Know it took st least a couple of weeks before we saw the first slight improvement....
I'm so sorry this has happened to you and your baby. Just take your time making a decision on what's best for you, abd your baby.

You said he perks up a bit during your visits, this may be the key! You are flock, and part of his life! At the clinic, alone, he has no reference to pull himself back! You and your home may be the key!

I would bring him home, knowing that he might not make it. At least then he is with the people he loves.

Hmmm, first this must be so difficult for you all,

I hope I am not adding to your pain...


this is a difficult subject (for me):

I have always been taught that if an animal cannot live the way it was supposed to live it is not fair to force it to keep struggling.

That is harsh (but also fair), and although I keep looking for " a middle way" I must say that even though I really, really appreciate the efforts (and the love) that f.e. makes people build tiny wheelchairs for their paralized dogs there is also still a huge part of me that is apalled and considers it borderline animal cruelty as well.
The animal (almost) never has a say in it- the chair is mainly there to make the dog-owners feel good/ better about the situation-, and of course any living being has this inbuild drive to stay breathing as long as possible (and some of those dogs perform beautifully and seem happy, but there are also owners that after a year or so decide that "it really did not help anyone at all").


Now we get to the more intuitive side of things:
just like you *know* when a bird chooses you (if you are lucky, there a enough cases of 'arranged marriages' -bought/found/donated birds- that work out beautifully without this moment) and in that same spirit:

I Really Believe there is a moment when your bird (or any other animal) will tell you "it is enough, no more".
Many people who had to euthanise a suffering pet will say the same thing.



(Yup- I had to decide to euthanise my second grey, D. because she has an incureable -but also non-lethal- type of cancer that made her life miserable and almost unbearable because of the pain and itchyness involved. After months trying every available medicine, alternative medicine etc.etc. there was a point where, almost out of the blue there was this "plze stop!".

I am crying while I type this -again- but I had to set her free from that misery-without-end; there was not going to be a cure only alternating pretty bad and worse, with maybe a short breather in between, maybe never. There just was no hope of her ever getting well again.

Of course I can never prove her telling me to end her pain was her wish and not some desperate wishfull thinking from my side --because I always second-guess *everything*-- but for me it was very real.)


Some animals will just soldier on, despite mutilations, old wounds, handicaps etc etc and some will just stop.
I think the only thing we can do is support them in *their* descission.
Thats means letting go when you (as a human) really do not want to, but also help an animal to hang in there if that is his/her wish.

And it is bloody difficult to seperate those wishes!
Especially if there are so many emotions going on.
(praying helps, meditating helps, taking a long shower and sleeping on it helps ... just take your time)


Oke...sorry to be so longwinded about it...


You know your bird- if he wants to hang in there and (even better) there is a chance that he can fight his way back to a birdable-existance and you can really be there for him... be there and help.
If you see your bird trying to say something else: you can also help him to let go.

I know most of us here are all about preservation of life, I am more for "is there quality of life" (the far harder question, because there are no right or wrong ansers to be found ... I think this is one of those situations where prayers start-- but those are also all about listening hard for answers )


So: talk to your bird and listen hard to what he has to say (it's his life...)

I’m so very sorry. I pray he’ll recover from this.

My son suffered a brain injury and acquired CP - Cerebral Palsy. And we brought him home. We will celebrate his 22nd birthday this Wednesday. Even though he has many disabilities, he is the happiest person I know and loves life.

He is my greatest teacher.

I agree with noodles. bring him home, if things go bad he will go being held, warm, and snug, and loved....also there is a difference between a home and a vet.

I am so sorry, and also pray that he recovers.
I do want to say that challenged birds can still have a wonderful quality of life. Different but still wonderful. We have a star gazing canary, and though he spends almost all of his time moving around the bottom of the cage, he still enjoys his life, and sings all the time.

It is obvious how much Loki is loved, and I have no doubt that you will make the decision that is best for him, no matter what that decision will be.
My heart goes out to you, and to Loki.

I am so sorry to know Loki suffered traumatic injury, and applaud you for deeply contemplating his fate.

Have not experienced similar, but agree with the preponderance of advice. He deserves the chance to recover.

ChristaNL said:

I Really Believe there is a moment when your bird (or any other animal) will tell you "it is enough, no more".
Many people who had to euthanise a suffering pet will say the same thing.




You know your bird- if he wants to hang in there and (even better) there is a chance that he can fight his way back to a birdable-existance and you can really be there for him... be there and help.
If you see your bird trying to say something else: you can also help him to let go.



So: talk to your bird and listen hard to what he has to say (it's his life...)

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I agree with this. You know when they still have a zest for life and want to live and you also know when they say that's it, I'm done. You just know it.

My Newfoundland was 16 when I had the vet come to my house to euthanize him which is a long time for that breed of dog. Their life expectancy is only 10. For about a year he was having problems getting up on his back legs. The vet didn't think it wasn't painful for him, but all the muscle deteriorated back there and his legs just wouldn't hold him up anymore. But he still had that get up and go in him. He loved his walks, he didn't care if his legs worked or not. He'd drag himself down the road on his butt if I'd let him. Then one day he just wouldn't get up and looked at me like I don't want to do it anymore. Now I'm crying.

First of all, I'm so sorry that this has happened to your bird and your family...Any way you put it this is not easy, and it hurts...'

I have been the Medical Liaison at an Avian Rescue for many years, and have lots of Avian Medical and Medical education in-general (I went to college and grad-school for Animal Health Science), but most-importantly and what matters to this situation is that I've dealt with many birds/parrots over the years with Traumatic Brain Injuries, both temporary and permanent. So I can give you my two-cents on this and you guys can take it how you want to take it...

***The first thing I want to say is that it's WAY TOO SOON to make a decision about euthanizing your bird!!! A week is no time at all when you're dealing with even a Grade-1 Concussion, let alone a high-grade Concussion or Traumatic Brain Injury. The only time I would EVER suggest that you euthanize a bird in this situation during the first week or even the first month after the injury would be if #1) The bird's body wasn't able to sustain itself or support life, meaning his cardiac and respiratory functions were being kept stable, or #2) If the brain injury was obviously so severe that a high-percentage of tissue was missing/damaged and seen on the radiographs, or it was very obvious that the bird was never even going to wake-up again, control it's bodily functions, etc.

It sounds to me like your bird has a high-grade Concussion and probably some swelling and/or bruising of his brain, both of which are temporary and take time to heal and recover. Acute-swelling of the brain can and usually will cause issues with breathing and heart-rate/cardiac function, and sometimes the swelling/bruising is bad enough that the bird does die within the first day or two of the injury simply due to the swelling stopping their heart or their respiration. But if a patient with a severe, high-grade concussion can get through the acute swelling and bruising and their body is maintaining it's vitals with no issues, then this is a very good sign that the patient is going to make a great recovery...If there are no skull fractures, no bleeding in the brain, no loss of brain tissue, no damage to the frontal-lobe of the brain, etc., and the only trauma to the brain is the actual Concussion itself and the resulting swelling/bruising, and the vitals are being maintained and the patient is reacting to external stimulus, then it's highly-probable that not only will the bird survive, but that they will eventually make a full-recovery...

Your bird is reacting to you, he is aware when you're there, and that's within a week of the injury...Him requiring oxygen is completely normal, as are the breathing issues, etc. It's only been a week and he has a very severe concussion, and his brain is still very swollen and bruised, so it's going to take time for that to happen. But typically they get to the point that you can actually see more and more recovery each and every day...To even talk about euthanizing the bird at this point, after only a week from when the injury occurred, and now that the bird's body is not just sustaining it's vitals but the bird is actually reacting and responding to external stimuli, well, I personally wouldn't even think about it at this point if it was one of my own flock, not at this point...

It's very likely that his recovery will be slow and it will take quite a long time, and that he will require hand-feeding, help getting around, etc., but as the swelling of his brain goes down and the bruising goes away, he will recover more and more each day...I haven't seen his films or tested his reflexes, etc., but if they are as you describe and this is just a very severe Concussion, then it's very possible that your bird can make a full-recovery over time, with your help and patience. And as already stated by many others, even if your bird does retain some permanent disability from the Concussion, that certainly does not mean that he can't also have a wonderful quality of life...He obviously is quite bonded to you and loves you, as he is already reacting to you being there with him. So that's probably the biggest sign that he can make a wonderful and amazing recovery and have a wonderful quality of life, if not make a full-recovery.

He's going to be on anti-inflammatory and pain meds for a while, that's completely normal. He may need to be put on Corticosteroids at some point in the future, and that is completely normal. He may need some oxygen and hand-feeding for q while, also normal...He had a very severe, high-grade Concussion only a week ago, so all of this is completely normal. It however does not mean that he will not make a wonderful and possibly full recovery, or that he can't live a wonderful, fulfilling life even if he has a little trouble with coordination or getting around normally. As long as he's not in any pain right now that cannot be controlled by the medications, then he's fine. As long as he isn't in any long-term pain that cannot be controlled then he's fine. Nothing you've described is at all a reason to even think about euthanizing him...

***What is most-important for you and your husband to realize and keep in-mind is that Brain-Trauma and Concussion Syndromes take longer than any other injuries to heal. And your bird doesn't even have any loss of brain-function, he simply has a very swollen and concussed brain that just sustained the injury a week ago. So it's just going to take time for his brain to heal, and that's what you have to keep reminding yourself of. It's only been a week, and that's no time at all for a severely concussed brain that is very swollen to heal. But he's already given you plenty of signs that he's going to be okay, and more-importantly that he wants to live. So I would absolutely give him the chance...

And as far as bringing him home, at this point as long as his vitals are all stable and being sustained by his body, then I would absolutely bring him home as soon as it's okay with your Avian Vet, because there's nothing that they are doing that you can't do at home, and he is going to recover so much more quickly if he's at home with you. Birds don't handle stress well at all, and one of their biggest stressors is being away from their homes and their flocks. So he's going to be able to concentrate on getting better once he gets home, whereas when he's in the hospital he's concentrating on "where are they?"...So yeah, if it was my bird, as long as his vitals were stable and being sustained without intervention (meaning his respirations and his heartbeat), and as long as his CAV was fine with sending him home on the meds that he needs along with any supportive-care like fluids, oxygen, etc., then I'd absolutely bring him home ASAP so that he can comfortably start his stress-free recovery...

I don’t know if this would help ease your fear/anxiety at all, but...

Before I was born (around 6 months), I was in my mom’s birth canal for two weeks while the doctors waited for my lungs to develop more. As a result I developed moderate spastic quadrilateral cerebral palsy along with a seizure disorder. When I was born the doctors thought that I would never be able to walk, talk, or function normally. Now obviously they were wrong, but it took years of surgeries and therapy (and I’m still not ‘normal’, but who is really).

I guess my point is that while it looks terrible now, you never know what could happen in the future. He might not ever be the exact same as he was before or a ‘normal’ bird, but as long as he’s functioning normally for him (which you’ll find out as time goes on), I’m sure you’ll all be fine.

Good luck from me and the flock!

Yep I’m with everyone else here, if you have the means to care for Loki at home I would advise you do that. Once he is home with his flock he may well surprise you with how much progress he makes in recovery. I lost a green cheek last year to a sudden illness and I can tell you I would have done anything to have had even one more day with him. I’ve also had a budgie who had testicular cancer - we would take him to his CAV every few months for “chemo” and he had a wonderful quality of life for almost 2 years until he let us know that he had had enough. It’s your decision of course and I’m no medical expert but where there’s life there’s hope, and I think Loki sounds like a fighter and if he was mine I’d be bringing him home. Sending my warmest wishes and hugs to you and Loki!

UPDATE:
We spoke with the vet, who agreed, and as i type, Loki is resting comfortably in his modified cage on our coffee table in the living room with us.

The vet and technicians showed us how to administer his anti-inflammatory meds and the proper way to gavage feed him. The provided a gavage tube and syringe as well as the "formula" (for lack of a better word) to feed him.
We will follow up with his avian vet in 3 days time to make sure that he is progressing ok at home.



I am overwhelmed at the response i have received to my post and i want to take a moment to personally thank you all for your kind words.
Laurasea, Flboy, Noodles123, ChristaNL, Tami2, clark_conure, Terry57, Scott, Sandy19, Heedless, MMARC234 and LaManuka your kind words and stories have helped us to know that we arent alone in our experiences. I am thankful for your concerns and your honesty in your advice.



EllenD, my husband and i cried out loud as we read your remarks. We read all this after we got home with Loki and you helped drive home the assurance that we were doing what was best for Loki and i am more confident now that we made the right choice.



All of you are the reason why i turned to THIS forum for help/hope. I have never in my life met a more compassionate group of people that share a common love than i have with everyone here at parrotforums.



I am giving each and every one of you a great big hug of thanks!!!

This is wonderful news! Hugs and hope for Loki’s full recovery. I know you made the best possible decision for your little sweetheart. I bet he’s happy to be home.

Wow, this thread, all by itself, does indeed show off what a wonderful site we have.
What beautiful people.
K4rest, I know it took bravery to share this, but I also know YOU KNEW the people here would respond from the heart.
Thank you for including us in Loki's story.
No matter what, Loki will live and depart this life (whenever that may be) as a loved family member, and a member of our community, too.

I think it's pretty positive that he responds to you. I hope now he has time to heal, that he makes a full recovery. I agree with Ellen the head injuries take time. We are all rooting for you guys!

Wonderful news that Loki is home

I hope you will keep us updated as to how he’s doing now that he’s back among his flock who love him, no doubt he’s already feeling happier just being home.

K4rest said:

UPDATE:
We spoke with the vet, who agreed, and as i type, Loki is resting comfortably in his modified cage on our coffee table in the living room with us.

The vet and technicians showed us how to administer his anti-inflammatory meds and the proper way to gavage feed him. The provided a gavage tube and syringe as well as the "formula" (for lack of a better word) to feed him.
We will follow up with his avian vet in 3 days time to make sure that he is progressing ok at home.



I am overwhelmed at the response i have received to my post and i want to take a moment to personally thank you all for your kind words.
Laurasea, Flboy, Noodles123, ChristaNL, Tami2, clark_conure, Terry57, Scott, Sandy19, Heedless, MMARC234 and LaManuka your kind words and stories have helped us to know that we arent alone in our experiences. I am thankful for your concerns and your honesty in your advice.



EllenD, my husband and i cried out loud as we read your remarks. We read all this after we got home with Loki and you helped drive home the assurance that we were doing what was best for Loki and i am more confident now that we made the right choice.



All of you are the reason why i turned to THIS forum for help/hope. I have never in my life met a more compassionate group of people that share a common love than i have with everyone here at parrotforums.



I am giving each and every one of you a great big hug of thanks!!!

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Thank you for entrusting the membership with Loki's dilemma. Seems you have a skilled avian vet and are prepared to support Loki with love and encouragement. Looking forward to updates as you are able!