A (hopefully short) hiatus

[Skarila]

I've been very inactive lately here, sorry all!! I swear we are all fine.

Just to update you all that in last few months Pascal the little rascal is an absolute bundle of joy. Very playful, very inquisitive and snuggly. Almost a year passed since I got him (one month left till his first gotcha day!), and I must say he is a different bird. Almost. But equally spunky as from day one. However, I must keep an eye on his new feathers since I have found one pure yellow feather which is odd. I am lowkey freaking out as I know very well what it might mean. Luckily that is one and only yellow feather on him (Like, bright yellow with a red line and white down instead of grey..). I hope it is just a mutated feather and not a sign on liver disease. He is already on low fat diet since I got him so I'd be baffled if he did have it. Also he's getting his milk thistle seeds daily which is a great staple for liver health.
Next month I will bring him to the vet for his general checkup. His weight is superb, keeping up with his diverse diet and he is VERY active. Also flying a lot, getting much better flying around the flat.

Many of you might be aware of the state in Eastern Europe, in Ukraine. I am watching the news closely and praying that this ends very quickly. Unlikely any rescue birds will come from there to Hungary, if it does, I'll see with my partner if we can help out and perhaps foster or help out anyhow. Donating clothes and food to the people who arrive comes without a question.
These events are so stressful, I try to focus more on my birds and simply spend a lot of time with them, hence I am not much on this site. I will be taking a short break from the internet (aside of the news) to also focus on my own well being. I promise you guys all is and will be well here...!

Take care, everyone!

 

[LaManuka]

Skarila, you and all our members on the European continent are very much in my thoughts in these very difficult times, I cannot imagine how stressful all of this must be for you. God bless you for doing what you can to help, and please know that we will all be here for you for whatever and whenever you need. I will be praying for you and for precious little Pascal too. Love you, Skar, and I will be holding you very close in my heart always

 

[saxguy64]

Skar, thank you for the update. Glad to hear all is well with you, and completely understand the need to take care of yourself before worrying about anything the internet brings. Sending hugs and prayers for you, and looking forward to seeing you back when you can.

 

[Laurasea]

Take care
We will be waiting for you
O wish the world could turn its focus on healing

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Thanks for the update. So happy to hear that everything is ok with you. Take care, hugs

 

[StormyPica]

I wish this wasn't happening. Just know most of the sane Americans are praying for Ukraine, and many Russians don't like whats happening. I'm glad you're safe, and I hope all goes well

 

[Ria.345]

We are all so glad that you and your fids are doing great!
Keep up the diverse diet, take advantage of avian vets advice if you get the chance, and monitor your bird whenever possible.
And yes. Scary times in Ukraine right now and we are all just praying that they will make it through this and that the war will finally come to a hault. It's very unfortunate what is happening in the world these days.
In these times, we must fight through by making others aware of the situation and what they can do on their part as well as just pray and provide hope for those in this havoc.
But it's really crucial to be able to take care of ourselves too in the midst of all that is happening. Whether that be looking after our physical health or mental health since this war is really taking a toll on a lot of of us and our well being.
So everyone please just stay educated and stay well! After all, it's great that we have our birdies to help us through these difficult times!

 

[Ria.345]

And I'm so glad you're okay love!

 

[Cottonoid]

I want to thank you for encouraging me to think very hard about the challenges of an untame, plucking bird as a first parrot. Your perspective is valued and I appreciate that you took the time to share with me.

I'm glad you are taking care of yourself in addition to your family Stay safe.

 

[Terry57]

Skar, I can't imagine how you are feeling, as well as everyone in Europe. My prayers go out to you, and to the people of Ukraine. Their spirit, and the countries willing to help the displaced people and animals are so inspiring.

Take care of yourself first, we will be here waiting with open arms when you return.
Would you please give Pascal & the rest of your flock a scritch from us here at PF everyday?
That way we are by your side, if only for a few minutes.

 

[Skarila]

Thank you all for your support and kind words.

It seems things only seem to get worse and worse by the day, I seemingly cannot stop receiving bad news.

Aside of this bloody war in Ukraine raging and the general stress coming from that (while we are safe in Hungary, we still fear for the worst..), also I heard that our foster dog passed away. She was kind of with us since she was a tiny little bean pup, from 10 years ago.... born at end of December, when there was heavy snow at the weekend house. My family took care of the litter as best they could. She was the smallest, yet biggest fighter out of other 8 pups. She stayed there at the weekend house, as a stray dog, but she was always with us whenever we were there. every weekend my parents would go to leave a heap of food for her. Other dogs were either adopted to new homes, few of them died at very young age due to hunters.

But she, she was always the one who sticked to our house. such a kind soul.

From few years back we used to foster her at our flat during winters since my parents couldn't go every weekend to go feed only her. So it was easier this way. This Christmas I have seen her again during my visit home, the big fluffy timid dog who is so full of love. That Christmas was already hard for me as I have already lost my other dog who was truly mine. I have felt something was wrong as she was more timid than before and very lethargic, and barely eating. Vets did not find anything out of the ordinary. Old age, they presumed.

My brother told me last week that the dog is very ill and refuses to eat and drink for 3 days.. Nothing was visible on xray scans and blood seemed ok, aside of incredible amount of white blood cells. She was scheduled the next day for an operation since she was extremely bloated. Turns out, a piece of kabob stick pierced her stomach. The whole stomach necrosed. Died off. Since my family doesn't use kabob sticks, very possible she gobbled the thing up way before my family picked her up from the weekend house this winter. All in all, there was no hope for her, so she was put to sleep.

I had her close to my heart, that little sheepish dog. Big yet gentle. Never bit anyone. Sadly she was an outside dog and she was always misbehaving in the flat. But winters are bad, and we just wanted to take care of her. So now, officially, my family has lost absolutely all furry friends. I still have Pascal and Csilli, but still having very fresh wounds, it is so hard....

Also the news of Jim's passing. that was litteraly the next day from when our foster dog passed away. I am so heartbroken. At loss of words. David, if you are reading this, my heart goes to you. You might not know me at all, but I did follow the story and I am so sorry for everything that is happened. I wish you a speedy recovery as well, as well I hope your heart heals soon from this sorrow. I never met Jim, but from what I could ever read here on forum, he seemed such a sweetheart. I hope Beebs and Amy stay safe and well cared...

It's just so hard these days. Hard to find true joy and hard to ignore anything that is happening around me.