Blue and Gold May Be Put Down at Only 5 Years Old. Please Read.

[c3honey84]

Henpecked, thank you so much for the photos. I do believe my MIL's macaw had them further back in the trachea. They were not visible to us at all. However, when my MIL asked to see them after they were removed, they looked exactly like that.

I advised her today to get a second opinion and I believe she will be calling to schedule an appt right after the holiday. However, I know she does trust this vet. I mean, it's hard to not trust him after he performed two invasive surgeries on her macaw and the macaw is still alive.

KiwiBird, I completely understand what you are saying. However, it is not the vet who is suggesting that the bird be put down. He just told my MIL that they may need to perform this surgery every few weeks in order to constantly be removing the mold spores that are growing in the air sacs. My MIL is the one who is afraid she will have to put him down because each surgery is well over $1000 and she cannot afford to be doing it every other week. We are hoping that the large amount of antifungal medication that he is now on will kill off most of the spores. We won't know until thursday if the medicine is doing its job.

 

[henpecked]

I hope the meds work. In our case we stopped the meds and treated the Vit A . This was the only action that stopped a steady weight loss. We are on a weekly schedule of plaque removal, To keep her throat clear and the infection has not yet blocked her trachea. The future is dim but we are working with 3 different AVs and she has survived longer than any had hoped with a good quality of life. A unbelievable bird who surprises us many days with her happy , cheerful talking and singing. I know where you are coming from when talking about the vet bills, it's something we deal with day by day. Most of the AVs we deal with have been very understanding and are working with us. Hope you find one as great as ours.

 

[Turquoise]

Oh I do hope your MIL's B&G recovers from this ordeal. It sure makes my want to go open all my birds mouths & take a look to make sure I don't see anything bad growing in there.

I do hope ya'll get a good report as he continues to get treated with the meds. I am limited to one avian vet in my area & I have already had a bad experience with her when I had to take my macaw with leg deformities in for a cracked tip on his beak. They didn't listen to me when I told them he had birth defects & thought I had beaten him so much that he couldn't stand on the scales for a weight check. I had to leave him overnight due to not being able to take off from work. His one wing which has the same birth defect made them think it was broken & accused me of not caring over the phone. When I asked them if they had x-rayed his wing, the answer was no. But they were ready to send him to Texas A&M for treatment! I finally got through their thick skulls when I literally screamed at the tech over the phone that he was Handicapped & will never be able to stand and that his wing has been deformed since birth & I had video from the breeder I could prove it to them.! She then mellowed & said he was doing fine. So just because a vet claims to be an avian vet. that doesn't mean she uses common sense when treating our feathered kids.

 

[goalerjones]

Make sure any vet you go to is a board certified Avian vet.

 

[MonicaMc]

It's been a few days now... any updates?

 

[wenz2712]

I am so sorry to hear about this but at the same time want to thank Henpecked for all the valuable info and assistance he's providing to the OP. It's cooperation like this that makes the forum valuable to all!

I am also very sorry to hear this and I hope there is something that can be done.

I totally agree with MGC... Richard you are what the forum is all about What would we all do without you? I think I speak for all Members here! Thankyou

 

[JerseyWendy]

I totally agree with MGC... Richard you are what the forum is all about What would we all do without you? I think I speak for all Members here! Thankyou

Yes, 100% the truth! Richard is AWESOME, even though he calls me a "Yankee", LOL. (<--I know it's a joke)

 

[henpecked]

Any updates ?

 

[henpecked]

You Ladies are too kind. Just trying to help a birdie out.

 

[c3honey84]

Any updates ?

Ok, so he seems to be doing a lot better. The vet took blood on Thursday and we just got the results last night. His white blood cell count was originally WAY high at 130. Now it has decreased to 75. This is still a pretty high number, since it should only be between 10 and 20. However, this is a great sign and it means that the medicine is working to kill the spores. They will be taking blood again next Thursday to see if the white cell count decreases even more. I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[goalerjones]

Good news, but remember, fungus and mold take a long time to be rid of so be patient.

 

[henpecked]

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear the meds are working.

 

[MonicaMc]

Sounds promising so far! Hope to hear of future great updates!

 

[c3honey84]

I went to visit my MIL today and I checked in on her B&G. Even though his white blood cell count is down, I think he looks awful. His keel bone is incredibly prominent, and he was making a gurgling congested sound when he breathed. The vet gave them some type of soft oatmeal mix for him to eat because he had lost so much weight, and he IS eating it, so that's good. He hasn't touched his regular food and can't break nuts open anymore...we think that the painkillers he is on are making him kinda out of it.

 

[henpecked]

Have you called the other vet and asked about seeing this bird. Explain your situation and see what they say. I wish you could get a copy of his medical history. I'd love to help but only have a couple of days before i have to leave to the Philippine Islands for a month.

 

[PetoftheDay]

I went to visit my MIL today and I checked in on her B&G. Even though his white blood cell count is down, I think he looks awful. His keel bone is incredibly prominent, and he was making a gurgling congested sound when he breathed. The vet gave them some type of soft oatmeal mix for him to eat because he had lost so much weight, and he IS eating it, so that's good. He hasn't touched his regular food and can't break nuts open anymore...we think that the painkillers he is on are making him kinda out of it.

Is it possible to add an appetite enhancer to his meds? That might help, but at least he is eating again!

 

[c3honey84]

Have you called the other vet and asked about seeing this bird. Explain your situation and see what they say. I wish you could get a copy of his medical history. I'd love to help but only have a couple of days before i have to leave to the Philippine Islands for a month.

I told my MIL to call another vet, and I even gave her his number, but she does not want to stress the B&G out and take him to another vet for more testing. Plus, since his white blood cell count, she thinks the current vet is doing the right thing. I'll let you guys know how his check up goes on Thursday

 

[c3honey84]

I regret to inform you all that the B&G did not make it. When he was taken for his weekly check up on Thursday, the vet put the scope down his throat to check out his air sacs and his heart gave out. I had a feeling this would happen, considering how bad I thought he looked on Monday. Of course my MIL is devastated...especially since the white blood cell count went down. :*( Thank you all for your advice and support.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm at loss for words. SO very sorry....

 

[SandyBee]

Condolences, very sorry for your loss