Cockatiel smells like Lysol?

[Skiatha]

Good news (maybe)? I got ahold of the vet over the phone today and she said that from the files I sent her and her observations during the first exam she believes it's not psittacosis, but she recommends we do a test just in case to rule that out as a possibility for sure. Will let you guys know what happens on Friday!

 

[wrench13]

Hope for the best for your 'tiel.

 

[Laurasea]

If you are getting blood work, you might check vitamin A levels....
I don't know how old you bird is? Or how long you have had it? Or what yi are feeding or I guess a better question with our picky fids is what are they eating?
Often times respiratory infection are linked with low vitamin A
Regardless it's fantastic you are getting inwith an avian vet quickly, as they are your best resource. Hopefully your baby gets feeling better quickly! And hope you stick around our community,!

 

[Skiatha]

If you are getting blood work, you might check vitamin A levels....
I don't know how old you bird is? Or how long you have had it? Or what yi are feeding or I guess a better question with our picky fids is what are they eating?
Often times respiratory infection are linked with low vitamin A
Regardless it's fantastic you are getting inwith an avian vet quickly, as they are your best resource. Hopefully your baby gets feeling better quickly! And hope you stick around our community,!

The vet did a CBC blood test today, will be getting the results within the next few days. They also checked her heart and lungs and everything sounded normal, so she said that a respiratory infection was unlikely. She also prescribed Enrofloxacin oral antibiotic to treat potential sinusitis/psittacosis until the blood results came back, as she noted that my tiel's nose was a bit more inflamed.

Also Jay is 7 years old! I've had her for the past 6 years and she eats seeds with pellets in them--I've seen her eat both. And thank you!!

 

[Laurasea]

Hi, baytril or enrofloxcin is not used to treat psittacosis. Doxycycline is used.
CBC is a complete blood count, it's a great tool, but is not a test for diseases, you would need a culture, or spevific serology to test for psittacosis or other diseases.
A culture would be very important to determine what type of bacteria or yeast or fungus is causing the Infection. Other tests would be needed if virus are being tested for.
Was a culture done? Was a specific tests sent out for?
I'm sure a vet doesn't want to hear some chic on the internet is diagnosing your bird. And I am not. Only a avain vet who actually sees your bird and runs tests can do that. I'm just advising you, and giving you Info.
And the previous advice on sunshine, probiotics and cleaning the cage extra well will help a d is good practice anyway. I'm attaching another link
I do hope cultures were done, since this infection has persistent, and that a real psittacosis test was done.
https://www.thesprucepets.com/parrot-fever-psittacosis-symptoms-treatment-4148338
I hope also you will offer leafy greens, broccoli, veggies like cooked sweet potato, and offer peppers these will provide vitamin A, and most parrots are willing to nibble on them, sometimes even the first time you offer.

 

[Skiatha]

Hi, baytril or enrofloxcin is not used to treat psittacosis. Doxycycline is used.
CBC is a complete blood count, it's a great tool, but is not a test for diseases, you would need a culture, or spevific serology to test for psittacosis or other diseases.
A culture would be very important to determine what type of bacteria or yeast or fungus is causing the Infection. Other tests would be needed if virus are being tested for.
Was a culture done? Was a specific tests sent out for?
I'm sure a vet doesn't want to hear some chic on the internet is diagnosing your bird. And I am not. Only a avain vet who actually sees your bird and runs tests can do that. I'm just advising you, and giving you Info.
And the previous advice on sunshine, probiotics and cleaning the cage extra well will help a d is good practice anyway. I'm attaching another link
I do hope cultures were done, since this infection has persistent, and that a real psittacosis test was done.
https://www.thesprucepets.com/parrot-fever-psittacosis-symptoms-treatment-4148338
I hope also you will offer leafy greens, broccoli, veggies like cooked sweet potato, and offer peppers these will provide vitamin A, and most parrots are willing to nibble on them, sometimes even the first time you offer.

Haha no it’s ok I get it! I did a quick search myself and Enrofloxacin is mainly used to treat sinusitis, which is what the vet believes is the primary problem. However it also shows some (but you’re right, not complete) effectiveness against psitticosis. I opted to just get a CBC done to first see if there is actually an infection present, then proceed with the culture if so. Unfortunately I can’t afford everything at once. I’ve been getting her what you recommended as well, have been feeding her bell peppers and broccoli!

 

[Laurasea]

Ok that's great! I just didn't want you fed a bunch of balarky! But working with your vet and making informed choice is what it's all about. It's a real life fact that budget is always a concern.
Was your bird on baytril before when you first started treating this? Baytril is a shotgun antibiotic it cover a broad range of bacteria. But it can be very hard on your birds body, especially a prolonged treatment. Doxycycline is a great antibiotic and is better tolerated by the body, especially longer treatment times.
Please keep up the probiotics !
I learned from other members here the importance of probiotics in birds. Infact they cured my bird of her yeast infection, and improved the "looks" of all my birds poop.
I hope your bird makes a full recovery, asap!
Does she like the veggies?

 

[Skiatha]

Ok that's great! I just didn't want you fed a bunch of balarky! But working with your vet and making informed choice is what it's all about. It's a real life fact that budget is always a concern.
Was your bird on baytril before when you first started treating this? Baytril is a shotgun antibiotic it cover a broad range of bacteria. But it can be very hard on your birds body, especially a prolonged treatment. Doxycycline is a great antibiotic and is better tolerated by the body, especially longer treatment times.
Please keep up the probiotics !
I learned from other members here the importance of probiotics in birds. Infact they cured my bird of her yeast infection, and improved the "looks" of all my birds poop.
I hope your bird makes a full recovery, asap!
Does she like the veggies?

Her results came back today and her white blood cell count is normal! The vet says that that rules out the possibility of systemic infection like psittacosis and more likely it is a local infection like sinusitis. She was on ofloxacin eye drops for the week before baytril, but I think they’re in the same class of antibiotics? She’ll only be on them for another six days or so!

And haha, she’s scared of big pieces of broccoli so I have to tear off little pieces for her to eat.

 

[noodles123]

Glas to hear things are looking up!

IF it is something like a long-standing aspergillosis issue, white-count can be normal (HIGH during initial infection and then normal after the body adjusts to the "infection"). That having been said, how old did you say she was?
Aspergillosis is really hard to treat even if that is what she has, and it is hard to test for as well (it's just like a guessing game and the mold is everywhere in the environment, so it comes down to an immune system issue in the end).

 

[Skiatha]

Another update: It happened again, same symptoms. I think I see the pattern now as these “episodes” are occurring around every Tuesday. I spoke to another vet and they believe she is being poisoned by something coming from outside the apartment through the windows, such as cleaners coming every week or something being sprayed. I’ve contacted my apartment manager to figure out what the schedule for that is, and if it fits then this is the likely cause—not infection, because in the vet’s words: “the hisory of consistent bad day followed by normalcy pretty much rules that out. Infections don't act like that.”

I will be making sure the windows and doors are completely closed on Mondays and Tuesdays just in case, and if it’s actually poisoning I’ll likely be taking her back to my old home where she is safer. I’m also seeing my main vet again on Friday to discuss the possibility with her. Thanks for everyone’s help!

 

[noodles123]

Do you have a window jam? It's like a plastic or wooden removable bar that prevents windows from sliding. There are also vertical ones of the pull-up styles.
Is there any chance that a leak in a vent or floor could be allowing liquids into her cage (from cleaning upstairs)?
If the windows are open and screenless, is it possible that someone is throwing wash-water out from another building and splashing it into yours?


Can you get your locks changed?

Oh- SET UP A CAMERA---
you can even use your own laptop. Then live-stream it to youtube and email yourself the "share" link ahead of time (you can set it to unlisted so that only those with the link can watch it). Then, you can use your phone to check on your bird all of the time as long as the stream stays active. If no camera is possible, could you somehow call in sick on Tuesday (move your car- if you have one) and hide out nearby around the time the cleaners would be coming (to see if anyone is messing with your window). Is the front door visible from the outside as well? If not, then you may not be able to rule out the window and door without a camera. You could put some hidden tape at the bottom-side of the door and see if the seal is broken when you come home.

Document all of this-- dates, bills, what your vet said etc...This is criminal if it is deliberate and that person, your apartment and/or both are responsible at this point (if it is a human's fault).

 

[Scott]

Another update: It happened again, same symptoms. I think I see the pattern now as these “episodes” are occurring around every Tuesday. I spoke to another vet and they believe she is being poisoned by something coming from outside the apartment through the windows, such as cleaners coming every week or something being sprayed. I’ve contacted my apartment manager to figure out what the schedule for that is, and if it fits then this is the likely cause—not infection, because in the vet’s words: “the hisory of consistent bad day followed by normalcy pretty much rules that out. Infections don't act like that.”

I will be making sure the windows and doors are completely closed on Mondays and Tuesdays just in case, and if it’s actually poisoning I’ll likely be taking her back to my old home where she is safer. I’m also seeing my main vet again on Friday to discuss the possibility with her. Thanks for everyone’s help!

Any city or municipality "vector control" sprays for rodents, mosquitos, insect control, etc?

 

[Laurasea]

How terrible!!!!!! Take the bird home to your house for sure!!
People can indeed be terrible, thankfully it's usually balanced by the wonderful people....
It must be terrifying to go through this... And you are working do hard to save your bird.

 

[Skiatha]

It is likely some kind of city maintenance or even maybe the trash collection, as the dates do line up, so I think it's unlikely someone is entering our gated and 2nd story (highest floor in the complex) unit to purposefully hurt my bird. I talked to the housing manager today and he said he didn't know of any maintenance being done by themselves on a weekly basis, so it must be either the neighbors or the city. This apartment unit I'm in faces directly over a busy intersection so it could be anything that's getting in through the windows.

Unfortunately I can't bring her home this weekend, but I'll be keeping the doors and windows closed for the time being until I can make it back to my parent's next weekend!

 

[Skiatha]

Final update: (sensitive content warning)

It happened so fast and so suddenly, I’m still struggling to process it. On Friday evening at around 6 PM, I was out heading to a weekend retreat for a club when my roommates called me and told me that there was something wrong with Jay. Over the FaceTime video, I could see she was convulsing at the bottom of her cage, completely unresponsive. Her face and perch were soaked, and it looked like there was some blood as well. It was the single worst moment of my life as they had no idea what to do and were too scared to even get near her, and I could only watch. I called the emergency vets but none could send a mobile dispatch. I called other friends but none of them knew what to do. I called my parents but they were out of state on a trip. I was literally on a boat, going to an island, and felt completely, utterly helpless the entire time.

Twenty minutes later, she stopped moving and passed away.

I just got back home and they had left her body outside on the patio, still in her cage, for two days. I had told them to freeze it for when I got back but none were willing to even touch it, nor put it in the freezer.

So I will be bringing her back home tonight and burying her with my family. I’m sorry that I could not do better and I wish I knew what happened. I thought I saw the pattern but this happened so fast, so abruptly, so horribly, and I cannot understand how, and why. I will likely be terminating my lease at the apartment and finding elsewhere because this has all been too much to bear and I cannot look my roommates in the eye anymore.

Thank you for all your support this past month. Jay was a good bird and she is flying free now.

 

[saxguy64]

I'm so sorry for your loss! Your poor baby. I've been watching this story from the beginning. It sounded like you might have had it figured out, then this. It's so sad. Just know for yourself that you tried your best. I'm at a loss for words.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[noodles123]

Your room-mates do not sound like nice people.I wonder if they were involved...Maybe that's wrong of me, but what the heck...

So sorry I wish I could help.

 

[Laurasea]

I'm so sorry, this is so terrible. My tears are falling with yours. Your poor poor birdie.
I have never heard of a disease smelling like Lysol. And you mentioned her head was wet the first time, and the last time... We have heard of spouses harming parrots here before, so I can't help but suspect the roommates...........I don't understand why they couldn't take her to the vet for you...though at that point I don't think anything could have been done to save her..
I agree with your instincts to move out, why take chances......
I know it had to be do hard not to be there. But you did everything you could!! You took her to the vet, you crowd sourced with us, you researched...
This is just so aweful and sad. Hugs to you

 

[LaManuka]

It’s unthinkable that this could have been deliberate? I’m a firm believer in “what goes around comes around” so if it was, be in no doubt there will be consequences for whoever has done such an unspeakable thing to an innocent creature.

Jay is flying high now and free from torment, but my heart is breaking for you both.

 

[wrench13]

Hard, hard news to process, for you most of all. We , all of us, are most emphatically feeling your loss and sorrow. And outrage, should this have been a preventable death.

I made a donation in Jay's name to Cornell University's Vet progrram, with the instruction that it be used exclusivley for parrot related studies. Jay will be remembered, take comfort in that..