Help my macaw is sick and vets dont know what yo do!!

[Dien]

Hi my name's die and I have a blue and gold macaw that's about a year and a half old and all of a sudden I get back from work yesterday and he starts making these hickup like sounds and his head is all fluffed up and his wings flap alil Everytime he does alilhic up..I though it was normal but then he kept going for about 15 mins non stop and then I decided to take him to the vet keep in mind he didn't stop doing that hicup when I got to the vet we had a x-ray done and check his temperature as well as check his heartbeat and all was good but the vet said he was clearly sick due to the fact he couldn't stand sriaght and kept leaning low he also wount stop that noise after that I took him to three other vets but non know what is wrong with him...he's very unactive and seems very weak.. he barly can climb up on my shoulder when isally he will run up in a matter of 2 seconds the Dr gave him vitamins and antibiotics but has no idea what is wrong with him...please if anyone knows what this is let me know.. thanks in advance .. there are no more vets to see in my area

 

[Kiwibird]

Where are you located? Just a thought some people don't have- are there any vets in your area who treat livestock that you didn't bring him to? Oftentimes vets who treat poultry birds can be more helpful with exotic birds than a regular "dog and cat" vet as they have a good understanding of avian diseases and physiology.

The first thing you need to do is get him into a "sick bird setup". A box or crate or small cage lined in soft towels with either no perches or one low to the ground perch in case he falls. Setup a heat lamp above the cage. Sick birds MUST be kept warm! Antibiotics can take some time to kick in, so please give him the antibiotics prescribed by the vet as prescribed and give them time to work. It may be until tomorrow or even the next day before improvements are seen. In the meantime, keep your bird hydrated and if he is not eating on his own, you will probably want to get some formula for feeding baby parrots and offer liquid nutrition to keep his strength up. If he will eat on his own, offer moisture rich fruits like apples, grapes etc... or really whatever you can get him to eat. I hope he pulls through and makes a full recovery!

 

[wrench13]

Spot on advice. I hope your Mac gets better!

 

[Dien]

Thanks for the advice. Yea he has no problem eating I already started the antibiotics and I'm giving his some vitamins so I guess ill see what happens..I've already been to three vets I'm going to do a follow up today and see what happens i don't know if I'm going to put a heat lamp because the environment I'm in is already pretty hot and I'm not turning on the account in his room it's about 38 celcieus so I don't to over do it and cause dehydration.

I really appreciate all the adivce and good wishes people!

 

[Kentuckienne]

He does sound sick. There is a website for the Association for Avian Veterinarians that will give a list of avian vets near you. It’s at Association of Avian Veterinarians and even if you don’t have a vet near by, there might be one who could speak to you online or via Skype and advise the local vet. Birds aren’t like other animals and it’s important to have a certified avian vet for anything serious.

Here is a good link from an online Q&A site that has excellent advice.
https://www.justanswer.com/bird-vet/86607-parrot-started-hiccups-cough-last-night.html

 

[DiscoDuck]

update please

 

[EllenD]

I was also hoping for an update...This is sad, because it's obvious that none of the vets you saw were Avian vets, and giving your bird "vitamins and antibiotics" is simply them not knowing what to do...It's been quite a while since you posted, I hope that isn't because something happened to your bird...

That being said, an x-ray is NO SUBSTITUTE in this situation for a full blood work panel, a Fecal Culture, and an Upper Respiratory Culture from his nares/nostrils and his crop/crop flushing to test for ALL Bacteria and Fungal infections...There's no way to know what Antibiotic to give him if they didn't diagnose what is causing the issue, even if it is a Bacterial infection the antibiotic may very well not work against the specific bacteria he has, and if he has a fungal infection then not only will the antibiotic not help, IT WILL PROBABLY MAKE THE FUNGAL INFECTION WORSE...He could also have a serious issue that isn't at all related to ANY infection, like a liver or kidney issue, or more than likely a Gastrointestinal issue that only Fecal Cultures, a Crop culture, and blood work will diagnose...

Please let us know how he's doing...

 

[Mdjandt]

I agree. There’s more than just X-rays and medications have to be carefully prescribed. Is there an avian vet you can take him to? Poor guy. I hope he starts to get better.