Help with a loss

[hash]

My Quaker of 15 years die suddenly and it was not pretty ( mutilated his leg and bleed out) 2 days ago. Luckily we got to him to render some aid, clean him up, and fortunately get our oldest to him (in for Thanksgiving) so he could die in her hands. Oh real sad.

Shock, saddness, and guilt are just a few of the emotions we are feeling.

My first question: is the mutilation common in older birds?

I have read about QMS (Quaker Mutilation Syndrome) and it seems like a chronic problem. Our guy might have done this in the past 2 years ( we thought it could have been the dog, now realize it was him) 2 other times. But never got even close to feather plucking during his 15 years. Real healthy little bugger. Went straight to the skin ripping and bleeding. This time it was bad and we caught it to late to save.

Last question: can you share the last few days of your Quakers lives?

Our guy had a real full life. We were surprised to learn the average lifespan is closer to 15 years not the 25-30 we heard when purchased. If we would have known this we may have been more alert to this real uncharacteristic behavior(QMS) and not left him alone for 4 hours.

The loss is tough for us, we really miss his fiesty and some times cranky, but loveable personality.

My only advice to owners with younger birds is as they age and get close the the average lifespan, note any strange change in behavior and be more vigilant. Do more spot checks on health status. Our fault was to assume he would live to 25 (10 more years at least) and thought his new needy, clingy demanding nature was a temporary play for more attention.
Could have been a call for help.
Not sure it would have changed the outcome, he could have been on his way out anyway, but we could have made the passing more graceful.

Thanks

 

[Terry57]

I am so sorry for your loss I am not familiar with quakers, so hopefully someone who is can answer your questions.

 

[GaryBV]

Self-mutilation is such a difficult thing whether it's a bird or a person, and it can be just simply impossible to understand. When I got my male parrotlet he had badly plucked himself for several years, but I'm happy to say he is now fully feathered. I also know someone who is a 'cutter,' who cuts herself when stressed. I just wanted to say to you, hash, that I'm very sorry for the loss of your bird, and in such a seemingly senseless way. The shock and sadness are certainly understandable, but guilt is another thing entirely - don't be so hard on yourself, you gave that bird a wonderful life.

 

[BillsBirds]

Very sorry for your loss. I often say that God needed another Angel, for some reason, He chose yours.

 

[Nathan1]

My Quaker of 15 years die suddenly and it was not pretty ( mutilated his leg and bleed out) 2 days ago. Luckily we got to him to render some aid, clean him up, and fortunately get our oldest to him (in for Thanksgiving) so he could die in her hands. Oh real sad.

Shock, saddness, and guilt are just a few of the emotions we are feeling.

My first question: is the mutilation common in older birds?

I have read about QMS (Quaker Mutilation Syndrome) and it seems like a chronic problem. Our guy might have done this in the past 2 years ( we thought it could have been the dog, now realize it was him) 2 other times. But never got even close to feather plucking during his 15 years. Real healthy little bugger. Went straight to the skin ripping and bleeding. This time it was bad and we caught it to late to save.

Last question: can you share the last few days of your Quakers lives?

Our guy had a real full life. We were surprised to learn the average lifespan is closer to 15 years not the 25-30 we heard when purchased. If we would have known this we may have been more alert to this real uncharacteristic behavior(QMS) and not left him alone for 4 hours.

The loss is tough for us, we really miss his fiesty and some times cranky, but loveable personality.

My only advice to owners with younger birds is as they age and get close the the average lifespan, note any strange change in behavior and be more vigilant. Do more spot checks on health status. Our fault was to assume he would live to 25 (10 more years at least) and thought his new needy, clingy demanding nature was a temporary play for more attention.
Could have been a call for help.
Not sure it would have changed the outcome, he could have been on his way out anyway, but we could have made the passing more graceful.

Thanks

I don't think it's wise to dwell on why your bird plucked like that. You'll only think of ways of how you could have prevented it, thus blaming yourself for the incident. If only I went to the vet more often...If only I did this...You didn't know this would happen, you didn't intentionally harm your bird therefore it was not your fault. Every living thing eventually dies, there's nothing you can do to prevent that. Time can be seen from different perspectives, an older person often says that time "flies by" where as a child will say it takes forever to grow up. The older you are the shorter you view a period of time, 15 years to your bird would seem like the same duration of time as it would if it lived to 40. So, what's important is the quality of life, not the quantity. The death of a pet can be hard to take, especially a long lived one such as a parrot. But if they were loved and cared for then they've lived a fulfilling life.

I've only had my Quaker about 8 months, he's 6-7 years old and when I got him he'd step up and wouldn't tolerate touch at all. Now I've got him to lay on his back in my hand, hang up-side-down and he's heading into recall training. He is doing very well however like yours he can have a rather feisty attitude. He hates it when someone takes him away from a cord or something else he wants to chew on. He also continuously picks at moles, zits and anything he can find on you which I have to get him out of.

 

[hash]

Re: Help with a loss, thanks

I appreciate all the nice words and thoughts in regards to our loss.

I still can't beleive he is gone after being a part of the family for 15 years.

The only advice I can gleen from this sad event is, not all quakers can make it to 25. The average is 12 to 15. With that knowledge, watch for unusual changes in behavor in an older bird. Could indicate a medical problem, you may get a chance to correct it.

Otherwise, give cut them some slack, they can be challenging little buggers. And you will miss all that drama when they are gone. I do now.

Thanks again guys, you helped more than you know

 

[antoinette]

So sorry for your loss

 

[Tuukee]

i'm soooo sorry to hear about you loss. Tuukee is my first bird, and i was also told he'd live to 25-30. hes only a yr and a few months old but, i cant imagine losing him. i have lost other fur babies before, and it was terrible. i feel for you and my best wishes and prayers are with you.
i actually held one of my kittens as he died at 16wks old. and i thought i'd lose my mind. but i did heal, and remembering the cuteness that he was and the faces he mad, was what helped keep me goin.
i really hope your family finds peace.
luv yall ~ Tuukee

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Dear Hash,
So sorry for your loss. 15 years together, wow. That's amazing. Take pride and joy in giving him a good life for so long. He's flying free in the abundant other side.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm very sorry to hear the passing of your beloved Quaker. Mine passed away in my arms at the age of 7, he was mauled by a dog we just took in a day prior. He's a escape artist, I was cleaning cages and on my way towards his cage when he decided to leap towards me and the dog took off and got ahold of him so quick and we had to pry the dog's mouth open to get him out. Cracker died in my arms minutes later and the image hit me of the day I brought him home as a baby and hand fed him myself. How he told me Hello at 5 weeks old when I'm still hand feeding him. I about cried my eyes out holding him. He's a very special Quaker to me and none will ever replace him in my heart. He would of been 13 years old now if he was still with us. They'll always be watching over us no matter what.