I got my kakariki few years ago and for the 6 months he/she has eye problem. I contacted vet 4-5 months ago and he gave me enrofloksacin 100mg/ml. It is not helping even after five 10-day sessions of antibiotics (there was 2 weeks pause between sessions). I put few drops in drinking water. Vet also gave me some medication in syringe without description and instructed me to put 1-2 drop on his neck skin. He is local veterinarian not a bird specialist because i live in small town. He will give me some more instructions when he contacts some people. But my bird's eye i really bad i'll post photos). I need some advice and informations before i take him to my capital city veterinarian but it is few hours trip and i assume it will be stressfull for a bird since it is never in a cage. Please give me any suggestions about this issue and all advices are welcome. Kakariki is really rare in my country so i need all info possible to save my little birb from suffering. Thanks in advance
Kakariki eye problems
- Thread starter Wixoni
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At this point, you want an Animal Eye Specialist. Yes, those Specialists see the full-spectrum of Animals and commonly are on-call for support for all Zoo creatures as well.
HeatherG
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- Apr 25, 2020
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That punctured, affected eye appears basically dead. You need to clear up any infection and keep the eye clean and calm from now on. But right now it looks infected and is probably making the bird pretty sick. This needs to be treated! With oral antibiotics and maybe some topical ones in the eye.
I see your vet gave enrofloxacin. But the infection has either returned or was never cleared. Perhaps he needs a different antibiotic or a topical treatment as well? Sometimes the punctured eye must be removed which is hard to do on a small bird.
I had a bird for 23 years who had a damaged deflated eye like this. She would sometimes rub her eye on dirty things and get an infection. Then I would take her to the vet for antibiotics and maybe pain meds. But it was an ongoing process. She was ok from two yrs to 20 yrs old, but in her old age started to have trouble with the eye.
Will your town vet see your bird again? These eye infections are difficult to clear up.
I see your vet gave enrofloxacin. But the infection has either returned or was never cleared. Perhaps he needs a different antibiotic or a topical treatment as well? Sometimes the punctured eye must be removed which is hard to do on a small bird.
I had a bird for 23 years who had a damaged deflated eye like this. She would sometimes rub her eye on dirty things and get an infection. Then I would take her to the vet for antibiotics and maybe pain meds. But it was an ongoing process. She was ok from two yrs to 20 yrs old, but in her old age started to have trouble with the eye.
Will your town vet see your bird again? These eye infections are difficult to clear up.
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So here is no help for it's eye? I'm not sure how much antibiotic it gets from drinking water. I'm a pharmacist myself and i think this veterinarian is not so experienced with these "exotic" birds. I did a lot of research about this topic. I can't find any avian/animal eye specialist in my whole country (Bosnia and Herzegovina). I might try visiting Veterinarian Faculty in my capital city for help. I contacted my vet friends and one of them suspects cataract and he says it's non-treatable. But noone is actually sure. I also thought about topical treatments or some other infection (virus, fungi) or resistant bactery??? Any help or literature or anything else is welcome.
HeatherG
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- Apr 25, 2020
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To me, that eye looks possibly punctured but quite infected by bacteria (whitish color inside eye) and discharge around the eye. I think the bird needs to have his eye infection treated more aggressively.
I wrote about my bird Lucy because she had a punctured eye that could not be removed. She got antibiotics and medicated eye drops (for a while she had eye ointment). Then Lucy just got eye drops, and I switched the perched in her cage every other day for clean perches. (Because sheād itch her eye on the dirty perch and get an infection.)
Iāve seen parrot cataracts and thatās not what a cataract looks like. That photo to me looks like the whole eye is infected and not functioning (it is probably blind). Was he pecked but another bird, bitten by an animal, or did he fly into a window? It looks like the whole eye is deflated and whitened.
( I am offering this opinion because it seems like maybe you donāt have that many resources where you live. I am not an avian vet but I am a scientist who has studied birds.)
If antibiotics in his drinking water did not help, would you be able to catch this bird and give him medication orally and maybe eye drops? Or, could he stay at the vet and be medicated?
Since you are a pharmacist, do you have access to more specific antibiotics? Could you compound something for your bird, under your vets prescription? I donāt know how that works but I have bought eye drops intended for my bird from the people pharmacy.
I wrote about my bird Lucy because she had a punctured eye that could not be removed. She got antibiotics and medicated eye drops (for a while she had eye ointment). Then Lucy just got eye drops, and I switched the perched in her cage every other day for clean perches. (Because sheād itch her eye on the dirty perch and get an infection.)
Iāve seen parrot cataracts and thatās not what a cataract looks like. That photo to me looks like the whole eye is infected and not functioning (it is probably blind). Was he pecked but another bird, bitten by an animal, or did he fly into a window? It looks like the whole eye is deflated and whitened.
( I am offering this opinion because it seems like maybe you donāt have that many resources where you live. I am not an avian vet but I am a scientist who has studied birds.)
If antibiotics in his drinking water did not help, would you be able to catch this bird and give him medication orally and maybe eye drops? Or, could he stay at the vet and be medicated?
Since you are a pharmacist, do you have access to more specific antibiotics? Could you compound something for your bird, under your vets prescription? I donāt know how that works but I have bought eye drops intended for my bird from the people pharmacy.
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- #7
I started giving tobramicin/dexamethason drops locally and there are already some improvements after 2 days. Vet also said that the eye is 99% lost but we are still hoping. I'm ok with his partial blindness as long as he is not in pain or constant discomfort. I'll post update next week. Thank you for advices <3
