My Ekkie got into my dogs food

[Caitie]

I need advice.. My ekkie flew over to a small cup on my counter when I left the kitchen for a sec this afternoon to let my little blind dog out. My ekkie pulled out pieces of wet freeze dried raw food I feed my dog and had soaking in water to soften.
I don't know what to do. It's Stella and Chewy freeze dried bits. Ugh I know they suggest washing hands if we touch it. But now I'm worried my ekkie will get sick from any bacteria. He Had about 7 pieces pulled out.

 

[Uglow]

So I would definitely contact your avian vet first and see what they say.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Yes, call the vet. Or a few vets. Try to figure out how much your bird actually ate vs. how much they got out of the cup. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[Flboy]

Dog food in general is not an issue. From what I am reading on their site, the food is not an issue! As long as you didn’t have it soaking in a horribly filthy dish, imho, you are fine.

 

[clark_conure]

I agree with Flyboy, I might post on here and ask, but I wouldn't run to a CAV immediately. Not unless he/she changes his disposition. I see that it's raw...but that doesn't mean it's contaminated, esp. freeze dried.

 

[LordTriggs]

I wouldn't be worried right now. I'd give the vet a phone call and ask for their advice, being that there's been no change they'll probably say he's fine. He's probably passed the meat now anyway. Couldn't have been that nice tasting so I wouldn't expect him to try it again

Just remember in the wild they do eat meat in the form of insects

 

[Scott]

My guess is he didn't ingest much of the food. Did you notice any abnormal droppings after the event?

 

[LordTriggs]

any abnormal droppings after the event?

Tiny little meaty smelling poo

 

[clark_conure]

You know..... taken out of context.......Phrasing....

 

[Anansi]

Any updates?

 

[davefv92c]

sometimes i think there are some here that worry people by saying take it to a vet
one reason i stayed away for a while got tired of reading it. just think about it this way
in the wild these guys will eat about anything that don't eat them first.lol and they don't have anyone out there to peal it or cook it for them either. they also seem to live longer in the wild. Max had half a bowl of the dogs all over the kitchen floor one day, he may have ate some but i think he was more playing then anything else.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Yes agree to a certain extent Dave but remember we all love to help but are not trained and that is where the AV advice stems from, the parront has the choice to take it or leave it. Our birds are hardly starving are they, so the drive to eat it would be low, more a case of something new or that they shouldnt have, has the novelty factor and finding out what it is. A healthy bird should have their normal immunity as they would in the wild. You know what red flags to look for in your bird and if you see any then the AV should be your first action IMO.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

sometimes i think there are some here that worry people by saying take it to a vet
one reason i stayed away for a while got tired of reading it. just think about it this way
in the wild these guys will eat about anything that don't eat them first.lol and they don't have anyone out there to peal it or cook it for them either. they also seem to live longer in the wild. Max had half a bowl of the dogs all over the kitchen floor one day, he may have ate some but i think he was more playing then anything else.

Man, I feel like I gotta defend myself, lol. (Not that I'm mad or upset, I'm not at all.) I said to call the vet on this thread because I tried to look up the dog food the OP mentioned, and while the website didn't give the ingredients, it did mention pro-biotics and additives, so I thought it might be better to call a professional and see if there was a need for an office visit. When I saw other, more experienced parronts saying there wasn't anything to worry about I was a little embarrassed but hey, it's cool. I'm new to parronthood, here to learn.

Anyway, I'm not *trying* to freak people out.

 

[Anansi]

Tasha, better taking the precaution of going to the vet when it's not necessarily needed than not going to the vet when it turns out to have been absolutely necessary. So no need for you to have been embarrassed by your advice. The thought behind it was more than sound.

Fact of the matter is, in the wild our birds would be far less likely to run into some of the toxic stuff that we have laying around our homes as a matter of course. So while a bird might not have a vet or some such in nature, they are also probably not going to run into any lead based paints, overheated teflon coated pans or the processed and additive laden meats that might be found in dog food. Yeah, some of us may know through experience that a little taste of dog food isn't exactly birdy cyanide, but I'm sure there have been people in the past who didn't think a little chocolate would be a problem. Or onions and garlic. Or a taste of avocado. Sometimes things seem harmless until they are tragically proven otherwise. Which is why the advice "Take him to an avian vet" should never be dismissed out of hand as an overreaction.

 

[clark_conure]

I agree with tashawithanekkie and anasasi. But, when I read a post like this I first look at the sender....did they just join or are they on here longer than me. And I gauge the language, or syntax....OMG my bird did! this and I'm freaking vs. so I noticed my bird was doing this and I'd seen it once a month ago and......

Then I base that on what the bird actually did, or had done to them......gauging their experience vs my own....Then I do a few searches if I don't know off hand....then I ask Clark; and clark just tells me the right answer (obviously because he's a bird and knows) and then I reply back.

 

[LordTriggs]

good points by all. It's good to be cautious but to run to the vet over every little thing is a fast way to empty a wallet and annoy a vital veterinarian.

I will always attest that giving the vet a phone call and quickly asking what they suggest is the best idea. You get your nerves quelled, know they're okay but you don't have to drop everything and lets be fair, a vet would rather you have a phone call than to waste a slot of their time by coming in for nothing

 

[plumsmum2005]

Tasha, better taking the precaution of going to the vet when it's not necessarily needed than not going to the vet when it turns out to have been absolutely necessary. So no need for you to have been embarrassed by your advice. The thought behind it was more than sound.

Fact of the matter is, in the wild our birds would be far less likely to run into some of the toxic stuff that we have laying around our homes as a matter of course. So while a bird might not have a vet or some such in nature, they are also probably not going to run into any lead based paints, overheated teflon coated pans or the processed and additive laden meats that might be found in dog food. Yeah, some of us may know through experience that a little taste of dog food isn't exactly birdy cyanide, but I'm sure there have been people in the past who didn't think a little chocolate would be a problem. Or onions and garlic. Or a taste of avocado. Sometimes things seem harmless until they are tragically proven otherwise. Which is why the advice "Take him to an avian vet" should never be dismissed out of hand as an overreaction.

Could not have said better Stephen My friend came back from visiting an old house and garden and they have/had a macaw in the tea shop with a sign that says 'likes chocolate' Shame I didnt go too, would have given them hell!

 

[Anansi]

And a well-deserved taste of hell it would've been, my friend. Chocolate?!? That poor macaw.

 

[MonicaMc]

About 98-99% of parrots in the wild don't eat meat. Sure, they might eat the occasional bugs, but they don't eat animal meat.

High protein diet = kidney failure


I've already come across one cockatoo (another forum years ago) that was allowed access to dog food (kibble) and was fed dog biscuits. One day, the cockatoo went into kidney failure and had to be rushed to the vets office. There, they found out that the dog food was causing the kidney failure and they had to stop giving it.



I agree with the others who said "take him to the vet" or "call the vet". Our bird's health should be no laughing matter, let alone something so easily dismissed.




I hope that the ekkie is still alive and doing well today and that he didn't consume enough to hurt himself. (I imagine that bad food could be even more harmful to an ekkie due to their long digestive tract, thus longer time to absorb things from their food). I would also hope that no one here on this forum *allows* their bird access to dog or cat food... and if they do, I sincerely hope they stop allowing access to it for the sake and health of their bird(s).