My GC died suddenly today :(

[devastated]

We walked into a pet store on 07/15/12 and fell in love with a green cheek and today he died out of the blue. He was only 6 months old. He started vomiting at 9:30 this morning, we rushed him to the vet, they didn't think he would make it through the night....by 1:00pm he was dead. He had been fine up until to this morning! We read all the books about care, took him to a reputable avian vet, bought him high quality food, kept him out of the kitchen, used no candles or aerosols.....
We (myself, husband, and 10 year old daughter) are devastated that precious Kiwi is gone. He brought so much joy into our lives. All of us couldn't wait to get home every night just to be with him. We can't stop crying.
A necroscopy will be done tomorrow.
Has this ever happened to anyone else? And have you had a necroscopy done, what was the outcome? What happened to our baby?

 

[joewill85]

I'm really sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you did a fantastic job of caring for your bird. Birds are infamous for hiding illness until it is just too late. I brought a parakeet home who seemed happy and healthy for 2 weeks until one day I came home from school and he had died while I was gone.

Sometimes birds tip you off with mild behavioral changes, dropping changes, or ceasing to eat or drink, but sometimes they do a masterful job of hiding their illness. The best thing to do right now is understand that you didn't do anything wrong, and it was simply your bird's survival instincts that prevented you from detecting the illness. It's also possible it contracted something particularly nasty that killed it in a short amount of time where no detection was even possible.

As far as necropsies go, I never had one done so I'm no help there. Again, I'm really sorry for your loss.

 

[ConureCrazy]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I feel for you.

 

[DebsFlock]

It hasn't happened to me directly, but I fear it. I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I hope the necropsy at least gives you some insight into what happened.

My MILs bird also died out of the blue, but in different circumstances. My MIL was very ill by then and a friend who was bird-saavy offered to take him to the vet for his regular checkup. He went into respiratory distress in the waiting room and died. A necropsy was done, but the results were inconclusive. It looked a lot like PTFE fume exposure or some other severely damaging inhalant -- significant damage to the tissue, but no disease agents detected. How that could have happened on the way to the vet's office, we have no idea. He was I believe about 18 years old at the time, not very old for an Amazon.

Again, it makes me feel terrible just to read about this, I cannot imagine how you must feel.

 

[devastated]

Thank you very much for your responses.

I never thought in a million years that a bird could steal my heart the way Kiwi did. Maybe once our hearts heal, we will try again.......Thank you for all your kind words.

 

[tab_xo]

firstly i am soo sorry for your loss!
i had my quaker for over a year and i woke up one morning to find he had passed away, but he was perfectly fine the day before. they hide their illness's so well as in the wild they would be an easy target! sometimes its just something you couldnt of helped. I didnt get an necroscopy done though..
i understand how you must all feel, my quaker was my best friend and roommate! 3 months later i still cry over him atleast once a week.. It wont be easy but sometime in the future you can maybe find another bird, not as a replacement, but just a new friend which might fill the hole in your heart it took me a while to even think about getting another parrot, but it just feels lonely without them.. they just steal your hearts.

 

[wenz2712]

I am so sorry for your loss My thoughts are with you.

 

[aliray]

I am very sorry for your loss . I also agree that it is something I worry about and probably always will You just do the best you can . It also could have been a genetic defect same things happen to people sometimes with no warning.

 

[Pookamama]

I'm so sorry, my thoughts are with you. Hopefully you will gain more peace with time and answers.

 

[wolf0994]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Know that whatever caused it, he is no longer in pain. Hopefully in time you will share that same love with another wonderful bird who will give your heart some happiness.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Actually my Georgie (sun conure) who died suddenly earlier this month had a necropsy which was inconclusive so we sent the tissue to zoopath for examination. It never really 'solved' the mystery. She was 11 and a half and 'perfect'. Her last bloodwork showed her healthy, great diet, etc. They left the diagnosis "open" on the report but said she died from acute shock, probable blunt trauma, because they had no other feasible answer. She was safely in her cage...blunt trauma seems far out, unless some really freak thing.
Hopefully the necropsy reveals something for you. I'm so sorry for your loss. My avian vet did tell me that the odds of this happening to me again are slim, because it is just not the 'norm'. Try to keep that in mind when you are ready for another one. I know i feel pretty shaken by my sudden loss too. It is rough.

 

[ann]

im so sorry for your loss, but you gave the best care and life possible to your little kiwi. hopefully you will find some answers. my thoughts and prayers are with you.