Our GW is not doing well :(

[Birdman666]

With birds, even white blood cell counts are complicated:

Bird Lovers Only Rescue: White Blood Cell Counts

Could be he's recovering just fine, and hasn't gotten over the stress, so the white blood cell count is still up there.

Could also be some sort of infection or disease process.

Could also be some sort of parasite.

It's aggravating, and you continue to try and get to the bottom of it, but if he is eating fine, and acting like his old self, I'd still say it's a good sign, and he's on the road to recovery. He's just not completely over the hump yet. But he appears to be moving in the right direction.

 

[junglenutcracker]

With birds, even white blood cell counts are complicated: Bird Lovers Only Rescue: White Blood Cell Counts
It's aggravating, and you continue to try and get to the bottom of it, but if he is eating fine, and acting like his old self, I'd still say it's a good sign, and he's on the road to recovery. He's just not completely over the hump yet. But he appears to be moving in the right direction.

Thanks for the link Mark. Yeah, pretty complicated stuff. At least the lab tests are done on the premises as they don’t need to send it out to another lab.

What’s really troubling is how “normal”*she looks and acts. In fact, just looking at her, one would never guess she is battling some kind of infection and that her WBC is higher than normal. Could it be that she has been harbouring some kind of bacterial infection when we got her nearly 10 months ago? Would it remain unnoticed that long before manifesting itself? Or is it just pure bad luck?

Could the long drive to the vet of nearly an hour (she hates car rides and vomits frequently) compounded with the fact that she stresses out at the vet have jacked up her WBC a bit too? Hard to tell.
The vet even suggested that we stop medication for two weeks and see how she does but I wasn’t comfortable with that.

 

[JerseyWendy]

.....
Could the long drive to the vet of nearly an hour (she hates car rides and vomits frequently) compounded with the fact that she stresses out at the vet have jacked up her WBC a bit too? Hard to tell.
The vet even suggested that we stop medication for two weeks and see how she does but I wasn’t comfortable with that.

YES, stress CAN raise WBC!
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/aviancbc.html
"A high WBC count indicates disease or stress."

 

[Birdman666]

Exactly... while I wouldn't ignore the elevated white blood cell counts, if every other sign shows that the bird is recovering, it could be just related to stess...

Given 6-8 weeks to relax the WBC count may just come down on it's own.

That's part of why the vet needs a well birdie base line. Can't go by WBC alone, because that can be a red herring.

Monitor the food intake. If your bird is eating, and drinking, and playing and no longer lethargic like he was... that, to me, says a lot.

IF THEY ARE INFECTED TO THE POINT WHERE THEY CAN NO LONGER MASK IT, THEN THEY ARE VERY, VERY SICK...

IF THEY ARE ACTING LIKE THEIR OLD SELVES AGAIN, OR ARE AT LEAST ABLE TO MASK IT AGAIN... THEN THEY ARE NOT AS SICK... AND ARE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.

Doesn't mean he's out of the woods. BUT I THINK IT'S A VERY, VERY GOOD SIGN.

And stress alone can cause the white blood cell count to skyrocket. And the stress of being sick, combined with having medicines forced on you, car rides, disrupted routines, ect... more than possible, actually quite possible.

BUT I'M NOT A VET. Just a fairly knowlegable lay person. The vet advice takes priority, not mine. But I wouldn't be as worried over just elevated white blood cell counts, if everything else is back to normal. That's all I'm saying...

 

[Anansi]

Wendy and Mark both have given you excellent advice on the topic of WBC's. They can definitely be raised by stress. But I can also tell you that a bird can have periods of seeming wellness while still being ill.

As most here know, my Bixby battled a number of back to back secondary infections in the last few months of his life, and there were periods where he seemed to be rallying even as his WBC's remained high. This, I believe, was due to the fact that the medication had managed to suppress the symptoms rather than eradicate the cause itself.

In Bixby's case the cause could not be eradicated. He'd been born with PDD, which had weakened his immune system even as it tricked his body into attacking itself. And the weakened immune system allowed one secondary infection after another.

In your girl's case, it could simply be a VERY stubborn infection (which does happen), in which case the symptoms may have temporarily receded. If this is indeed her situation, another round of antibiotics may be necessary.

Another possibility is that the issue could be fungal rather than bacterial, which would require an entirely different approach.

Or, best case scenario, it really is just stress.

 

[Birdman666]

All very, very good points from someone who went through hell with this!

Yeah, that's the thing WBC alone doesn't give you much to go on...

Bottom line, follow the vet advice. Finish the meds. Continue to monitor the bird for signs that something's still not right.

 

[junglenutcracker]

Just got back from the vet tonight and I am soooo relieved that the bloodwork came out perfect this time! She had been looking fine, alert and energetic for the last week and a half or so but at least this vet visit confirms that she’s ok with a WCB of 14,000. She’s also gained a bit of weight too.
What a huge relief!

Thank you all for your words of encouragement..they were much appreciated during this ordeal!

 

[wrench13]

Great to hear good news here on the forum; been a few weeks of some sad news lately. Deep cleansing breath, shake out that tension, rejoice that your birdie is all better; do happy dance.. like when a parrot is about to get their treat. Major or minor, sick babies are no fun for anyone. Congrats, again.

 

[Brittany741]

Here's a good video on giving meds to a parrot.

Hope things are going well.

[ame="https://youtu.be/xwMP3CKBl8I"]How to give parrot drops by mouth and injection - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Glad to hear the latest test results are good. Just read through this thread now ...pretty scary time for you and a lot of fearful moments...so glad to hear your Green Wing is getting better and gaining weight and Im wishing and hoping for good health for her from now on and less worrying times ahead

 

[Anansi]

That must've been one stubborn infection! I'm so relieved that it's over now and that all is well with your sweet girl.

 

[LeaKP]

Wow I'm so happy to read this news. Thanks for updating!

 

[Birdman666]

Wow I'm so happy to read this news. Thanks for updating!

Me too... took the words right out of my mouth.