Please Help! Conure broke his neck!

[Stallion]

Hello, Everyone!

I have the sweetest, little Greek Cheek Conure of the Cinnamon mutation. Her name is Samantha. She's but 3 months old.

Last night, I had a friend over and he bought over his dog. She's a friendly dog, and mellow. Very timid.

Well, he assured me that the bird would be fine around the dog, and I really didn't think what happened... would have happened.

Samantha flew towards the dog, and I can't be sure because it happened so fast but I believe she chomped Samantha. Sammy fell to the floor flopping like a bird who had his neck snapped. Only difference is, a bird with a snapped neck usually dies within 5 minutes. Samantha was still kicking. I took her in my arms, and held her in my hands ALL NIGHT. I did not sleep waiting for the VET to open.

This morning she looks a bit better, but she won't open her left eye. Also, as she walks around she's fine from the neck down... but she looks like a bobble head.

As soon as 8am hit we went to the vet. I didn't brush my teeth or anything. They referred me to another Vet which specialized in birds.

The vet said that he wants to make sure she eats on her own, and wants to place her in an incubator. He will administer pain medication, antibiotics just incase the dog did bite through the skin, and an IV for fluids.

During the Vet visit, she looked more lively and even attacked a flower in the office but her head is STILL bobbling. Given it's only been 14 hours since the incident but I'm afraid.

I spent the whole night angry at myself. How could I be so stupid!!!? She was my little baby, and I failed to protect her. I know this might sound crazy, but I just hope she knows I'm worried about her and care for her. Even now, as she's in the Vet the house feels so lonely without her. I'm so stupid.

Does anyone know what to expect? The Vet wasn't too clear on the prognosis... actually, all he said was, "This is like a car accident, we don't know the extent of the damage until later."

Given that she survived 14hours... are the chances of her living good?

If so, will she fully recover or have a bobble head forever? I know you can't say for sure, but what are the chances?

Think the Vet will put a brace on her neck to correct any issues?

Will she be upset at me cause she went from getting tons of attention to some lonely incubator?

Will she revert to biting because of the lack of attention?

Does anyone have a similar story, and what was the outcome?

If you can't answer any of these, can you at least say a prayer for Sammy please!

Thank you!

 

[aliray]

I am so sorry for what happened but I think the vet is right and she is in the best place at the moment and will get the supportive care that she needs and only time will tell as for her prognosis. But You will both be in our prayers please keep us posted, hugs to you. We all make mistakes but that is how we learn.

 

[Grinder]

I think you want us all to tell you something we cant. Only your vet and time will be able to give you the answers you are looking for.

Keep a positive attitude. When your baby comes home don't fret too much or she will pick up on it. What happened has happened and the past cant be changed. Learn from the mistake and move forward hopefully giving your conure a wonderful life without an incidence like this happening again.

 

[Stallion]

She gets to come home tonight. They just called me.

Either A) she looks so good she's ready to come home

Or

B) They've done all they could and now just wait and see how strong she is.

I appreciate all the replies. I'm on my way to see her now, and get her some food.

 

[happycat]

I'm sorry that happened to you! You must be so worried.
I hope she'll recover soon.

 

[BillsBirds]

Like everyone has said, she's in the best place to be. About the bobblehead...birds have 17 bones in their necks, which is why they can twist them around so far. And why so often people think dead birds have broken necks. We have 7 bones in our necks. The vet will know what to do, and what you should do. But, about the dog. Birds are natural prey animals, and, yes, many people have dogs & cats, and birds, who all get along. But, it is unnatural. You feel so bad, so, I won't go on. But, I'd never trust ANY dog, cat, or even different birds, with my birds. Stay positive, and we all are praying for you & your bird.

 

[MikeyTN]

I hope for the best! Dogs should never be trusted especially with a flying bird, they will chase and chomp down. I don't even trust my own dogs. They're hunters and they always will be. Good luck!!!

 

[kalinka]

I can imagine how worried you are about your baby! I really hope she will be fine. Please, tell us how is she and what the vet said when you were taking her home

 

[BeakersBro]

As soon as 8am hit we went to the vet. I didn't brush my teeth or anything. They referred me to another Vet which specialized in birds.

You should have the AVIAN vet on call for emergencies. Birds don't go to regular vets. You need to get their emergency number that can be called 24/7. Emergencies don't wait until morning.

 

[thermodynamic]

My prayers and well-wishes for you, your family, and the fid. These situations are indeed horrible, tragic, and accidental.

Not all areas have a vet that does 24/7, but it might be a good idea to check with your vet to see if they know of a good ER that handles birds. Mine told me of one, but that ER closed down a couple years ago... (BeakersBro is right, if there is a ER that suits birds, it is best to go go go, if possible.)

I can't add much, though if one of my fids got ill or injured, I have a separate cage that's kept in a corner, up high, and in an area relatively free from stressors within the bird's view. And away from the other birds. The less stress it endures means a greater chance of survival, or at least one less factor to deal with... with luck the vet can get on a collar that can keep its head in place while convalescing...

 

[plax]

My deepest hopes for Sammy's recovery! Please report back on her condition when you have a chance. I'm so very sorry this happened to your baby

 

[Thingamagigs]

I am so sorry this has happened.
I understand your pain, my little cinnamon green cheek died of a blockage/impaction caused by cotton threads he had ingested from a little preening toy he had. I feel so guilty that I not only supplied that toy to him, but that I didn't see the signs the day before he passed away.

As far as your little babies injury and the vet visit...
Keep in mind that it could simply be a damaged tendon or ligament... it could just be a bit of bruising... or it may be temporary brain damage. There are loads of things, some highly detrimental and others far less severe, which may cause such signs. And there is a good chance your vet won't know exactly what has happened at any stage, even if she recovers fully. Tiny patients can be a real challenge.

Also keep in mind, a broken vertebra does not guarantee instant paralysis. My father broke his neck in three places and while he was unable to walk at the time of the accident, today he is able to walk with limited paralysis. There have been cases in humans where vertebra have been completely dislodged from proper alignment and the spine bent in half... but the spinal cord (responsible for sending the signals throughout the body) has remained completely intact despite the horrific injury.
Now with the vet treatment of such an injury... animals are very small, especially little green cheeks. In humans vertebra can be fused. In animals so small the usual treatment is to administer anti-inflammatory's and hope for the best. There will need to be minimal movement so the vets is the best place for her.

No one can give you anymore than the possibilities I'm afraid. I think for now, try to relax and prepare your mind for all eventualities. Don't think the worst, keep an open mind and probably prepare her cage for her return. What ever has happened, she will need to be kept calm and quiet and will need to have a "hospital cage" set up to recover in. Your vet will give you all the info you will need to care for her at home.
And remember, animals don't think the same way we do. Even if she has some behavioural changes due to this event, she is not "blaming you" And you will no doubt love her regardless.

 

[Stallion]

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes.

Well, here's the kicker and the status update.

Remember how she kept her left eye closed, and I had neglected to mention that when this first occured she didn't move her left leg.

And here's the crazy part, after doing many tests the Vet determined that the bird's injury are NEUROLOGICAL! So, even though this was relayed to us by the technician, cause the vet had already left, and the word "Stroke" was not used... we believe that is what it was.

My poor 3 month old baby had a stroke!

As for her current condition, it's been almost 24hrs since this happened and every 8hrs I see her she has improved much. If this trend continues, I'll have my baby girl back to normal within a week! She's eating, AND drinking with NO problem.

We shall be leaving her alone for a few daysin a warm, quiet place. She cannot be excited, and she needs little mental stimulization. My sweetheart needs to recover. But I expect a positive change in days to come!

Questions and comments are welcomed!

 

[Thingamagigs]

Hi Stallion
Neurological doesn't always mean stroke and in fact it is probably something more like traumatic brain injury i.e. brain damage (a slight but important difference).
A stroke is normally caused by a blockage which deprives the brain of blood (makes up about 90% of incidence), but can also be caused by a significant haemorrhage which is also depriving the brain of blood (such a haemorrhage is normally caused by high blood pressure and rarely impact injury). It is normally something that occurs well after injury and not at the exact moment of injury. It is important to make the distinction as a brain haemorrhage may mean there is continued bleeding into the brain or cranium. The resulting increase in pressure can come with a load of issues of its own.

Where as TBI (which causes brain damage) normally occurs the moment of impact and there is a chance of some relatively rapid recovery when inflammation decreases.
Talk to your vet about it when you are able to, they probably can't narrow it down precisely but you will be able to get more info to help out in future

Also... fingers crossed for a speedy recovery Some birds can live a long, happy, relatively normal life with brain damage, so this is good news.

 

[Stallion]

Hi Stallion
Neurological doesn't always mean stroke and in fact it is probably something more like traumatic brain injury i.e. brain damage (a slight but important difference).
A stroke is normally caused by a blockage which deprives the brain of blood (makes up about 90% of incidence), but can also be caused by a significant haemorrhage which is also depriving the brain of blood (such a haemorrhage is normally caused by high blood pressure and rarely impact injury). It is normally something that occurs well after injury and not at the exact moment of injury. It is important to make the distinction as a brain haemorrhage may mean there is continued bleeding into the brain or cranium. The resulting increase in pressure can come with a load of issues of its own.

Where as TBI (which causes brain damage) normally occurs the moment of impact and there is a chance of some relatively rapid recovery when inflammation decreases.
Talk to your vet about it when you are able to, they probably can't narrow it down precisely but you will be able to get more info to help out in future

Also... fingers crossed for a speedy recovery Some birds can live a long, happy, relatively normal life with brain damage, so this is good news.

Thank you for that informative reply.

See, I want to believe it's TBI because if it were then the chances of her having long term damage is minimal due to how she's recovering(I believe it to be somewhat speedy).

But the fact that half her body, or at least her left eye and left leg went numb leads me to think stroke. And I've read that most parrots are prone to strokes when in terror, anxiety or just really excited.

I've seen humans with long term issues due to stroke, and I've read that TBI with severe trauma and/or coma, and long recovery time has negative effects on the victim long term.

I'm trying hard to do my detective work here to uncover all I can. Though I know that no one can tell me anything for sure, I would be more relaxed by narrowing down some possibilities and/or lining up the possibilites in an order from most likely to least likely. Understand?



Now, the one thing that IS for sure after all this. I will NEVER put her in anything close to a high stress situation like being near a dog.

 

[plax]

If Samantha in fact suffered a stroke, her recovery is certainly still possible. And it's even more likely considering that she's a young bird. My Military Macaw, Maynard, suffered a stroke in 2011. After the event, he couldn't lift either foot without falling over and his right side was somewhat paralyzed. It was impossible for him to stand on a perch without frequently falling off of it, and obviously he could no longer hold food with his foot.

I moved Maynard's perches to the cage floor and built him a ground-level t-perch. I fed him his meals by hand and watched him carefully from then on. Granted, he's a Macaw, a much larger bird than Samantha. But after his stroke I was sure he was on the way out. He'd rapidly lost a tremendous amount of weight, frequently vomited, and I couldn't get him to eat much at all. Within the subsequent several months he took a number of turns for the worst, each time dropping weight like mad and becoming terribly weak and wobbly.

Thankfully Maynard has an incredibly strong will - he kept trying to do many of the things he used to do. He simply refused to give up. About 6 months after the event (or so) he began standing on perches much more securely, holding food with his foot again (wobbly and often losing his balance, but at least doing it!), and climbing around on the cage bars. Then about 1 year after the event Maynard had progressed to a point that from observing his daily actions it was no longer possible to tell much was wrong with him at all. He was effectively able to rewire himself and today he's mostly fine again. And Maynard is well over 30 years old.

So maybe Sammy will as well rewire to normal, or near-normal condition if it was in fact a stroke she suffered. If it was TBI she could rewire, too. Some parrots can be quite resilient! I truly hope Samantha is one of them.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Live and learn right! That's the key, that we learn from our mistakes and share so other can also learn from them.

I would call the Vet first thing on the next business day and ask for a complete explanation of the findings. Begin to write down all your questions so you don't forget them between now and then. Good luck and praying for a 100% recovery!

 

[faeryphoebe1]

My family will keep your baby GCC in our prayers for healing.

 

[noblemacaw]

I did have a parrot whom died from a stroke. Unfortunately from event to death was about 45 to 55 minuets.

Diego my Illiger's macaw was only 9 years old on June 8th 2011 when he had his stoke. After watching TV with me for two hours I commanded him to fly back to his cage (Diego was fully flighted and was taught to fly on command to where I wanted him to go) so that he could go potty and get a snack. I noticed he had a bit of trouble getting lift when he flew back to his cage. I got up and walked over to his cage because I noticed he just stood on top of it not going inside for any water or food. In front of the cage he had pooped a LOT of stuff all over the floor right in front of the cage which is something he never does. It actually looked like he exploded all over the floor like he lost control of his bowles (not sure what that is called in avian terms) not like a normal poop. I put him back in his cage and went to clean up the mess when I turned my back to walk away from the cage I heard a fluttering and turned to see what happened. Diego was hanging from his boing from one talon his left foot and wing were drooping. I immediately took him out of the cage and assessed the situation and he was totally paralyzed on his left side. I quickly called the clinic and told them what happened and let them know I was on my way. On the way to the clinic Diego started having trouble breathing so I breathed for him giving him beak to mouth resuscitation. I was so very frightened for Diego and I begged him to live.

I got to the clinic less than 20 minuets and right away Dr. Roeser, who is the second Avian vet at the clinic, took Diego from me to take him straight to trauma. Both Dr. Roeser and Dr. Blair worked on Diego for about a half hour. While they worked on my parrot I waited in an exam room with my sister who drove me there.

The moment Dr. Blair walked into the exam room I knew Diego had died. Both Doctors had performed heroic measures to save my boy but it was not to be. I was so devastated I went into a bad asthma attack with screaming NO with the crying and Dr. Blair held me for over half hour. Diego was only NINE years old. He was suppose to out live me.

The symptoms Diego presented with was a stoke. Even though Diego was flighted and flew daily he had a stroke. The necropsy could not produce the clot that caused the stroke because as Dr. Blair warned me it was probably to small to find. I miss my Diego every day.

I want to learn more about strokes in parrots. I know about the medical part of what a stroke is in humans because of my training but I made it my mission to learn about heart disease in parrots.

Stallion, I am very sorry your parrot was injured and pray for a full recovery for your little baby. Please if you don't mind talking to your vet directly I would like a verification that what happened to your 3 month old was a stroke.

Tony, I am so sorry with that you had to go through with Maynard. I am glad he had made a fantastic recovery and survived his stroke. If you do not mind sharing about Maynard's event I would like to know more.

I don't want to over take Stallion's tread and I think it is important to learn all we can about heart disease in parrots so if need be if you don't want to post about parrot strokes here in Stallion's thread you can message me as well.

Stallion, I hope Sammy continues to improve and will be fully recovered soon!!

 

[MeganMango]

Its very likely your bird did NOT have a stroke. A stroke will often have similar symptoms even though the injured brain area is not always the same.This is a common effect of neural inflammation. Keep thinking positively, many people who have small strokes can even make a near full recovery depending on what area of the brain is affected. That said, I really dont think it was a stroke (although this is possible). Im a neuroscientist, and in fact, a neuroimmunologist. I study inflammation of the central nervous system. Please keep in mind that "neurological" could mean brain or spinal cord. Additionally, with proper care inflammation can resolve itself in time. The vet probably wouldnt advise you to bring your bird home if he didnt think she was improving. If there is little chance of recovery, or if there is a good chance that the animals condition with decline, a (good) vet will often plan an appointment and discuss this in detail with you so you can make the best decision for the animal. I know you feel really bad about what happened, and I know it seems like she is in really bad condition, but it may not be as bad as it looks. Animals can be very very tough in situations like these.