Please Help - Parrot with Giardia

[jorobinson176]

I live in Zimbabwe & am a 4 hour drive away from the nearest vet. I have a VERY SICK 18 year old Nanday Conure. He has had recurring feather mites, where his feathers get eaten away. Then he gets round sores in his wing pits. I usually treat him with mite powder for birds, and antibiotics for the sores and they go away. This time he's in a bad way and I think he might have Giardia. Yesterday morning he was bleeding profusely from one sore & I staunched it with wound powder & he improved a little. Today again he was bleeding, less, but he's weak, and looking terrible. The mites seem to be speeding up and the powder isn't helping. I have a bottle of metronidazole (Flagyl) 200mg/5ml suspension but am scared of the side effects. Should I give it to him, and what dosage? I can do the 4 hour trip on Thursday to try and find a safer medicine, but I'm afraid he's just getting worse. He's always plucked his leg feathers and under his wings which is why I think it's giardia. Thanks very much in advance - Jo

 

[weco]

Look up Pedialyte & contact a local doctor/clinic/hospital and inquire if that solution or a similar solution is available locally.....it is an electrolyte solution for children, but can be effective for sick birds. It is not a cure for anything, but is does replace/boost missing electrolytes.....it may give him the boost to his system that will help until you can get him to a vet.....If anything is available to you locally, you might mix it with Cerelac or similar infant cereal & maybe some apple or other fruit juice, but I would stay away from citrus juices because of their acidity.....actually, the time I used an electrolyte solution on a sick bird, I had to use a plastic syringe, but on the second day it would eat baby formula (without any milk base) mixed with apple juice.....we were in blizzard conditions & nothing was open for several days.....

Was the bird prescribed metronidazole previously? How old is this medication & how has it been maintained? Giardia is a parasite, like worms and not a bacterial infection, but metronidazole (Flagyl), along with Ronidazole and Ipronidazole are prescribed for giardia infections, though I have no idea what the dosage might be.....

You might want to read these links Giardia in Birds and Giardia: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment and Overview of Giardiasis: Giardiasis (Giardosis, Lambliasis, Lambliosis): Merck Veterinary Manual, as one only gives the metronidazole (Flagyl) a 40% effective rate.....

The links mention other medications & further research may provide you with dosages, if any of the medications are available to you locally.....

Good luck.....

 

[henpecked]

You need advice on fixing the mite issue.

 

[crimson]

Ivermectin will kill any type of mite. Your bird sounds anemic due to blood loss.

Find some iron drops....and quickly, only add 1 drop into his water(1/8-1/4 cup)

do this for at least 7 days straight until you see a definite improvement.

I am not a vet by any means, but have treated my birds with iron drops and it works wonders

give him daily baths, this will help ease the discomfort.

you also need to treat his environment, remove all of his toys,perches, papers, etc....scrub that cage clean! even in the corners.
replace everything will clean toys, seed cups etc....
you'll have to do this daily until you are certain they are gone, and he is back to normal.