Vitamin deficiency... but which Vitamin???

[Belladonna]

We took our Sun Conure, Browser, to see the vet today for the first time since we got him 2 months ago. He got a pedicure, wings clipped and beak trimmed. He did sooooo good! But...

Dr. Knight said he is a bit underweight and looks to have some vitamin definciency problems developing as his beak is peeling too much. He prescribed some vitamins to add to his water and suggested we try harder to get him to eat fresh tropical fruits. But he is sooooo picky! If he doesn't add on a few grams in the next few weeks and the beak peeling doesn't slow down dramatically we may have to have blood work done and consider a total revamping of his diet.

Dr. Knight did NOT, however, say exactly WHAT vitamin(s) he is deficient in, but he did say his nostrils were clear and lungs sounded great, so I'm guessing not Vitamin A? He prescribed Lafeber's VIVI 13+ in his water every day. What do you guys think is causing the problem with his beak and how do we fix it?

Oh, and he gets all the Zupreem he can eat as well as an organic trail mix during daylight hours that consists mostly of whole grains, some seeds, nuts and dried fruits. As well as SOME fresh foods, but as I said before, he is VERY PICKY!

 

[wildheart]

I am sorry to hear, hopefully this problem will be sorted out quickly.

One thing that I want to ask you is to reconsider putting the drops in the water. When you put it in the water, you lose all control over dosage, since you don't know how much he drinks. Plus, it might change the taste of the water, which may result in your bird avoiding the water and therefore the medication. Then you will end up with a bird that becomes more sick, dehydrated and who does not get any of drops in.

If I was you then I would phone the vet and tell him that your parrot now completely refuse to drink the water with the drops in and he must suggest another way to administer it. I have learned this past month that vets are really not that clued up, a lot of them are stuck in the OLD ways of doing things.

 

[AndrewH]

My vet also prescribed the vivi 13+. I always put a scoop on my birds' favorite treat. Both birds really like crackers, so I had to figure out a way to get the powder to stick. I put a drop of water on the cracker and tap the powder onto the wet part of the cracker. Seems to work just fine. Plus, the vitamins will last a lot longer if you use the food method. You might try this. Take note on the bottle. There are dosage instructions for water versus total consumption in food (in food is only a scoop), unless your vet gave you other instructions.