Consumer Homes.

Question:

We recently purchased a Meyers parrot, Emerald (Ema), from a local breeder.   Everything has been great till she dramatically turned ill today.  Any information anyone can provide will be appreciated.  Here is some background information… I had contacted the breeder back around the first of the year looking for a Meyers or Senegal, and she called us two months ago to say she had one available.  We started visiting with Ema when she was still in pin feathers, and finally brought her home two weeks ago.  She was down to two feedings a day and getting a varied diet in addition to her feedings (the selection provided by the breeder included several types of pellets [Pretty Bird, Exact] and seed mixtures [Challie Boy], spray millet, and formula [Pretty Bird], and we have been providing fresh fruit and vegatables). Ema has been a joy to have around the house.  My wife used to be terrified of birds; Ema is her baby.  We have a 20 year old who is indifferent to the bird, but our ten year old twin boys love her.  We have a cockapoo, Lacy, who doesn’t know what to think of Ema; I think she is just curious, but we don’t take any chances. We have provided Ema a large cage with plenty of toys.  We clean out the bottom and feeding bowls daily and do a more extensive job of cleaning once a week.  We would have to clean her water cup out more than once a day; she often used it for a bath daily; we were going to look for a bathing bowel this weekend. Ema has enjoyed playing with the toys in her cage and climbing on the rope perch on top of her cage.  She has, from time to time, fallen while climbing in her cage or while hanging over the edge on top (sometimes flapping her wings).  We didn’t think anything of this; she seemed to take it in stride, the falls in her cage weren’t far down, and when she fell outside she was often trying to fly. This morning Ema was playing on top of the cage and fell onto the table.  My wife had her hands full, but kept her eye on the bird and the dog while finishing her chore.  The bird jumped down onto the floor, so my wife went and picked her up and set her on the seat of a low chair.  Ema then jumped down onto the floor again and started what looked like a typical ‘fake broken wing’ bird dance, dragging one wing.  My wife picked her up and checked her out.  Everything seemed to be ok, so she put Ema on her perch in the cage.   My wife came back into the room a bit later and found the bird in the corner on the bottom of the cage, nodding off as if asleep.  She called me after noticing that Ema had not moved for a long time, and was lethargic when picked up.  She called the breeder and was only able to determine that none of the house plants in the vacinity of the bird cage were likely to be poisinous.  She found a local avian vet and made an appointment. The vet examined Ema and told my wife: – Ema should not have been falling – He suggested that Ema would be better off without seed, but instead sticking to pellets, fruits and veggies – We should be giving Ema vitamins daily – Ema could have contracted a disease, either virul or bacterial; such a disease could be the cause of her current condition, but more likely had been the cause of her falling (weakness) – It is possible that Ema has a concussion from the fall(s) The vet submitted Ema to a blood test and cultures for bacteria or virus.  He has indicated that if it is a concussion, she may recover in a few days, if it is bacteria it may take two to four days, and if it is virul it may take days or weeks.  We should hear back on the blood test Monday and the cultures by the end of the week.   The vet warned that this was an unusual case and that birds can die quite suddenly for hard to explain reasons.  He is treating her for the symptons until test results come back; we are giving her an antibiotic every twelve hours.   The vet also asked what kind of guarenty the breeder gave us; unfortunately we were too naive or knowledgable to have discussed it with her.  I’d hate to lose Ema; we have grown quite attached.  Realistically, though, losing her would be a significant financial loss, as well. We have Ema tucked away in her travel box with a towel, water and pellets.  She will drink on her own, eat some when hand fed, and will eat a little formula. I am hoping for the best, but to look at her it is hard to believe she will survive.  We have wracked our brains trying to figure out what else might have happened to cause Ema’s condition; the only other thing I can think of is the possibility that the flea spray on the dog (administered out of doors) plays a part in this.  We wash our hands before and after handling Ema (most of the time); I don’t know what else we can do to protect her. I’ve been impressed by the empathy of the people who post here.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for any suggestions.  We are working hard to learn more about our baby (the new subscription to Bird Talk and a copy of Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot), including the lessons learned by others. Regards, Nathan Eaton

Response: