Re: Sick Budgie?

In article <RvCdnSJL-qhNvjbeRVn-gQ@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
"David G Fisher" <davegf@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

> >>> >>
> >>> >>>Apologies if this is not the correct forum. I acquired a 16 week old
> >>> >>>harlequin budgie about weeks back, and she seems to have an
> >>> >>>occasional
> >>> >>>habit of coughing, going on for minute, linked with beak opening,
> >>> >>>maybe a
> >>> >>>bit of headshaking, and swallowing. Still, she was always bright as a
> >>> >>>button I put it down to habit.
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>The last two days I occasionally can hear her wheezing when
> >>> >>>breathing, a
> >>> >>>falling note, and she sticks her tongue out and looks like she's
> >>> >>>swallowing some saliva or what-have-you, often when this happens.
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>Obviously respiratory, but she does not seem listless or fluffed up
> >>> >>>or
> >>> >>>off her food. My research suggested maybe goitre or perhaps a (?)
> >>> >>>lipoma,
> >>> >>>blocking her airways, but I'm not sure why it is intermittent.
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>She is on very largely a seed diet: I bought her an iodine tablet
> >>> >>>today,
> >>> >>>and she eats a little lettuce.
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>Anyone out there with experience of these matters who can suggest a
> >>> >>>likely cause? I would take her to a vet but she seems bright as a
> >>> >>>button
> >>> >>>apart from the occasional wheezing. If it continues I'll take her
> >>> >>>along
> >>> >>>but would like to rule out nutrition or a chesty cold first,
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>thanks,
> >>> >>>
> >>> >>>Andy.
> >>> >>
> >>> >>Take the bird to the vet. Birds are very good at hiding sickness. Let
> >>> >>the
> >>> >>vet rule out "chesty cold" or nutrition.
> >>> >>Debbie
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > I get the impression that Andy thinks a "chesty col" isn't serious and
> >>> > will
> >>> > go away on it's own, like it would in a human animal. Of course they
> >>> > don't.
> >>> > The bird needss to see a good avian vet immediately.
> >>> >
> >>> > Dave
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> Well, the little bird is "bright as a button". Why waste money on a vet
> >>> visit when the internet is so cheap?
> >>> Debbie
> >>
> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >> Also, budgies are "cheap". Why waste money on a vet who may charge a
> >> couple of hundred bucks when you can buy a spanking brand-new baby
> >> budgie for less than twenty bucks? If the pet was a three thousand
> >> dollar cockatoo, I wonder if the OP would be bothering to ask on the
> >> 'Net or would he be racing to the vet as fast as his legs could carry
> >> him? Every pet, no matter what the price tag, deserves proper medical
> >> treatment by a qualified vet when the situation warrants.
> >> ---
> >> LindaA
> >
> > Oooh, I sense hostility! For what it's worth little Jessica stopped being
> > wheezy the morning after I posted the message, and always was 'as bright
> > as a button' despite the wheeze. Had she been puffed up, on both feet and
> > not moving about very much she'd have been down the vets like a shot.
> >
> > Maybe you should write in your FAQ, "If you ask questions about budgies
> > with snuffles on this board we will all insinuate you are a heartless
> > ***".
> >
> > Andy
>
> No hostility.
>
> Just to be clear, if your bird is in perfect health now, then he never had
> "snuffles", or any type of cold.
>
> He was never sick. Birds do not get a virul or bacteria infection which then
> goes away without treatment. It's important to understand this because if
> your bird ever does show signs of illness, you need to take him to a good
> avain vet immediately. You *can't* wait a few days to see if the cold goes
> away on it's own. Your bird will likely die if you wait for a miracle.
>
> Glad to hear he's fine.
>
> Dave

~~~~~~~~~~~~

No hostility on my part either. It's just that I've heard too many
horror stories of people not bothering to take their birds to a
qualified avian vet when it becomes ill, even more so when the bird is
categorized as a "cheap" pet, like a budgie, or a canary, or a lovebird.
I had friends who owned a pet store for many years and you can't believe
how many birds ... sick ones, old ones, unwanted ones ... were dumped at
their store over the years. It was pitiful, the sob stories they heard
-- the birds were either too messy, too noisy, too much trouble, etc. A
lot of these birds were just plain neglected and sick. Many of the
birds I have now are these "dumped" birds, mostly budgies and lovebirds.

Joanne said it best ... and Dave, too. Too often people wait when a
bird is sick, hoping that in a few days' time, the bird will get better
on its own. With birds, it doesn't work that way. Years ago, I almost
lost a lovebird because I dilly-dallied around and by the time I got the
bird to the vet, I was informed that the bird had a fifty-fifty chance
of survival. You can't imagine how *horrible* I felt about that, how
*guilty*. Lucky for my lovebird (and me), she pulled through, but I
learned a valuable lesson that time, i.e., time is of the essence when a
bird appears/acts sick. Anyway, I'm really glad to hear that Jessica is
doing just fine.
---
LindaA
.

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