Megabacteria And Sodium Benzoate

[Shann_rk 0]

Hi everyone,

About a month or 2 ago several of my budgies (at my parent's house) were diagnosed with megabacteria (or macro or whatever its being called these days) and the vet prescribed sodium benzoate in the water for about 14 days. I also started treating Archimedes, the baby I hand reared over summer about a week or so later as she had had some contact with her mum and dad before I pulled her from the nest and the vet said if one bird had it, it was likely all the birds that came into contact with them had it.

After about 10 days or so all my birds started to go through a pretty heavy moult, some of them to the point where you could see the skin through their feathers. About half of the birds started to look depressed around this stage as well. Archimedes started to moult roughly 10-12 days after I started her on the treatment (she's about 3 or so months old at the moment), but is still happy and active.

I realize its coming into winter (for all of us in Australia) and so the birds usually moult around this time of year but I've never seen my birds moult so much and all at the same time.

 

Basically I was wondering if anyone else has seen this happen? ie. Sodium benzoate prescribed for megabacteria which seemed to lead to excessive moulting...

 

Now that I've stopped the treatment all the birds seem to have bounced back and are growing their feathers again. I guess I should also note that while they were being treated they were limited to a seed only diet as I couldn't give them anything with water in it.

I'm asking because I think this is a fairly new treatment and I'd like to discuss it with the vet when I see her next.

Thanks

Shannon

[The lion 0]

Hi everyone,

About a month or 2 ago several of my budgies (at my parent's house) were diagnosed with megabacteria (or macro or whatever its being called these days) and the vet prescribed sodium benzoate in the water for about 14 days. I also started treating Archimedes, the baby I hand reared over summer about a week or so later as she had had some contact with her mum and dad before I pulled her from the nest and the vet said if one bird had it, it was likely all the birds that came into contact with them had it.

After about 10 days or so all my birds started to go through a pretty heavy moult, some of them to the point where you could see the skin through their feathers. About half of the birds started to look depressed around this stage as well. Archimedes started to moult roughly 10-12 days after I started her on the treatment (she's about 3 or so months old at the moment), but is still happy and active.

I realize its coming into winter (for all of us in Australia) and so the birds usually moult around this time of year but I've never seen my birds moult so much and all at the same time.

 

Basically I was wondering if anyone else has seen this happen? ie. Sodium benzoate prescribed for megabacteria which seemed to lead to excessive moulting...

 

Now that I've stopped the treatment all the birds seem to have bounced back and are growing their feathers again. I guess I should also note that while they were being treated they were limited to a seed only diet as I couldn't give them anything with water in it.

I'm asking because I think this is a fairly new treatment and I'd like to discuss it with the vet when I see her next.

Thanks

Shannon

 

how much sodium benzoate exactly do you use on the water?? i treated my birds for megabacteria after being diagnosed with it and i would use 1tsp/ gal water for a whole month thats what my vet suggested for me to do, and mine didn't go thru a molt at all

 

 

[Shann_rk 0]

It was about the same I think... 1/4 teaspoon per 500 ml of water.

[Finnie 0]

A change in diet can bring on a molt. Maybe cutting out the vegetables forced them to eat more/different seeds than usual?

 

Could be a coincidence, if they were about to go into their fall molt anyway. And Archimedes was right at the right age for her first molt.

 

 

Did you ever find out what the vet thought about it yet?

 

 

Is sodium benzoate one of the meds that would be good to follow up with a probiotic? It sounds like your birds bounced back after the treatment anyway, even without probiotics.