Vonn

Hi doraemon82 A big welcome from me! Luv Vonn

I also shed a tear when I opened the card, birdluv. Like you, I just wasn't expecting it. I think it is a lovely thing for them to do. It means so much. Luv Vonn xx

It was so sweet of you to try and send me one! Thank you! I will definitely look for them next time I go shopping as it'll be nice to know who stocks them in my town. I will also have a look at the ecard ones. I have had a lot of problems with my email account and I am now going to change it. I used Outlook Express. So many people never get my mail and I don't get theirs. Very frustrating. Thanks for the reply, Elly, and LOTS of hugs to you too. Luv Vonn xx

Thought I'd tell you that I received a lovely sympathy card for the vet this morning! I thought it was such a thoughtful thing to do. They are very caring at that surgery. I didn't realise that you could buy sympathy cards for the loss of a pet. I will always send one, from now on, if anyone I know loses a pet as this one meant so much to me. Luv Vonn xxx

Thanks for saying that, Elly. It is a comfort to know we did the right thing for our little Lukie - I couldn't bear him to suffer. Luv Vonn xx

That must have been so hard for you Phoebe. Thanks for telling me about them. Can't believe that the mother bit the toes off her baby!? I wonder what on earth would make her do that! How strange that he had cirrhosis of the liver despite a good diet. I wonder why so many budgies are prone to tumours - I wish we knew. I am so sorry about your loss. My husband and I are coping much better. We are destroying everything today,as well as the cage, as my husband & I can't bear to look at it, anyway. I am going to try and learn all I can about budgies now and especially all the things that can cause ill health etc. Thanks again for sharing this with me, it must still be hard to talk about. I appreciate it. Luv Vonn xx

Oh Elly, how absolutely awful. I am so sorry. I do understand what you mean. The first few days are the worst and then you find you are not crying as much and each day gets less painful. But it never goes completely, as you say. It makes me realise how lucky I am not to have endured as much pain as you. Doesn't make me feel any better, as my heart aches for you. Lots & lots of hugs to you.LuvVonn xx What was the final "diagnosis" Vonn? If it was "mega" it NOT bacteria. "It has now been positively identified as a yeast and is NO LONGER named "megabacteria". Its new name is Avian Gastric Yeast (or AGY)". This is important as if any vet is recommending anti-bacterial treatments or disinfectants they will have little or no effect. The research paper is here: Studies on Megabacteria (Avian Gastric Yeast) by Dr. David Phalen, Dr. Robert Moore, Dr. Betty Tomaszewski.However I totally agree to get rid of all the old toys etc. It makes it easier to make a totally fresh start when you're ready for a new bird. I found it hard to re-use my much loved but departed German Shepherds collar on a new dog ... seemed like a betrayal.KathyW.Yes, it was Megabacteria - my vet called it Macrorhabdus. I made a mistake calling it a bacteria, you are quite right it is a yeast. I was sad to hear about your German Shepherd and I feel just like you do about some of Lukie's things that he particularly liked. Our pets really capture our hearts, don't they. Thanks for your reply.LuvVonn

I totally agree, birdluv, it doesn't actually heal, you just learn to cope better as the hurt is not quite so 'raw'. I'm so sad to hear that you have lost 3 pets, Phoebe - that must be so tough. How did you lose Rosie and Jodie - as long as it isn't too painful to talk about.? Thanks for the PM, Elley, and the hugs. I received an email from my avian vet yesterday, telling me how sorry he was about Lukie and warning me to burn the wooden playgym and all wooden toys, and safely dispose of all porous items eg toys etc., which cannot be burnt ! So you were both right to tell me to get rid of everything. He must have read my mind! He said that this bacteria is particularly difficult to get rid of - especially on porous surfaces. I had only recently built Lukie another playgym from a kit I had bought, as an alternative to the one he already had. He had only used it twice! I would never want another bird to go through what Lukie went through, though, so burning the item it the safest. If I discard it at a rubbish site, someone may be tempted to take it, thinking that it just needed disinfecting and would then be fine. Likewise I will destroy the toys, as far as I can, to prevent the same thing happening to them. Luv Vonn

Thanks, Phoebe and Elly. I will do that - it will be so costly as Lukie had a packet full of toys, which I imported for him!! Oh well, it far worse to pass on the disease to another bird. I am starting to feel a better - finally stopped bursting into tears at any reminder of Lukie. I am now concentrating on the happy times I spent with him. I miss him dreadfully. Much luv Vonn xx

A very big thank you, to each and every one of you, for your sympathy and lovely kind words. It is so comforting to know that you care. Thank you for all your support and help through this, as well. I always felt there was someone to turn to, who knew what we were going through, trying to save our little budgie, and would do their best to help. I couldn't write anything yesterday as I was in tears on and off throughout the day. The living room was so terribly empty and the house so quiet. I found myself walking to the livingroom to sit with Lukie without thinking, and then realising he wasn't there any more. My husband has been so supportive and went and bought me a huge bunch of flowers - he's such a darling. Today I am feeling a little more in control and I am keeping myself occupied so I cannot think too much. I will get over it, it will just take time. I never realised I could love a little bird so very much. I will keep popping in to the forum to read the posts and, one day, I'll have another little budgie, but not for a while. I have learnt so much about these little birds. I now realise that it is not just provision of seeds, water and love that they need, but involves so much more. What a pity the pet shops (I will never buy a bird from them again) do not have a leaflet explaining all this to prospective owners. If I do get another bird, I will always buy from a reputable breeder and I will want to see how he cares for his birds first, as well. Another thing I know is you need to have a reasonable amount of money saved for vet bills, before even thinking of getting a budgie, if you are in my situation. Everyone needs to be aware of the costs of vet bills for birds before they get one. I will also make myself aware of the diseases and illnesses that budgies can get and the first signs and symptoms, before I take on another little bird. I am going to try and trace the breeder of Lukie and tell them about the disease and suggest that they treat their flock immediately. Although they probably would have found out by now. I will contact them, anyway, just to be sure. Lukie had the signs from the beginning, had I only known how to recognise them. One thing I want to ask is how do I go about sterilising all Lukie's toys perches etc etc? Do I wash everything in soapy water and then spray with F10 disinfectant? Should I use the strongest solution or would this leave a toxic residue? I want to be sure this bacteria is wiped out. A number of the toys are wooden and cannot be soaked in a sterilising solution. Would washing and spraying with F10 be sufficient to kill the bacteria completely? I loved this forum and spent many hours reading the posts. I so enjoyed reading about your budgies and the cute things they did and also sharing Lukie's little quirks! I will always be grateful for all I learnt about budgies from you - I was so uninformed about budgies and their needs. Awful to admit, but true. Thanks once again to all of you. You really are lovely, caring people with big hearts. Much love Vonn xxx

Hi everyone Well, our darling little bird is suffering no more. He was put to sleep this afternoon. We took him to the vet and I felt I would cope better going in on my own with Lukie. Seeing my husband so upset would make me fall apart. He is heartbroken, as am I. I took Lukie in and was determined to be brave, but Lukie was looking very nervous and that shattered me. He kept making his little 'I don't like this' tweet. I tried to comfort him but he seemed to know something was up. I really wanted to be brave, I really did, but I only just got the words out to the vet. He was very kind to me and said that he would make sure Lukie didn't suffer. Unfortunately, due to health and safety regulations in the UK, I was unable to be with Lukie when he was put to sleep. I found this so hard as I just didn't want him dying in a strange place with people he didn't know. He gets so frightened. The vet gave him some gas to put him to sleep, before he gave him the injection. so he wouldn't feel the pain of the injection I sat in the waiting room crying my eyes out. I couldn't talk to anyone as I was just too choked up. I took Lukie home in his box with his favourite toy with him. I held Lukie and he was still so warm. I had always wanted to kiss his soft little chest and head and I was able to do this. I told him how much he was loved and how much we will miss the sunshine he brought into our lives. I tucked him up in the box with his favourite toy. We buried him under the tree that he liked to watch in the garden. I put some plastic around the tissue covering him as Lukie always hated getting wet and we have had heavy rain here. I hated burying him as he was always so scared of the dark. I just hope that there is light all around him now forever and that someone up there will take care of our little angel for us. Thank you for all your support and kindness. You are all very special to me. Luv Vonn xxx

Thank you so much for your concern - it's such a comfort at this time. Kathyw, I was so very touched by you considering to post the drug to me - what a kind, caring person you are and I thank you very much. I feel that Lukie is too weak now to go through the treatment. It is a very toxic drug and I feel the bird needs to be in reasonable condition. Lukie isn't even attempting to eat. I think he just wants peace now and freedom from the suffering. I think the honey idea is an excellent one, but it would have to be fed by crop tube as Luke wouldn't drink it I am sure. He is just feeling too ill to try anything If he was better than he is, I would try this and use Manuka Honey from New Zealand. This is the purest honey, as there is no pollution in the area where they have the bees. It also has the more antibiotic and antifungal properties, I've been told. I really think it would be soothing as well to his crop which gets inflamed. Even if the vet managed to pull him through, the damage to his proventriculis will be ongoing. There must be damage to it now and it may be significant, as he has had this illness for months. Sometimes it even gets into the liver. I read about acidifying the water with citric acid. Evidently this does help control the symptoms but is, of course, not a cure. As you can see, I have been doing my research! I have convinced my husband that we should have Lukie put to sleep and he is so upset. He loves this little bird as much as I do. I think seeing Lukie this morning made him realise it is all too much for our little boy. I just hope the vet doesn't undo all my hard convincing and tell him to try treatment. My husband will grab at any straws offered. He may even change his mind on the way there, but I hope, for Lukie's, sake, he won't. I cried all night - just couldn't sleep. The thought of going to the vet this afternoon and having the deed done is too awful to contemplate. I will let you know the outcome of this visit to the vet. Please pray for us. Thank you for all the wonderful support you have all given me through this. You cannot imagine what a help it has been. Much luv Vonn xxx

Thanks, birluv. He went to the vet today and had a crop feed, which he will have every day, while we wait for the drugs to arrive. They did not have them in the surgery for some reason. Lukie is not eating anything now and is going to be kept alive with crop feeds. Evidently, Megabac-S has been discontinued by Vetafarm due to the cost of production. I have just read that amphotericin B (Fungilin) has been unavailable in the UK since 2006. I do not know the reason. These are the most effective drugs for this condition. I am not sure what the vet is going to give him. I feel it is too late. My husband refuses to accept it and keeps saying that Lukie will pull through. I love this little bird too much to let him suffer. If it was just me, I would have him put to sleep, as hard as this will be. He looks so miserable and I can't stand it. I want to try and convince my husband that it is time to let him go but the vet keeps saying to him that there is hope. I don't believe there is hope, somehow. Another thing that upsets me is that the type of drugs used for this condition, are very toxic and will make Lukie feel very ill. I am just crying all the time. Luv Vonn

My poor little Lukie is not well today. He has been fluffed up all the time and has started vomiting. (He started vomiting, after a week, on this antibiotic the last time. I don't think it agrees with him at all.) He keeps asking for more seed and gets quite worked up if we don't get it quick enough. He wastes most of it and is not eating much as his droppings are few. They don't look all that good anymore either. They seem a little looser today. I phoned the vet first thing, but he has only just returned my call, as he had a very hectic day. He sounded so tired. I am taking Lukie in tomorrow and he will decide what to do. I have asked him to treat him for megabacteria and he has more or less agreed to do it. He says he will decide which drug to use but I want him to use Megabac.! It seems the best one. I also asked him to please give Lukie the first dose, at least, by injection. He said it is too toxic that way. He will give it to him in his crop with a feed each day. It means many long hours travelling but that doesn't concern us. We want to give Lukie the best chance. If after five days of treatment, there is no improvement, then he wants to put Lukie to sleep. I can't bear it. My precious little boy. Luv Vonn

Yes, I got the vitamins. The vet asked me to use Avipro as he says it will help Lukie cope with the effects of the antibiotic. It can give him a yeast infection and taking the Avipro may stop this happening. It's a good idea about the pellets! I will get some. I was going to wait until he is well. I'll let you know how things go. Luv Vonn

How would you boost his immune system, Elly? Which product do you feel is the best? I also meant to mention again that Lukie is eating voraciously. I have never seen him eat so much or so frequently! The vet looked at the seed and husks he leaves and feels that he is definitely eating the seeds, although he does sift through them for his favourites. It is so unusual for him to eat like this - there must be some connection? Thanks again, Elly. Luv Vonn

Hi Elly - just said what I felt. You go to a lot of trouble trying to help people on this forum and are always so kind and supportive. I couldn't leave it at that, when I was quite certain you didn't mean it the way it was taken. As for Lukie getting ill at times of stress eg moulting; yes, he does get ill then. I have noticed it a couple of times. This last time, for example, we had decided to have another go at finger taming him. I was told by a bird behaviourist to try every hour during the day, to get him to sit on my finger. Although he appeared more cross than stressed, it must have stressed him as he got ill shortly after this. We did it very gently, never forcing him to get onto our fingers but he would just fly off with an irritated squawk. We are going to stop trying to tame him now and accept that he doesn't like this kind of contact. We would love to have him tame, but we want him happy far more. He interacts with us in many other ways and we just love him to bits. He is much more alert and active but, having said that, he is still not well. He is often puffed up and we have to keep the room very warm day and night. He eats and drinks as normal and, more importantly, he no longer has diarrhoea or a dirty vent. Most of his droppings are now almost normal but a few are definitely not normal. I still feel concerned for him. It has gone on for a long time. He has had antibiotics for a week now. I don't know how long it takes for the symptoms to subside when treating psittacosis - I must have a look through the forum and see if anyone else's bird had treatment for psittacosis. I feel sure I read a post about that some time ago. Of course, he may not even have psittacosis. What would you do, Elly? Would you wait a bit longer and see how he goes, or go for more tests? I am really grateful for your support - you're a star. Thanks so much, birdluv, for your concern for Lukie, it means a lot to me. It was upsetting to see that poor man on the TV, he was so heartbroken as he was convinced that they had had a dreadful death. The parents should be teaching these children to care for living things, but there are people who seem to have no empathy for living creatures. I can't understand it. My parents always taught us to care for wildlife and pets. My father was quite a character. For example,my mother would be trying to get rid of mice and my father would sneak in and remove the poison, then cut up bits of cheese for them!! Can you believe it!! We were never allowed to kill a spider, either. My parents have passed on now, but we have lots of lovely and amusing memories of them. Very special people. Luv Vonn

Dear Davegf28 You were, obviously, very hurt about Elly's comments, but I feel sure she didn't mean to be rude or hurt you. She probably forgot about the part where you said that money was tight for you RIGHT NOW when writing her post. She answers a lot of posts and it would be easy to make this mistake. Elly is such a supportive and helpful person, I can assure you. She cares about birds so much and goes out of her way to help people on this forum. I feel sure that she would never be deliberately hurtful. I am in the same position as you, having spent well over £300, so far this year, on vet bills for my budgie. They still don't know what's wrong with him either and he may need even more tests and Xrays. I also don't know how we will pay for it, but we will find a way somehow, even if I have to sell something!! I have decided to start a little saving account for my bird. for future vet bills. I had no idea, when we got our bird, that the costs could be so high! I hadn't researched it nearly enough before getting him. As your present financial position is only temporary, you are, fortunately, not in our position. I must say, that even though I would be heartbroken to lose him, I would re-home my bird, if he was suffering and I could not get him the help he needed. I am not experienced enough to give you any practical help, unfortunately,Davegf28. Wish I could help. Until you can see a vet, I should imagine, all you can do really is to keep her warm and fed and also make sure she has lots of rest in a quiet place. As for the costs, the Xrays here in the UK, cost £70 and blood tests cost anything from £25 to £45 each depending on the type of test they do. I think it could be much less expensive in the USA - I notice that many things are much less expensive there, so hopefully vets charge less too! Someone on the forum mentioned that some vets may allow you to pay off the costs over a few months - you could just ask and see what they say. I also have to drive a long way to the Avian vet. There are just not enough of them for some reason. I find that mine always seems to be off duty as well, when I need him most!! I really think your best choice is to phone the avian vet and explain that you have a temporary cash problem and would he consider treating your bird, whilst allowing you to pay off the costs over a couple of months or so. He may be a caring person who wouldn't want your bird to suffer unnecessarily. Please let us know how things go. I will pray that you will find a helpful vet. Luv Vonn

I will tell him, Elly - he'll love to hear that! What a horrible thing to happen to your fish, birdluv. Pleased we are not the only ones who care about our fish. We were beginning to feel like sentimental freaks! Although, having said that there are others like us - a while ago some naughty children had been told off by a neighbour for doing something they shouldn't have been doing ( can't remember what it was now). That night they put washing powder in his fish pond and all his fish died! The poor guy was so upset and had tears in his eyes, when telling the story on the local TV news. He felt that the fish must have had a horrible death. Children just don't think or realise what they are doing. Thanks for your good wishes for Lukie, Phoebe. He is improving each day now, but it is quite a slow improvement. I think this illness really got him run down and it will take him longer to get over it. We are just so relieved to see him improving, though. Luv Vonn

Elly, what a nice thing to say! Thank you so much. I will let you know what happens. Strange that Lukie is only 'tame' when he is frightened - I can't understand why he doesn't like to sit on our fingers or shoulders. On well, they each have their own little likes and dislikes I suppose - the main thing is he is happy. My husband is very good with animals, birds, fish - you name it. One day we got up and found that the outdoor fish pond had sprung a leak during the night and all the fish appeared to be dead. It was upsetting to us as we know each fish and its character. They do have characters, I promise, we are not just being sentimental here. One is the leader of the shoal, another is the brave one who is willing to try anything new (eg new little 'cave' we added or different water feature which he will swim under first etc) another is the loner and keeps to himself a lot, another is the follower and always tries things last. We got to know their characters just by watching them when we are out sitting on the patio. Anyway, my husband took each 'dead' fish, massaged their hearts and blew into their mouths and, one by one, he revived them. The last one seemed beyond hope with glazed fixed eyes, so, as a last resort he applied a gentle stream of bubbly water into its mouth while massaging its heart. After ages it suddenly coughed and spluttered and recovered! They are all fit and well and you'd never think they were at deaths door at one time. Friends thought we were crazy and said we should have just thrown them out and bought new ones. " They're just fish, for heavens sake" was the normal response. They are not just fish to us - we've had them for over 10 years. Luv Vonn xx

HI Thought I would give you and update on Lukie. We had a couple of very worrying nights when he looked very ill. We took him to the vet and he did another test for megabacteria. It was also negative, so he has decided to wait till Monday and see if the antibiotic will take effect. He also gave Lukie a high nutrient 'feed' into his crop to give him a boost. Poor little boy was so stressed out by all the procedures. It was the first time he had been left in a strange environment without us. Last night he had a night fright, but it was to be expected after all he had been through that day. My husband was so good at comforting him and he was soon happy again. Whenever he is really scared he will hop onto your finger without hesitation and then my husband brings him close to his face and chats to him softly. Lukie loves this and it's amazing how quickly his heart rate goes down. It's so sweet the way he rushes to find us when he is scared. We had to leave the light on all night. We tried the infra red lamp on him, but he didn't like it - I think the red colour frightened himl. So we had to keep the whole room warm day and night. Today he is a little puffed up, but nothing like before, so maybe the antibiotic is starting to work. He is feeling very grumpy today, but we noticed that antibiotics do make him grumpy. Once the course is finished the vet will put him on Guardian Angel for a while to build him up again. If he hasn't shown a great improvement by Monday, we have to take him in and he will probably have to have Xrays and blood tests. HUGE expense, which I really don't know how we are going to be able to afford. I asked the vet if we could have one test at a time to make it more affordable. He said that he has to give Lukie an anaesthetic and he doesn't want to do that twice - it's far safer and less stressful for the bird to have all the tests done in one go. I will let you know how things go. Luv Vonn

Thanks, Elly Luv Vonn

Thanks for the replies Elly, Feathers and Phoebe. Lukie is worse today, unfortunately. His poos were very watery at first, which gave me quite a fright, and then back to runny. This afternoon he didn't make a sound just sat all puffed up and looking miserable. He didn't even make his little tweets when he sees me. His antibiotic (doxycycline) has been given to him and I am hoping that he has had some of it. I think he may have, as there were some seed shells in the water, although I never actually saw him drinking it. I held the drinker up to him a number of times but he wouldn't have any. I had to make two litres with de-ionised water and one packet of doxycycline 260mg. I am keeping it in the fridge. I tried to get a Vetark UV protective medication drinker today, but nobody seems to have them here. Maybe Vetark have stop making them? The drinker shows exactly how much your bird has had and so would be really useful. The vet says I must put some Avipro in the water with the doxycycline. I thought that the pro and prebiotics in it would be wiped out by the antibiotic, but the vet seems to think some may survive and help him cope with the long term treatment?! I wish I knew how to administer the antibiotic into his crop (if that is what you do?) but I don't. If he survives tonight, and still looks this bad in the morning, I will phone the vet again and ask him to administer the antibiotic directly. I have some Guardian Angel, which I have never used before, and I am wondering if I could use it while I wait for the Avipro to arrive in 3-5 days? Do you think it would interfere with the antibiotic? I just want to do all I can possibly do to save him. He is really deteriorating. It's so heart breaking. I have contacted the vet twice today and emailed him over the weekend - he is probably sick of me by now!! Before I order the pellets, I will phone Harrisons about freezing them, Elly. I didn't realise they could possibly be kept that long. If they agree with freezing them for that amount of time, it would make it much more affordable. Feathers, the vet hasn't mentioned anything about how to tell if the treatment is working! Can you tell me, please, if you don't mind, that is. Poor little chap has just had a night fright on top of everything! I have managed to settle him again and hopefully he will get to sleep quickly, once more. I will be pleased when morning comes. Thanks again for your support. I can't tell you how much it helps. Luv Vonn xxx

Hi Mel Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear about you losing your birds. Having read your posts, you really did everything possible to try and ensure your birds health. As the others have said, we have to accept that these little chaps die very easily, even if you are doing everything you can for them. It is so hard, and something I am trying to accept myself. You have probably seen all my posts about Lukie, who has a mystery illness. I, too, am a first time bird owner and have relied on the help and support that everyone here has so generously given me. I love this little bird so much and have a real bond with him. I know it will break my heart to lose him. My OH had a talk to me this weekend about having to accept that he may not make it. The thing is Mel, if I do lose him, I still won't regret having had the time I have had with him, as he has given us all so much happiness. I know you must feel like it isn't worth trying again with another bird, but you could be missing out on so much. These little birds respond to your love and care and give it back to you in bucketfulls. They are so entertaining to have around - Lukie gives us many laughs. They each have their own individual characters. It so cute to be greeted in the morning with their 'little back leg stretch' greeting! As my OH said the other day, Lukie really has added lots of sunshine to our lives and for him to say that, is something really unusual. We just have to keep in mind that they do have a relatively short lifespan, anyway, so we will have to say goodbye to each bird eventually. You have just been really unlucky to lose both birds so quickly. Obviously, it is your choice, and perhaps you may need to wait a while before you feel able to take on another bird, but don't give up on having a pet bird because of these two unfortunate experiences. Luv Vonn

Thanks Elly, Feathers and armchairangel for your replies. Elly, I feel sure that you are having to repeat your advice with me!! I have a feeling you did tell me the percentages before. Sorry about that - I have a terrible memory. I really should have looked back at the posts from last time he was ill. I feel much happier if I can just make the pellets part of his diet. If it can take a whole year for him to get used to eating the pellets than I really haven't given it enough time. I will order some more and try again. Can I keep them in the freezer for a couple of months? Their smallest bag will last a very long time. If I can, then it won't be such an expensive waste. Lukie seemed to improve during the day. He stools are normal and he has been much more lively. He is still puffed up at times, so he is definitely in need of medication. I am counting the hours till the postman arrives with the antibiotic. Every time I go to the living room, I am so frightened that he may not be sitting on his perch. It will be such a relief when this is all sorted out. I am just like you armchairangel, thinking that this could be his last. I am so very attached to Lukie. My OH thinks I am far too attached to him!! You mentioned about the protein in the pellets and I wondered if I should stop trying to feed him egg, if I am going to try the pellets again? This would be too much protein then wouldn't it - if he ate any that is!!? I was thinking of trying a egg product, instead of the fresh cooked egg, but perhaps I should just concentrate on the pellets and forget about egg altogether? I will go for tests if I don't get any better. I seem to feel worse in the morning then I take some paracetamol and it makes me feel well enough to carry on and do things. By the evening I need to take more paracetamol! Feathers, the vet says that he is just going to treat Lukie for psittacosis without doing another test as it may also come back with a false negative result. The test costs £45 a time plus the vet bill of £25 so it is a lot of money - well, for us anyway. If the treatment he gives him for six weeks doesn't work, then the expense really starts. The vet said it could be up to £300 in tests and Xrays etc. to try and find out what is causing this illness!! He says it could be a megabacteria, but he says that it is unusual for a bird to be ill for so long with this illness, so he has decided to treat for psittacosis first. I will keep you all informed of how things go. Thanks again for your replies. Luv Vonn