My english budgie of 6 years, Mr. Belvedere, seems to be sick. I awoke yesterday morning aroung 7am to him screeching as if he were in pain. I ran over to his cage and he was wobbling back and forth and his wings were sort of sticking out and then he fell to the bottom. Then he sat there for awhile before climbing back up to his perch. He then had the same thing happen where he couldnt seem to keep his balance, almost as if he was having a seizure or stroke or something. The sound he was making was heart wrenching. So, after the second time he fell I lowered all his perches, covered his cage and changed his food and water (even though it was fresh from the day before).

 

Then strangely enough, he just wouldn't have himself sitting at the bottom because he climbed all the way back up and then jumped from the side of the cage to the middle where his swing was still hanging. I then felt bad and moved one of his perches back up higher and he got right on it. The strange thing is that his poops look normal and I watched him eat twice yesterday. He is somewhat puffed out and his tail is bobbing a bit as he breathes, but I have had sick budgies before and he doesn't seem too terrible. He is definitley not himself though. He has been sleeping all day and will even fall asleep while I am looking at him (which he never does). I got this stuff from a pet store called Ornacyn-plus, you put it in the birds water and the type I got is for respiratory diseases.

 

I had an appointment with the vet and canceled it because he seemed to be doing a little better and I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the trama of the vet and the trip there.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or know anything about this medicine I got him? Or most importantly, does anyone know what could have been happening to him this morning?

 

I have him in a covered cage right now in a room with a space heater so, it stays extra warm in there...does anyone know how warm it should be? I sorta wanted him to get hot so, he will be sure to drink his water with the medicine in it.

 

Also, does anyone know about english budgies? I have heard that they don't live as long as regular budgies. Is this true? What is their normal life span?

 

Please help! I LOVE Mr. Belvedere so much and can't stand the thought of life without him!

 

Sorry this is so long!

 

PS: Mr. Belvedere looks like this....

My english budgie of 6 years, Mr. Belvedere, seems to be sick. I awoke yesterday morning aroung 7am to him screeching as if he were in pain. I ran over to his cage and he was wobbling back and forth and his wings were sort of sticking out and then he fell to the bottom. Then he sat there for awhile before climbing back up to his perch. He then had the same thing happen where he couldnt seem to keep his balance, almost as if he was having a seizure or stroke or something. The sound he was making was heart wrenching. So, after the second time he fell I lowered all his perches, covered his cage and changed his food and water (even though it was fresh from the day before).

 

Then strangely enough, he just wouldn't have himself sitting at the bottom because he climbed all the way back up and then jumped from the side of the cage to the middle where his swing was still hanging. I then felt bad and moved one of his perches back up higher and he got right on it. The strange thing is that his poops look normal and I watched him eat twice yesterday. He is somewhat puffed out and his tail is bobbing a bit as he breathes, but I have had sick budgies before and he doesn't seem too terrible. He is definitley not himself though. He has been sleeping all day and will even fall asleep while I am looking at him (which he never does). I got this stuff from a pet store called Ornacyn-plus, you put it in the birds water and the type I got is for respiratory diseases.

 

I had an appointment with the vet and canceled it because he seemed to be doing a little better and I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the trama of the vet and the trip there.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or know anything about this medicine I got him? Or most importantly, does anyone know what could have been happening to him this morning?

 

I have him in a covered cage right now in a room with a space heater so, it stays extra warm in there...does anyone know how warm it should be? I sorta wanted him to get hot so, he will be sure to drink his water with the medicine in it.

 

Also, does anyone know about english budgies? I have heard that they don't live as long as regular budgies. Is this true? What is their normal life span?

 

Please help! I LOVE Mr. Belvedere so much and can't stand the thought of life without him!

 

Sorry this is so long!

 

PS: Mr. Belvedere looks like this....

 

Hi,

I am sorry to hear your budgie is sick. The first thing to do is to go to a bird vet and accurately diagnose the problem. Pet stores aren't qualified to either diagnose a birds illness or prescribe medicines for anything. They are there to sell you ANYTHING they can. It's a dollar thing $$$. There are no studies or qualifications needed to be a pet store owner or shop assistant. Please renew your appointment with the vet as I am sure you would rather know than not know what the problem is. The medicine you are giving him may be totally inappropriate for the condition and cause more harm than good. At the very least he gets a check up and all is well for the near future.

Apparently the english budgie not living as long thing is a fallacy. We have a member here who has had show budgies for 30 years and he has a retirement section of his aviary for long lived english show budgies.

Let us know how things go at the vets. You will feel happier if you do.

Cheers karen

 

 

and welcome to our forum. Happy to have you here

Edited January 10, 200718 yr by Bubbles

Thank you Karen for your response. I figured that was what I should probably do. You don't think that the car ride and being handled by the vet will tramatize him too badly at this point? I am so afraid of making him worse off by taking him out of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My english budgie of 6 years, Mr. Belvedere, seems to be sick. I awoke yesterday morning aroung 7am to him screeching as if he were in pain. I ran over to his cage and he was wobbling back and forth and his wings were sort of sticking out and then he fell to the bottom. Then he sat there for awhile before climbing back up to his perch. He then had the same thing happen where he couldnt seem to keep his balance, almost as if he was having a seizure or stroke or something. The sound he was making was heart wrenching. So, after the second time he fell I lowered all his perches, covered his cage and changed his food and water (even though it was fresh from the day before).

 

Then strangely enough, he just wouldn't have himself sitting at the bottom because he climbed all the way back up and then jumped from the side of the cage to the middle where his swing was still hanging. I then felt bad and moved one of his perches back up higher and he got right on it. The strange thing is that his poops look normal and I watched him eat twice yesterday. He is somewhat puffed out and his tail is bobbing a bit as he breathes, but I have had sick budgies before and he doesn't seem too terrible. He is definitley not himself though. He has been sleeping all day and will even fall asleep while I am looking at him (which he never does). I got this stuff from a pet store called Ornacyn-plus, you put it in the birds water and the type I got is for respiratory diseases.

 

I had an appointment with the vet and canceled it because he seemed to be doing a little better and I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle the trama of the vet and the trip there.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or know anything about this medicine I got him? Or most importantly, does anyone know what could have been happening to him this morning?

 

I have him in a covered cage right now in a room with a space heater so, it stays extra warm in there...does anyone know how warm it should be? I sorta wanted him to get hot so, he will be sure to drink his water with the medicine in it.

 

Also, does anyone know about english budgies? I have heard that they don't live as long as regular budgies. Is this true? What is their normal life span?

 

Please help! I LOVE Mr. Belvedere so much and can't stand the thought of life without him!

 

Sorry this is so long!

 

PS: Mr. Belvedere looks like this....

 

Hi,

I am sorry to hear your budgie is sick. The first thing to do is to go to a bird vet and accurately diagnose the problem. Pet stores aren't qualified to either diagnose a birds illness or prescribe medicines for anything. They are there to sell you ANYTHING they can. It's a dollar thing $$$. There are no studies or qualifications needed to be a pet store owner or shop assistant. Please renew your appointment with the vet as I am sure you would rather know than not know what the problem is. The medicine you are giving him may be totally inappropriate for the condition and cause more harm than good. At the very least he gets a check up and all is well for the near future.

Apparently the english budgie not living as long thing is a fallacy. We have a member here who has had show budgies for 30 years and he has a retirement section of his aviary for long lived english show budgies.

Let us know how things go at the vets. You will feel happier if you do.

Cheers karen

 

 

and welcome to our forum. Happy to have you here

So sorry to hear about Mr B. It's such a worry isn't it... Bear in mind that you're best chance is to go to an avian vet.

 

The Ornacyn-plus medicine you were given is a broad spectrum antibiotic. If you suspect he's really ill, the local avian vet should be able to look at his droppings under the microscope. So if it is another type of pathogen (eg. ones which aren't going to be killed by antibiotics), this will help them determine what exactly it is and give you the right type of medicine. You WILL feel relieved if you can get this type of info, as you'll know what's happening... If you don't have an avian vet, perhaps ask about whether they can check his droppings under the microscope. A lot of vets will have some clue about this, so they may be able to do what is called a Gram Stain (to look for bad bugs) of the droppings...

 

If you are worried about the long trip to the vet, perhaps ask a friend to drive you, so that you can hold the cage and Mr B during the journey. As it's probably very cold where you live (being the Nth hemisphere), warm the car before popping him in and wrap the cage up in full, so he's not exposed... Make sure he's fully covered with many towels or rugs, so he doesn't get chilled...

 

If you're thinking to avoid the vets (not rec'd of course), you would be best to give Mr B. the antibiotic straight into his beak. Then you know that he's getting the stuff into him. But take care to follow the exact instructions on the box - ie. just give him what you are already popping in the water straight into his beak...So don't give him the stuff straight. Just give him what is in the water... Most drinking medicines base the dosage on birds drinking so much per day. However, also remember that this is only an antibiotic - what if he's in pain or has a neurological condition?

 

If you're worried about him falling down again, one thing I tried for my arthritic budgie, is to cut up an old towel (a thin one) and wrap it around the perches - use tape to keep it on. This will make it easier for him to stand. Also perhaps turn a wooden ladder on its side and then cover the ladder with a towel as a soft platform. You could also buy him a piece of mattress foam for his cage floor, so he's protected if he does fall... Just pop paper over it (or whatever you use for his droppings)...

 

If you buy a digital gram scale (like for weighing stuff in the kitchen), you can keep track of his weight each day. Must be grams though. This is a great way to keep check on him, as birds going downhill tend to lose weight. Although remember that it's not a certainty and some birds can die without weight loss...

 

Best of luck with it all. Do go to the vet. You'll feel much better as well.

 

Turbs.

 

Those were some really good ideas Turbs. I would just worry that the budgie's claws would get caught in the toweling. Maybe a different type of material could be used.

Hi Metta and welcome. My daughter's budgie was quite ill a while back, tail pumping, runny nose, fluffed up etc. The best thing to do with a bird like that is to get them straight to an avian vet. The trip shouldn't do him any harm, just use a small hospital cage, padding via towels on the bottom, a low perch and some wet lettuce leaves for water and make sure that you cover the cage. This makes it much less stessful for them.

 

I personally would not give the antibiotics directly into their mouth. The type you have should only be used in their water supply. Budgies are extreemely small animals and you have no way to accurately dose them.

 

I wish you and Mr Belvedere the very best and hope that you will keep us updated on how he is going.

 

Feathers.

So, now I took him to the avian vet. They told me he has a respiratory infection. They don't know what type yet. I have to take him back next week. They did a blood test because his gizard seems a little pushed out and she said that he moved and he now has a "boo boo" on his neck from the needle. They then force fed him some food. However, since I brought him home he looks soooo much worse. He is now sitting on the bottom of the cage and is more puffed out then ever. I feel like I never should have brought him. What do you think? Could he just be spooked? I am supposed to give him this medicine right now through a dropper but I dont even want to do that because he looks so upset and sick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Metta and welcome. My daughter's budgie was quite ill a while back, tail pumping, runny nose, fluffed up etc. The best thing to do with a bird like that is to get them straight to an avian vet. The trip shouldn't do him any harm, just use a small hospital cage, padding via towels on the bottom, a low perch and some wet lettuce leaves for water and make sure that you cover the cage. This makes it much less stessful for them.

 

I personally would not give the antibiotics directly into their mouth. The type you have should only be used in their water supply. Budgies are extreemely small animals and you have no way to accurately dose them.

 

I wish you and Mr Belvedere the very best and hope that you will keep us updated on how he is going.

 

Feathers.

So, now I took him to the avian vet. They told me he has a respiratory infection. They don't know what type yet. I have to take him back next week. They did a blood test because his gizard seems a little pushed out and she said that he moved and he now has a "boo boo" on his neck from the needle. They then force fed him some food. However, since I brought him home he looks soooo much worse. He is now sitting on the bottom of the cage and is more puffed out then ever. I feel like I never should have brought him. What do you think? Could he just be spooked? I am supposed to give him this medicine right now through a dropper but I dont even want to do that because he looks so upset and sick.

 

I'm sorry he isn't feeling well after the trip. Do you know what he was given with the needle? Keep him in the warm room like you were doing, the heat helps them work against the illness more rather than trying to keep themselves warm. I was told by my vet that around 40 degrees was about right for them. But I was using a bed lamp right next to the cage so they could be as close or as far away as they felt they needed to be.

 

To give the meds hold him gently, bring the dropper from the side of the beak for better control. I was told this way again by my vet when I was using a syringe to give meds via the beak. I know you feel bad but it's up to you to get this meds into him to help.

Do you think it is strange that they didn't examine his droppings? I am just thinking about this now and realizing that they didn't. I don't even know how they diagonsed him with a respiratory problem. I was so worried about him that I forgot to ask them all of the important questions. I am giving him the medicine with the syringe and he hates it. He feels so skinny now when I hold him. Did you bird get better with the medication? What was wrong with him? I really hope this helps him. I felt like he was better off before I brought him there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, now I took him to the avian vet. They told me he has a respiratory infection. They don't know what type yet. I have to take him back next week. They did a blood test because his gizard seems a little pushed out and she said that he moved and he now has a "boo boo" on his neck from the needle. They then force fed him some food. However, since I brought him home he looks soooo much worse. He is now sitting on the bottom of the cage and is more puffed out then ever. I feel like I never should have brought him. What do you think? Could he just be spooked? I am supposed to give him this medicine right now through a dropper but I dont even want to do that because he looks so upset and sick.

 

I'm sorry he isn't feeling well after the trip. Do you know what he was given with the needle? Keep him in the warm room like you were doing, the heat helps them work against the illness more rather than trying to keep themselves warm. I was told by my vet that around 40 degrees was about right for them. But I was using a bed lamp right next to the cage so they could be as close or as far away as they felt they needed to be.

 

To give the meds hold him gently, bring the dropper from the side of the beak for better control. I was told this way again by my vet when I was using a syringe to give meds via the beak. I know you feel bad but it's up to you to get this meds into him to help.

When the avian vet took the blood sample from the neck, he was taking it from the carotid artery ( like one did with my bird ). Did he take the blood sample straight out to a microscope and examine it ? Thats usually what they do to work things out. My avian vet holds the bird really well so no movement when taking bloods from the neck area. Maybe your one is feeling a bit sore from the error in bloodtaking. I would have thought the droppings would have been examined, unless of course you had already told him they were normal ? or unless the vet was very sure of his diagnosis from the bloodwork.

Hope he gets well soon

Mine is better and still kicking it out in Tweetaville. She did have a different issue.

 

Can you tell us the meds you were given?

 

I have also had to med the whole flock becuase of an upper respiratory infection and was given Doxy-T to mix in the water for a month (or just over) Via the mouth is always a better option with birds becuase of the non-drinking thing.

I know what you mean by the claw issue... Strangely though my budgies have lived with this arrangement for years without a hitch... The weave is too tight for their claws on the ones I use... If you get a really old towel, it's mostly flat. The downside with towels though is the cleaning... I'm continually having to cut up towels! Washing them works, but they do wear out...

 

Hi Metta,

 

Yes - it's very strange and not good practice that they didn't look at his droppings... First step is to give him his antibiotic... Which one is it? I hope it's not Baytril cause it tastes so awful. If it is an infection, then there is a good chance things will clear. But you really have to be regimented in giving him medicine.

 

Next step if you're really worried and he's not improving in 24-36hrs, get him to produce a dropping and take it to the avian vet - put it in a plastic bag and make sure it's fresh, not dried up.. They can then do a microscope test, culture to see what type of bug it is. Then they'll know 100% that the antiobiotic you're giving him is working (called a culture test - ie. to find the bug and a sensitivity test - to test which antibiotic kills the bug).

 

If they can't do this, I would without any doubt in my mind, look for another avian vet. Best hop on the phone and ask them about whether they can do the microscope/culture and sensitivity test... If they are good, ring them back if he's not getting any better.

 

Remember that budgies can recover from such illnesses. I've had some I thought were on death's door and they've recovered... So have faith, keep him warm and give him the medicine. Hugs from Turbs.

 

 

 

Do you think it is strange that they didn't examine his droppings? I am just thinking about this now and realizing that they didn't. I don't even know how they diagonsed him with a respiratory problem. I was so worried about him that I forgot to ask them all of the important questions. I am giving him the medicine with the syringe and he hates it. He feels so skinny now when I hold him. Did you bird get better with the medication? What was wrong with him? I really hope this helps him. I felt like he was better off before I brought him there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, now I took him to the avian vet. They told me he has a respiratory infection. They don't know what type yet. I have to take him back next week. They did a blood test because his gizard seems a little pushed out and she said that he moved and he now has a "boo boo" on his neck from the needle. They then force fed him some food. However, since I brought him home he looks soooo much worse. He is now sitting on the bottom of the cage and is more puffed out then ever. I feel like I never should have brought him. What do you think? Could he just be spooked? I am supposed to give him this medicine right now through a dropper but I dont even want to do that because he looks so upset and sick.

 

I'm sorry he isn't feeling well after the trip. Do you know what he was given with the needle? Keep him in the warm room like you were doing, the heat helps them work against the illness more rather than trying to keep themselves warm. I was told by my vet that around 40 degrees was about right for them. But I was using a bed lamp right next to the cage so they could be as close or as far away as they felt they needed to be.

 

To give the meds hold him gently, bring the dropper from the side of the beak for better control. I was told this way again by my vet when I was using a syringe to give meds via the beak. I know you feel bad but it's up to you to get this meds into him to help.

If you want to take a fecal sample to the vet without bringing your bird back, remember that a fresh sample is only good for about 45 minutes. Any older than that and your vet will not be able to get accurate information from looking at it. The best way to get a good sample is to put wax paper down in place of the newspaper. When your bird goes, take the end of a toothpick and put the sample in a small section of aluminum foil. Fold it over to wrap it up and take it to the vet. Gram stains are used to determine how much yeast and bacteria (gram - and gram +) are in the system.

 

Did you take your bird to an avian vet? Unfortunately, regular vets do not always know much about birds. A lot of sick birds do stress out after a vet visit, but they don't feel well anyway. Keeping your bird warm is a good idea. A budgies normal body temp is a lot higher than ours, and when they are sick they are not able to regulate their core temperature well. If you can keep his hospital cage at 80-85 degrees F, that would be good.

 

Do you know when the blood test results are supposed to come back? Did you talk much to the vet about when he kept falling off the perch? I hope things are looking up, please keep us posted about Mr. Belvedere. How old is he?

Mr. Belvedere is around 6 years old. He has always been a very healthy bird. The medicine they gave me to give him is called Baytrill suspension. I have to give it to him twice a day with a syringe. He hates it, I feel so bad. He seems to be a little better. Still looking very thin and you can still see him breathing...his whole body moves when he breathes. His tail isn't pointed down anymore (which the vet told me was bad) but it is still bobbing as he breathes. I noticed him playing a little today with the towel on his cage and also tweeting a little bit. Yet, now he has runny droppings...ever since he came home from the vet. Do you think this is from the medicine? Today was his third day taking it. How long would it normally take before I would see him feeling better? Also, I can't tell how much he is eating. I have seen him at the dish and see empty shells, but the vet said that sometimes they pretend to eat so you think they are feeling okay. So, how are you supposed to know if they are eating?

 

The vet called and told me that his blood test came back with everything normal for his liver and kidneys. However, his white blood cell count was very high. She then proceeded to tell me how I should try going to this other vet who is a little bit cheaper then her. When I asked if he was an avian vet, she told me that he wasn't but she knew that he has worked with birds a lot. Isn't that strange? I mean she knew that I am a student and didn't want to go broke over vet appointments, but I had already spent $157 for my visit to her. Maybe she was just trying to be nice, but I felt like she knew she wasn't going to get much more money out of me so, she wanted me to go somewhere else. Not to mention that amount was for the blood test, the visit, medicine and the feeding for him and I am still left with so many questions. Like she never did a coulture or tested his droppings and I am still unsure of what exactly I am supposed to do. If I don't see improvements soon. Should I get his droppings tested?

 

Are vets always this expensive?

I'm sorry to hear about Mr Belvedere.

I've never had a big vet visit (thank goodness) but from what I gather, yes, vets are expensive. But it is a small price compared to what could happen.

 

I too find it odd that they didn't even take a look at the droppings, so they must have been damn sure it was respiratory infection alone (or they didn't know what they were doing). The respiratory and digestive systems are separate from each other (until things get really wrong). and tail bobbing is associated with respiratory problems. However, it can also be the case where some other problem has lowered the immunity and led to the respiratory infection.

 

Keep him warm and hydrated. To make it easier for him to breathe, I suggest a gentle steam, like from a kettle in the room or in the bathroom.

 

The runny poops could be associated with the antibiotics, which will disrupt normal bacteria in the digestive system (I remember getting antibiotics for one of my budgies. Vet said to give a certain dose but the only thing that would happen if I went over was that her poops would go watery), It could also be stress, simply from forcing him to take the medicine. Has he lost any weight?

 

If the white cell count is very high, then it is indeed an infection of some kind. The antibiotics should catch any bacteria. From what I remember from uni, the longest treatment is three months for one specific nasty bug. If it works, I think at least a week should show improvement, though I'm not too sure. Most infections are from bacteria so there is a good chance the antibiotics will fix it. However, antibiotics won't catch viruses or fungi. The only way to be sure is to do diagnostics on the blood and poop. I'd get the droppings tested. If not, can you find another avian vet?

Edited January 13, 200718 yr by Chrysocome

Good to hear that you're getting the meds into him. You're doing the right thing. Don't stop - as the consequences of stopping will be worse. Remember when a bird shows they are sick, it often means that they've been sick for a while. So, it will be likely to take a while to get over it... The trick is keeping up the meds.

 

My experience is that it takes at least 2 days to show a small sign of improvement (eg. 10%) and maybe 4-5 days before you know for certain (eg. where you may notice a 20% improvement). But getting back to 100% may take 2-3wks. Just like when you get antibiotics to treat a chest infection in winter - it takes some time. So think of him as like a person with a best chest infection - they can get better, but it can take time.

 

Yes - Baytril is foul tasting. Mixing it with a drop of red cordial (not sure what it's called in the US, but basically drink syrup you mix with water), helps disguise the flavour. Or even a drop after it to take the taste away. My avian vet rec'd it and it was quite a useful suggestion...

 

Nevertheless, Baytril is at least a good antiobiotic. One of the better ones. So it's good news you've been given a good one that covers many bugs.

 

If you're really still worried and can afford another trip to the vet, go to another to get a culture and sensitivity test. Then you'll know 100% that it's the right antiobiotic. Below is a web site with a list of Avian vets. Even ring them if no luck on the web (wasn't sure where you are in the US).

 

http://aav.org/vet-lookup/

 

Wet droppings are likely to be from the bug and maybe a bit of medicine too. But my guess is the bug mostly.

 

Tweeting is a great sign! Once again, getting a gram kitchen scale to weigh him is best. Take a baseline and his weight in the evening before bed should be at least 2-3g more than first up in the morning (ie. he needs to eat at least 2-3g of food/seed in the night to maintain his daily weight)... Note also that this may vary 1g or so, depending on his size. This is the best indication he's eating... You can also feel the food in his crop (his throat area) each night. There should be a small little lump of food. This "theory" by the way is based on years of weighing many sick mid size (non-english) budgies...

 

If he's not eating, an Avian vet can also crop needle him some food. So if he's not improving and you're not able to do this yourself, you're best to take him to an avian vet hospital and they'll give him lots of food to build him up again. The usually give hand rearing formula. They can put a little tube into his throat and deposit the food. Doesn't hurt him at all, but will do him good... A little stress is better than starving.

 

Am I right to understand that they did this crop feeding at the last vet surgery? If so, even if they may not be so thorough, take him back and get him fed if he's not eating. Use them for what they're worth.

 

Re the costs of vets, remember that avian vets are highly trained professionals. Doctors essentially with specialist quals. So their fees aren't structured based on the price of the birdies...

 

Re your vet, the thing I wondered - Are they being nice re the costs or fobbing you off simply because they don't have the expertise? That was the question in my mind... Not sure. If in doubt, go with your gut feel.

 

Do hope Mr B. gets better soon. Will be thinking about him.

 

Mr. Belvedere is around 6 years old. He has always been a very healthy bird. The medicine they gave me to give him is called Baytrill suspension. I have to give it to him twice a day with a syringe. He hates it, I feel so bad. He seems to be a little better. Still looking very thin and you can still see him breathing...his whole body moves when he breathes. His tail isn't pointed down anymore (which the vet told me was bad) but it is still bobbing as he breathes. I noticed him playing a little today with the towel on his cage and also tweeting a little bit. Yet, now he has runny droppings...ever since he came home from the vet. Do you think this is from the medicine? Today was his third day taking it. How long would it normally take before I would see him feeling better? Also, I can't tell how much he is eating. I have seen him at the dish and see empty shells, but the vet said that sometimes they pretend to eat so you think they are feeling okay. So, how are you supposed to know if they are eating?

 

The vet called and told me that his blood test came back with everything normal for his liver and kidneys. However, his white blood cell count was very high. She then proceeded to tell me how I should try going to this other vet who is a little bit cheaper then her. When I asked if he was an avian vet, she told me that he wasn't but she knew that he has worked with birds a lot. Isn't that strange? I mean she knew that I am a student and didn't want to go broke over vet appointments, but I had already spent $157 for my visit to her. Maybe she was just trying to be nice, but I felt like she knew she wasn't going to get much more money out of me so, she wanted me to go somewhere else. Not to mention that amount was for the blood test, the visit, medicine and the feeding for him and I am still left with so many questions. Like she never did a coulture or tested his droppings and I am still unsure of what exactly I am supposed to do. If I don't see improvements soon. Should I get his droppings tested?

 

Are vets always this expensive?