what some signs that old age may be taking its final toll on our geriatric budgies?

to answer my own question i called the vets just moments after posting, older budgies will exibit fluffing up, sleeping, extreme un-coordination, deep slow breathing and sudden inability to fly, among other things

How is your budgie ?

Remember that old age itself is not a disease and that if your budgie is showing signs of any sort of medical problem, it should be seen by your avian vet. Many budgies who seem to just "be old" have got quite a few years left in them. It's like arthritis (which your budgie can get as well), you wouldn't just say "Oh, I'm getting old, might as well suffer through the pain, I'll be dead soon anyway." You treat them until there is nothing else you can do, so don't give up on your budgie just yet.j

 

Oh, also wanted to point out that the signs your vet gave you when you called are symptoms of a sick, possibly dying budgie, not necessarily an old one. They're quite pessimistic!

Edited January 19, 200718 yr by eterri

I agree with Terri and if you believe your bird is not feeling well I would certainly take them to an avian vet (registered) to have them looked over. Many a times I believed that death was knocking on my dog who is now 18yrs old, but what I found most of what was ailing him was fixable.

 

Of course we can not fix everything and everything has a time but when you see that it is a "sick" that is when action needs to be taken to see if anything can be done. Remember a sick bird is in pain and that is another reason a vet should be seen we don't want to see any animal suffer unwanted when we can control or at least work out the issue at hand.

 

Good luck and keep us updated.

Yeah, when Baby was under the weather, we thought it was just because she's so old and that she'd die soon anyway. Then we realized that we should see if there was anything we could do to keep her comfortable till she goes and we brought her in. She had a treatable condition and within days she was better than she had ever been!

 

She is, however, more fluffy when she's resting. I mean like she fluffs more than Cupid and Psyche do. She's not fluffy all the time, just when she's napping. And she naps a little more often/longer than she used to. However, she's still pretty active and vocal and happy.

Bo is at least 13 years old now, so the normal signs of old age are setting in and i've noticed those and have pain management in place for his arthritis and herbal therapy for his liver problems. i took bo in this morning to my the regular vet clinic because the emerge clinic suggested putting him down. which wasn't fair to him, because the vets their are still learning from the vet i usually go to. so i waited over night and this morning we took him in, we've found the issue he has metal poisoning from one of his toys aswell as a enlarged liver

he's now hospitalized, and has a therapy going that will have all the metal in his gut combine and a laxtitive that will allow him to pass it easily (atleast we hope so)

so we've gone from a deaths door budgie where the vets had me say goodbye, to stable and eating perching old man. i get another update later this afternoon,

 

 

i'm praying today

 

 

I love my avian vets!

Thats good to have an answer that is treatable. Good luck with everything. Hope he gets better soon.

Cheers karen

we will keep you and him in our thoughts, thank you for the update.

and please keep us informed

5pm update, the vet said that he is perking up and with more fluids in him its looking better and the treatment is progressing well. our obstical now is his liver, his stool is pointing towards liver problems the urate(?) it greeny so they're doing blood work now to see if its another infection or something else (she didn't say what else it might be) anyway thats all i know i'll post the morning results when i get them. thank you to everyone who is thinking of him! it helps to know other people out there care too,

So glad he is doing better!

glad to hear an update, fingers crossed

My budgies and I are sending positive vibes Bo's way.

Saturday morning update

 

B isn't doing any better; neurological problems are intensifying even with the treatment to get rid of the lead/zinc in his body. He does however show the desire to perch (which is good right?), but when he gets up there he falls asleep and then face plants into the bottom of his incubator. His stance is wide and his head is way back, (something seen more in brain tumor patients than lead/zinc poisoning patients) he's still not eating on his own, three tube feedings a day... I want to keep pushing but financially we're getting close, and him not getting any better. I wish vets would tell you when you should stop pushing, one more test and 24 more hours, I guess, if he doesn't improve we're going to say good bye, and reading chirpy's post on 'Euthanasia, A dark topic that need NOT be so dark' has made this a little easier. Thank you again everyone this is a little easier with the rest of the budgie world listening

:angel1:

we're losing the fight and i'm going to say goodbye now, i'll have all the details when i'm back and emotionally here again

1125am

oh hugs August, good bye is the hardest things anyone can do you will be in my thoughts

My thoughts are with you.

So to conclude this dark chapter in my life, Bo has passed, just 10 minutes before I arrived at the vet clinic he passed peacefully the only way he should have.

His condition was a mixture of his age and the metal poisoning, and anemia (which may have been brought on by either age or metal)

Its likely that Bo died from anima his blood screening showed us that he had 8% red blood cell count, where in a healthy budgie its 40%, they usually loose birds at around 20% so he was really trying. The theory on the origin of his anemia is old age and his spleen was not making enough red blood cells (or his body was destroying them) or the metal in his gizzard was sharp enough to have him slowly bleeding and depleting his RBCs, but that would have taken much longer. In the end he is no longer suffering and he is being cremated and we’re going to toss him to the wind, because he just loved to fly and it’s not fair to keep him in a box or a vase. So fly free little man, you were best first budgie ever!

 

I would like to thank the staff at the Calgary avian and exotic pet clinic, they were really there and offered personal advice that no other vet has done for me.

 

:angel1:

 

ps, part of me thinks this will make no sense and i;m sorry if it doesn't still crying i will be for a few days now.

 

 

 

I'm sorry about Bo, but you did an amazing job with him and I'm sure he knew how much he was loved.

l'm so sorry about Bo ((((((hugs))))) .

August no words will take the pain away and the memories will hurt to remember but always remember he was in your life for a purpose and now he sits on your shoulder as your angel.

 

You did everything you could and you are a wonderful mom. One thing about this forum is that we do understand your love for Bo and the pain in your heart from his loss.

 

RIP little Bo and try to rest August.

Ohh I have tears in my eyes for you and Bo... Its so difficult having a sick pet and having to make the choice between treatment and goodbye. He had a wonderful long life - he's so beautiful and looks really happy in his pictures. I love your idea of letting him fly free...

Thank you everyone for your care and support. I am really at peace with his passing right now, I will miss him so much and its still hurts but it’s a different pain from accidental deaths or preventative deaths in the past. We exhausted every resource we had until he was too weak, I think I may have put him through a little more than I should have but I was really trying to give him a chance. I love him and he’s not hurting anymore.

 

My question is I want to drop something off; I want to leave the vet staff something. They called me late at night to say he was still alive and so that I could sleep, but what do you give them, I know I want to donate a couple hundred dollars for the next budgie that goes in there and its owners can’t afford so I can give them a fighting chance but what do you get the staff? Dinner? Movie tickets? I’m kind of lost, what’s appropriate what’s not?

Thank you

:budgiedance:

wow I was thinking of this same thing when we have to put our 18 yr old dog to sleep what do you do for those who have helped your pet out so much and you emotionally. What a wonderful question and I personally would love to see what others have done.

 

I know I was thinking of a thank you card & a picture of my beloved Brandy. Then I came to a blank myself. So I hate to barge in on your post and request but I was thinking the same thing you were August.

So sorry to hear about little Bo, August. You did the right thing by giving him a chance, although we all do worry how far we take things like vet treatment. Nice about about the vet staff gift. Perhaps something they could all share - like organise a basket of nice goods to be delivered at the surgery or even a dozen wine etc.