Well that was scarey!! I took Charley in to the avian vet to have his wings clipped. Fine. He was a model patient, didnt try to bite, didnt squawk, just perfect. She loved him. SHe also did a "swab on a slide" test, checked him all over, heartbeat etc all fine.. just needed the worming mixture into his crop, she put the "needle" thing in and assured me it wasnt hurting him,just a little uncomfortable and not very nice tasting. When she pulled the needle out the tip was covered in blood. She seemed a little taken aback and had no idea what this could be. She put him back in his cage for a minute to see how he went. He shook his head and I noticed blood on his eye. I thought he was bleeding from the eye (he wasnt!!!), I felt sick, I had to sit down as I even felt like I was going to faint (weakling????). However aparently it was a little drop of blood that he had shaken onto his eye. She said he had vomited a little which sometimes happens when the worming liquid goes in, although she did say this sort of thing hasnt happened before.

 

She took him back out and wiped him and had another look in his 'mouth' but he seemed fine. The bleeding stopped almost instantly and he was looking quite calm and "normal" again. No longer shaking his head. After a few minutes he was his old self but she said to keep an eye on him tonight. When we were home again he was playing, eating and drinking although I havent heard him chatting yet, but it was late and he'd had a tough time so I'll see how he is in the morning.

 

She said he's a little overweight (she weighed him but I cant remember how many grams he was) and said if he's on bird seed, to try to wean him off it onto the pellets (which I bought from them). She gave me some info on the best way to do this, plus some other documents on health etc. The whole episode cost me $158 which was a BIT of a shock, but always, as you all know, you cant put a price on the love of your little mate!!

 

He seems fine now and quite happy for me to tickle his neck again, not at all afraid of being handled. I'll give him tomorrow to settle down and then on the weekend I'll see how he is coping with his clipped wings... she said if I feel he still has too much flight I can bring him back (or do it myself but I dont like that idea).

 

Phew... it gave me such a terrible fright!! I thought I'd lost my little buddy!! :fear

Edited October 30, 200816 yr by thk

Well I am glad he is okay, keep an eye on him. Did you say this was an avian vet or a regular vet?

:fear Oh what a scare ... Glad to hear that he is fine ...

 

YES we can not put a price on LOVE

Very scary times Hope all is well from here on

Well I am glad he is okay, keep an eye on him. Did you say this was an avian vet or a regular vet?

 

Elly... this was with a recommended avian vet. I think it was the vet nurse. She seemed to be very efficient and examined him thoroughly after the event and said she had no idea what could have caused it. She gave him a good check over, she felt around his neck and crop and said nothing seemed to be wrong there. He didnt seem to be in any pain.

 

The slide smear was of his dropping and was all okay. She also checked him for mites. She was very thorough and I was impressed with her. But... I WAS terrified as I have heard that it doesnt take much blood loss to be "too" much for a little budgie. The bleeding didnt last long at all though so fingers crossed he's fine in the morning. I guess the fact that he's eating and playing is a good sign?

maybe she just abrased him slightly that is all I can think, I am just glad he okay.

I'm glad that he is okay

What a scare

I hope everything will be okay.

I think I would have had the same reaction as you if I took one of my babies to the vet and thought something they had done on a routine check up was going to cause their death!! :party0011:

 

So glad he is okay and I hope he is all back to his normal self today

Scary! Glad he's okay. I honestly don't think you'll have much reason to worry about him still having "too much flight" - if the main purpose was to tame him and keep him from banging into windows I doubt he'll have much flight to do that, even if he still has some.

Charley seems fine today. I have to admit, I slept very little last night (he sleeps in my bedroom). I just couldnt relax. In the middle of the night I was ALMOST tempted to check on him but thought better to let him rest after his stressful evening. This morning I held my breath when I lifted his cover (I'm sure you ALL know that feeling!!!!!) I was almost too afraid to look. He was on his perch, looked at me sideways (as they do!) and said "what are you doing?" PHEW!! He was fine!! I could have kissed him!

 

His droppings were a little different today, a bit runnier and green, I'm presuming its due to the worming syrup she gave him?

 

I did take the vet's advice, got rid of the perches and put in some branches, different thicknesses. He loves them. While I was redecorating his house he escaped, fluttered and landed gently on my bed. I was able to just pick him up and put him back in the cage.

 

I then put the whole cage on the floor, opened the doors and took out his little ladder, setting it against the cage on the outside, took his toys out and started rolling his favourite little plastic ball on the carpet. He was soon interested enough to hop on my hand and onto the floor. He had never been on the floor before (always flew away.. up somewhere high!). His cage is also higher up on a bookcase, about my eye level. I put the cage back up there when we've finished "playing".

 

He found the carpet so interesting.. kind of nibbling at it, walking on it, then he started kicking the ball around and walked up his ladder back into his cage (he loves his cage... even at the vets she put him on the table and he fluttered straight into his cage. It was a nice feeling to know he feels so secure there.)

 

I also have a smaller branch which I propped up onto the outside of the cage and against the open cage door, so that he had somewhere to perch just off the ground. I will keep adding to it this way so that he has a kind of play gym when he's out. I find on the floor is ideal (I live alone so not a great deal of danger in being stepped on!) as I sit on the floor with him and we have "playtime" together. This is what I have wanted so badly to do for so long but he always flew away. I am thrilled that we can now spend more time together. As he gets more confident walking around on the floor, or fluttering around he can be out of his cage more when I'm there.

 

I am dying to take some photos of him playing but will wait until he's a little more comfortable with it.

Yes, I know that feeling and then sometimes he is behind something and I can't find him and I panic. I am glad Charlie is himself again and playing up a storm.

:yes: Great news! I'm so pleased for you both.