Jopalis

The vet said we can put it in fruit. But I have to be sure she will eat it all. That's why I thought about just putting a toothpick in a grape to make the whole a little bigger. She just gets a little of the meds. My neighbor is great with our pets. The dog and cats will have feeders so birdie will be the only one requiring a little more care. I will talk to him about it.... I think she will be happier at home. I don't know if I can pre-fill the grapes and have them ready for him to just give her. Not sure if something could change with the med in the grape.... Thanks! Do you just feed them the applesauce off a spoon? Last night I tried it with mashed banana and she tasted it but then refused it....

Iknow... I am actually looking for alternatives because I feel she would be traumatized by the boarding and handling of others.... That's not good for her heart either.... It's not the money. She has just gotten used to my husband grabbing her and giving her her meds and she adores him. The vet told us if she got too upset getting the meds we should not do it because of the trauma. Also, I am not too keen on a tech doing it.... The vet put her on these meds because I specifically asked about them. There is not much clinical data on them. It is basically a blood thinner. If I could trust my neighbor to measure the meds right and put it in one small grape maybe she would get some of it. Some better than none. I don't like the idea of boarding her. She was a mess and a nervous wreck last time she went to the vet....

Hi there.For those of you familiar with Tobie's story...you may recall she is 37 yr old female Grey. She has artherosclerosis from eating too many seeds and people food in her lifetime. We had to lower her perch to the bottom of her cage as she would fall asleep and fall to the bottom. She was put on a blood thinner administered twice a day. Good news is she has adjusted to eating a diet of pellets with some fruit and veggies occasionally. Vet says this is best. Also although she gripes to being grabbed with a towel by hubby (she loves him), she has gotten pretty used to it and it is more like grumbling now instead of shrieking. Here's my problem.... We are going on vacation for 10 days. My neighbor normally checks on our pets when we go away. I can't expect anyone to grab her and give her her meds. I can board her at the vets and let tecs do it but I think this will be traumatic for her too. I thought of putting the meds in a grape. She loves grapes and generally only discards the peel. I know there is no guarantee she will eat it or all of it but she would get some of her meds. I also am not sure if we prefill the grapes if the grape itself would break down the meds..... Vet already said not to put it in her water. I just wondered if there were any ideas out there or if anyone does anything else with meds. I figure if she only got one grape in the morning and one at night..chances are she would eat it (and her pellets of course but grape is treat). So looking for ideas..... I could ask neighbor to put the drop of meds in the grape but scared he wouldn't measure it right or something.... She seems stronger and perkier. She has adjusted to sleeping on the bottom of the cage. Also someone here once suggested a shelf perch at an online store and I was wondering what that was. I had her in a travel cage for quite a while but she was sad. So we put her back in her big cage and she climbs around. She doesn't fall from climbing...She uses her beak and even though one claw is diminished in use (probably small stroke).... she can use it and her other claw...so doesn't fall. Only falls when sleeping. We also have to put a cheapie food and water cup in the bottom. I hate this cause if she climbs she poops in it. Looking for any and all suggestions. Feed cup holder had to be turned around and not used since her perch is on bottom and if she uses the cups she would go to sleep with her head in them and fall.... Oh well we are accomodating are elderly bird as best we can.....

Thanks so much!

I had her in a room I kept at 80ish.... The doc said, however, that what is wrong with her is not an illness that heat will help. I do watch her to see if she is hot or cold and keep the a/c at around 78. Keep her out of the direct blow of the a/c too. She's not exactly taking meds in stride. She squawks quite loudly but seems to recover. Before when she could reach the newspaper she would immediately start tearing it up and throwing it on the floor... made us laugh... Sometimes if she "bites" my husband, it is just like a pressure bite... like she's a tad pissed... They are such characters! We're doing what we can... God willing we'll have a bunch more quality time. Thanks again. Pat

Hi there. Thanks for asking about Tobie! I appreciate your caring very much. Well, she is eating her pellets well. She gets meds 2x a day by syringe. As you might expect she doesn't take getting the meds too well. She loves my husband so he is the one who administers it. He has to grab her with a small towel and wrap her in it to confine her. He talks soothingly to her the whole time...she squawks loudly and then settles down a bit. She seems to recover quickly once it is all over. He cuddles and pets her a bit before putting her in the cage and we try to give her a small treat. Stresses me, the dog, etc. when she is squawking. In all, so far I think it is going ok. She seemed kind of depressed in the small travel cage. Perch has to be on the bottom because she falls asleep and falls. With it on the bottom, she settles down and her bottom goes down on the the bottom of cage and I think she rests better. She still climbs around the cage. With her beak, her good foot and her limited foot she doesn't seem to fall. So we decided to try putting her back in her large cage. Again with just one perch...wrapped and on the bottom. She seemed perkier immediately in her cage like...."I'm home". Her meds are calcium, omega fatty acids and a heart med that thins her blood a bit. She has artery blockage and a slightly enlarged heart. She gets a bit of sun time in the mornings but overheats quickly and this scares us with her heart problems. So, we are very careful with it. This seems to be the best we can do right now. God willing it is enough. We are giving her lots of loving. She wants her head scratched incessantly. We push her over by the couch and open the door and she comes to the edge for her scratches and talking.... She is not very well hand trained. We love her.... Pat

You know... My avian vet was going off on the American diet and how unhealthy it is and how we feed our pets similarly. I did feel guilty. I guess if we ate right most of the time and had the occasional oops it would be one thing however.... I kept thinking I should be eating the way the bird is now.... healthy food, omega fatty acids, calcium... a little sun.... berries, veggies.... Small amounts of lean protein. Yeah... It has been harder for me to stop giving Tobie our people food. Plus when we sit down to dinner she repeats "Good?" over and over.... She started that before me. Well, last night I did give her some kale and sweet potato but not the meat. Old habits are so hard to break...

With the warmer weather you might consider using the fryer outside and away from the bird. Helps the house not have that fry odor.... I would think we could either move the item or the bird far away from each other. FAR AWAY....

Yes Dan... I am sure you are right. She is just not up to handling the heat and when I saw how hard she was panting I was so upset with myself. I am sure that was not great for her already heart problems. I had been watching her but it happened so quickly. It's the umbrella table for her from now on. I'm glad she can get enough UV indirectly. I was wondering. Also it's going to get hot today so I want to go have my coffee and sit out with my birdy for a bit.... Have a wonderful day! Pat

I know... I also know my Mom used the occasional non-stick fry pan as have I in the 5 yrs I have had Tobie. She is 37. Maybe they vary in sensitivity and maybe it depends on how you use the pan. My MIL once took one of my expensive non-sticks and pre-heated it and ruined the bottom. Now I would bet it let off a lot of fumes. Bird wasn't there thankfully. Mostly I use an exhaust fan over my range if I use them as well. I will definitely be more careful now though....

Amen to that!

You're welcome. It's in lots of things...not just pans. Scary!

Thanks I found several articles and one cites other trade names besides just teflon. http://www.exoticbird.com/teflon.html http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/teflon4.htm http://theaviary.com/teflon.shtml http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=2874

I am not sure if all non-stick pans are teflon.... How could I tell?

Your welcome. I checked on the space heater I use and thankfully no teflon. I do use non-stick pans though... Anyone else? I also wonder about those bendy multi colored string perches. Tobie won't have it in her cage but I think they are popular. Wonder if they are the ones that can be ingested...?<br><br>Post edited by: Jopalis, at: 2008/05/15 00:30