rbpittman Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Well General Beauregard Grey (Beau) has been home for one week. He went three nights straight without shredding any more of his wing feathers, and with the help of aloe gel, it seemed to be working. Unfortunately, he decided to shred one of the remaining two flight feathers on his right wing and I had to clip it off and the last flight feather itself. He had chewed them from the inside of his wing to the tip. With the application of the aloe gel I have been able to examine his wing closely and will be taking Beau to see Dr. Jose (AV) on Wednesday. After a conversation with him he wants to examine the wing and possibley remove the remaining feather shafts. He feels that the chewed remains are creating the intense irritation that causes Beau to continue to chew on them. We will see the outcome after the visit. Unfortunately, aloe will not soften what remains of the feather itself. My biggest fear about the visit on Wednesday will be that Dr. Jose wants to clip Beau's left wing to "match" his right wing. This is where I need the advice of those who have had grey's who have had chewed and barbed feathers on one wing. On the bright side, Beau is eating much better than he was while in the shop. His hand feedings are more for comfort than for hunger, he will take about 3 bites of the formula and happily go to his pellets and eat them. His weight is a little lower than I would have expected for a male grey, 397 this morning, but has been between 395 and 400 consistently since I brought him home. As a comparison, Dixie who eats like a pig, weighed in at 392 this morning. If there is more information I should ask Dr. Jose about this particular problem that I may not have thought about, please chime in, I don't want the feather cheweing to become a habit and since I clipped those remaining two feathers he does not appear to be chewing as much. Any advice or comments are greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 I am happy that Beau is eating better now.As for the vet visit,the vet may well wish to even the wings out,this will help balance and help the wings grow back even. Its hard to say without seing the extent of the problem but I am sure the vet will do whats right for Beau.I think irritation could be a cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Ah, poor little GBG - glad to hear he is eating better - the wings will be next! You're doing such a great job Robin - I hope the vet trip goes well. On the subject of weight - Harvey only weighs between 430 to 440g in the morning, always weighed after his bomb and I don't think he's underweight - GBG will get there - he just has to be thankful for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Good luck with the vet visit. I hope the vet can straighten it all out! General Beauregard Grey has a great parront! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Good luck Robin on the vet visit and he might want to clip the other wing feathers to even it out so he is balanced but it is going to take a while for them to grow back in so it may be just as well. Thats great that he is eating better now and his weight will stabalize soon. Thanks for keeping us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 rbpittman wrote: My biggest fear about the visit on Wednesday will be that Dr. Jose wants to clip Beau's left wing to "match" his right wing. This is where I need the advice of those who have had grey's who have had chewed and barbed feathers on one wing. I don't have personal experience with the situation your facing. But, if the other wing is not bothering GBR, I would tell them to leave it alone. Trying to "Match" that wing to the other could start barbering on that side. Your doing such a GreYt job of taking care of him Robin!! Just reading of how you are caring for him brings great joy to my heart and I'm sure GBR's. :-) Karma to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 I so wish today was Wednesday - I hate the waiting part. Since I clipped the two flight feathers that were remaining on Beau's right wing he has not messed with any of them. His left wing is perfect except for a little ratty on one feather from being in the smaller cage at the shop. Yesterday he "enjoyed" his first bath. While he didn't fight or argue with it, I'm not sure he was entirely happy, but his mood seemed much calmer than previously. He played more and ate more. His weight this morning was 394 down from 397 yesterday. Not sure if it's because he played more or not, but he was definitely more active. This morning he clumsily flew down from his cage and climbed the ladder to Dixie's window swing. He likes it as much as she does. She is standing watch while on her boing, not at all bothered that he is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Thats great that Dixie isn't bothered by his using her window swing, lets hope it continues that way and be sure to let us know tomorrow what happens at the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Glad to hear that Dixie is tolerating Beau on "her" swing! Hope all continues to go well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted October 15, 2009 Author Share Posted October 15, 2009 Oh what a long day. Today we saw Dr. Jose (AV) to find out what's up with Beau's wing. All said and done he extracted 22 feathers from his wing - 10 flight and 12 secondary. The concensus was that as long as the feathers remained Beau would continue to chew on them and could potentially injury himself more. The removal was done under sedation. We also had a complete work up, x-ray, screenings for every virus imaginable (this is a good thing) and are scheduled to go back 10/29 for a check-up. I took pictures from immediately after the plucking to show the progress of his feathers coming back in on his breast and the progression of damage on his wing. Dr. Jose is very happy with this progress and since Beau doesn't appear to be plucking the new growth he doesn't not think it will be a chronic problem. As far as the wing is concerned, that may be, depending on how he does when the new feathers grow back in. For the meantime Beau is now on pain killers for the next week, and must be kept low in his cage to prevent falls and damage to the new feathers when they start coming in. All in all I was at the vet for what seemed an extremely long time, but feel that Beau received some of the best care on earth. Dixie and Sterling have both seen Dr. Jose, but it was for "check-up" visits with no complaints. The level of concern Dr. Jose showed with Beau was comparable to my own, which makes him the best in my book. At the moment, Beau is sedately sitting on his perch eating his pellets - let's hope this is a sign of recovery and great things to come. He is not upset with me (I was afraid he would be) and even perched on my shoulder long enough after we got home to take a nap - head tucked and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Poor Beau, he had quite an ordeal today but hopefully it will work in the long run so I have my fingers crossed it does. Dr. Jose seems like a wonderful avian vet, wish they were all like him, it sounds like the money spent was all worth it. Beau is a trooper to endure what he did today and still be lovey with you, keep us informed how he gets along and take good care of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Dr. Jose sounds like a caring and knowledgeable vet. I hope this surgery will do wonders for Beau's recovery to being a fully flighted grey. Beau is a real trooper, please keep us updated Robin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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