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Sneezing


Doug

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Ellie has been sneezing from the day that I got her. Give or take - I wasn't looking for it the first two days - I brought her to the vet about 48 hours after I brought her home for the first time. He noticed her sneezing...

 

The vet (not avian-certified, but handles most of the birds in the area) said there was gram-negative bacteria in her nostrils. He took a sample to culture this, but the results were negative (nearly two weeks before I got the results - WTF?). He also said there was yeast in her mouth. He put her on a two-week regimen of antibiotic and antiyeast medicine. Because I was on a business trip during the second half of the regimen, my wife gave Elegua the medicine. Ellie didn't go back to the vet until one week after finishing the medicine. (As soon as I got back, I noticed that Ellie was still sneezing, but my wife wasn't looking for it and she hadn't noticed. Just a sneeze, right?)

 

I took Ellie back and the vet started her on different antibiotic, with a probiotic chaser. (Ellie LOVED the probiotic...)

 

Ellie was on the second antibiotic for two weeks.

 

I took her in again on Monday (24 October). The vet said that he saw some gram-positive bacteria and some yeast. He started her on a three week regimen of anti-yeast (Diflucan) medicine.

 

He said that if this doesn't work, we will need to do some type of sinus-flushing (bird Neti pot?) or a nebulizer to get into the deeper sinus cavities.

 

So, the real question is: how serious are the sneezes?

 

Is it an allergy? How can I tell? If it is an allergy, is it a real problem? (Elegua has a lot of energy, she's eating well, her poop looks normal, her feathers look good...)

 

I've already spent more on vet bills than I did on Ellie's purchase. Don't get me wrong - I am willing to pay the vet IF IT IS NECESSARY. I'm not hurting for money, but I also don't want to throw it in the toilet.

 

Any other owners have issues with sneezing?

Edited by Doug
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The first week the vet saw some blockage in one nostril and I felt a bit of discharge one time when she sneezed.

 

Since then, I have seen any blockage or discharge.

 

There is an avian-certified vet about two hours away. (Apparently, some people in the local bird club don't like that particular vet, but I don't have any experience with him.) In case of emergencies, I'd really prefer to deal with a local vet.

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Sounds good but the switch from negative to positive bacteria may be an interesting side effect of the meds that treated for the negative. Ask if you should continue or restart the probiotics. Could it also be she has found the sneeze to be a part of her vocabulary?

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Sounds good but the switch from negative to positive bacteria may be an interesting side effect of the meds that treated for the negative. Ask if you should continue or restart the probiotics. Could it also be she has found the sneeze to be a part of her vocabulary?

 

My Hannah Copys me sneezing

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Sounds good but the switch from negative to positive bacteria may be an interesting side effect of the meds that treated for the negative. Ask if you should continue or restart the probiotics. Could it also be she has found the sneeze to be a part of her vocabulary?

 

He didn't continue the probiotics because we're not giving Ellie any antibiotics right now. Just the anti-yeast (Diflucan) medicine.

 

I don't think that she is sneezing as a form of communication since it doesn't seem to occur when she is otherwise communicating. I'll try to be more observant...

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  • 2 weeks later...

As I mentioned in my epic post at the start of this thread, the vet is NOT avian-certified. (There is not an avian-certified vet in the area.)

 

At this point, I think the sneezing is not related to health problems.

 

The vet found gram-negative bacteria in her nostril but not enough to culture. That was the reason for the antibiotic treatment. He also found some yeast so we treated with an antifungal medicine. On the follow-up visit, he found gram-positive bacteria and put her on a different antibiotic. On the next follow-up, he found some other yeast or something and started her on antifungal medicine again. That course (21 days) is almost complete (this coming Monday).

 

Ellie's sneezes don't seem to have any "spray" at this point. (They did early on...)

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If you went to an avian vet, he'll probably ask these kinds of questions----

When did the problem begin? Did sneezing and nasal discharge occur together?

Has the appearance of the discharge changed? Has it changed in color or consistency?

Is the discharge in one nostril or both nostrils? Did it begin this way? ( that's if there was or is any discharge.)

Is your bird rubbing or shaking its head, or yawning excessively?

Did the discharge begin when the household heat was turned on? Is the bird kept in a dusty room or with birds that produce a lot of feather dust (cockatiels, cockatoos, African grey parrots)? I think you can rule out greys because you have a TAG and they don't produce as much dander as a CAG. Plus I think you only have 1 bird. Right?

Is the bird on a complete, balanced diet, such as a commercial pelleted diet?

He'll ask about drafts. He'll ask about the amount of humidity that's around your bird .More than likely, he'll try to find out if your bird is VIT A deficient.

True, some of these tests are somewhat expensive. The price is up to the vet.

So, maybe you wanna ask your present vet about these things.

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Dave, most of this was discussed with the vet.

 

I've included answers to most of your questions below...

 

 

If you went to an avian vet, he'll probably ask these kinds of questions----

When did the problem begin? Did sneezing and nasal discharge occur together?

 

As I mentioned in the original post, I took Ellie to the vet two days after getting her from the breeder. The vet noticed the sneezing. (She might've been sneezing the previous two days, but I wasn't looking for it...) There was some build-up in one of her nostrils and she was scratching at that nostril enough that the skin around the nostril was a bit inflamed. Only one time (a day or two after that visit) did I notice spray discharge when she sneezed. (She was on my shoulder and I felt the spray against my neck.)

 

Has the appearance of the discharge changed? Has it changed in color or consistency?

 

The build-up in the nostril went away after the initial course of antibiotic. I can't give an exact number of days. (Heck, for all I know it was a bit of food or something else external.) I only noticed the spray once.

 

Is the discharge in one nostril or both nostrils? Did it begin this way? ( that's if there was or is any discharge.)

 

Only one nostril. Qualified by the comments above.

 

Is your bird rubbing or shaking its head, or yawning excessively?

 

It is very difficult for me to say what is excessive since this medical drama has been going on since I initially brought her home. But from what I've seen on-line and in limited exposure to other birds, I would say no. I haven't seen her shake her head much at all, other than when she's got food stuck on her beak. She seems to yawn at normal times and not that frequently. Perhaps she scratches her nostril still.

 

Did the discharge begin when the household heat was turned on? Is the bird kept in a dusty room or with birds that produce a lot of feather dust (cockatiels, cockatoos, African grey parrots)? I think you can rule out greys because you have a TAG and they don't produce as much dander as a CAG. Plus I think you only have 1 bird. Right?

 

The heat was on & off during the initial period. No other birds. Two dogs.

 

Is the bird on a complete, balanced diet, such as a commercial pelleted diet?

 

Pellets are the majority of her diet. Something like Pretty Bird African Grey with Added Calcium. Some fresh veggies, with fruit and almonds as treats.

 

He'll ask about drafts. He'll ask about the amount of humidity that's around your bird .More than likely, he'll try to find out if your bird is VIT A deficient.

 

The humidity is starting to be a problem. But (as you've noticed in another thread) I'm conflicted as to the solution!

 

True, some of these tests are somewhat expensive. The price is up to the vet.

So, maybe you wanna ask your present vet about these things.

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As I mentioned in my epic post at the start of this thread, the vet is NOT avian-certified. (There is not an avian-certified vet in the area.)

 

At this point, I think the sneezing is not related to health problems.

 

The vet found gram-negative bacteria in her nostril but not enough to culture. That was the reason for the antibiotic treatment. He also found some yeast so we treated with an antifungal medicine. On the follow-up visit, he found gram-positive bacteria and put her on a different antibiotic. On the next follow-up, he found some other yeast or something and started her on antifungal medicine again. That course (21 days) is almost complete (this coming Monday).

 

Ellie's sneezes don't seem to have any "spray" at this point. (They did early on...)

 

Doug, I remember all that you stated above. I was just wondering if there was any change.

Sounds like she is going in the right direction.

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