vet visit and plucking

[thenabrd]

i'm posting this because it may help those that are facing plucking issues, no matter what's being done to help prevent it.

 

kallie had her annual check up yesterday. she has always plucked a small area on her neck, but it has become bigger in the last couple of weeks, so i had the vet check for everything possible. fyi, the visit, with all the tests, grooming, and the medicine was $144.00. she has lots of new feathers coming in, but will pull some of those out just before they're ready to break out of the casing (even though she lets us give her rubs there often). all her tests are perfect!!! he even made sure her gland wasn't impacted, it was fine! she weighs in at 413 grams, she's a big girl, lol!!

 

the vet and i talked extensively about what we're doing at home, ie, humidifier, increased spray baths, aloe vera juice sprays, hemp seeds, lots of toys, no major changes in home or the routine, etc. he was very satisfied that we were doing everything we can to help prevent the plucking and yet she still plucks. so we are starting a haldol regime in her drinking water, to see if this helps her. so far, as of right now, she is acting her normal silly self. it will take a couple of days to see if the medicine starts to help with this problem though.

 

i took this approach, as we have used it before with athena and it worked very well. athena has now become a "seasonal" plucker, 1 time a year, vs. all the time in the past. she also has regular vet visits, plenty of toys, baths, etc. in fact, her annual visit is this friday, so we will be discussing this "seasonal" plucking issue as well.

 

it is heartbreaking to know you're doing everything possible to prevent a problem and still have the problem! i've posted in the past the way i handle this around the girls to keep the worry and stress away from them. for those that haven't read past posts, i figure the girls are making "fashion" statements. athena likes to run around in her grey underwear sometimes and other times enjoys wearing her bright green shirt. kallie doesn't like wearing a turtle neck and wants to show off her cute little belly. i know this sounds rather strange and warped, but it's what works for us. i'm always hoping that one day, our girls will prefer to be fully clothed all the time instead of some of the time.

 

i'll keep you all updated on our progress or non progress. i know many folks don't want to or don't like using the medicine route. i was hesitant to do it with athena all those years ago, but decided we had to try everything possible to help her with this problem. i hope this helps others that are facing the same plucking issue feel better that sometimes it really isn't anyone's fault, it just is what it is and that utilizing medical options is worth exploring.

[thenabrd]

ok, an update. athena had her vet visit friday. she weighs 75 grams and all her tests are normal. the visit with all tests, grooming and medicine was 144.00, the same as kallie's visit. we are going to use haldol in the drinking water with athena for her current plucking as well. so far, both girls are doing very well on the medicine, they're a little bit quiet, but eat and play as before. both are leaving their newest feathers alone at this point and are just preening normally, yea!!!

[chezron]

i sure hope she weighs more than 75 grams. When the weather gets better try to get them outside. It is worth a try. It may work to help them stop plucking. Have you tried feeding them a cooked chicken drumstick bone?

[thenabrd]

kallie weight 413 grams, athena weighs 75 grams. athena always runs between 74-77 grams. she's a little peach front conure. we've tried putting weight on her, but this is the range she's had for 9 years. she is one active little girl, lol!! i can't wait to take them outside when it finally warms up. athena in particular loves to see the birds, watch the clouds and planes and tries so hard to get the birds to talk to her. she's so cute after she makes her contact call then sits and listens for a response!! for kallie, last year was the 1st time for her to go outside, so it's a learning process for her, but we're hoping this year she really starts to enjoy it more. i do offer chicken bones, but so far, they end up at the bottom of the cage.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Yay for the girls! You are a good mama. Nancy and Sophie