zandische Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Tonight has been horrible.. Last night I had a bout of insomnia and barely got 3 jours sleep. Tonight I came home exhausted, was greeted by my happy Gryph, and after making dinner, I decided to go to bed. My hubby was up and wanted to give the birds a couple more hours up, so I said goodnight and turned in. 10 minutes after I lay down, I hear the most bone chilling, painful scream I've heard come from the living room. I rush out to find my husband holding my bird while he flings blood everywhere! Apparently Gryph and his sister were beak wrestling through the bars of his cage (the door was open) and somehow Seraph sliced open her brother's tongue. Gryph bled profusely for a good 5 minutes, and it's been an hour now and he's hiding in the dark in the back of his cage. Of course bad things always happen afterhours...the emergency vet said no one there is really trained with birds, and that our best bet is just to keep him calm, give him plenty of fluids, and hope the bleeding stops. She said bringing him in would just stress him more. GAH! I can tell he is in so much pain. Thank God the bleeding has stopped, but I'm so worried he lost too much blood. It was everywhere, dripping like a faucet. I had to use three paper towels to wipe up the couch, a towel for me, and there's still drops all over the floor and cage. I am not a blood person! He's making eye contact with me and gives me the blinky eyes, but other than that he isn't moving or making a sound. He just sits in the back against the side of his cage. I'm trying to stay calm for him, but between exhaustion and this, I'm ready to pass out. Seraph is also stressed. She knows something bad has happened to G, but she doesn't understand what. Please keep us in your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Okay, get the soft baby foods, Try to blot the tongue wit apple cider vinegar,[for infection] it's ok if he drinks it, get yogurt and try to get 2 tbs a day. Stay away from hot foods....Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 How awful is this?!! I hope it looked & no doubt sounded worse than it is. My first solution to every bird malady is warmth. Hi 80's at least. Also, covering the cage will keep Gryph away from any a/c drafts & give him a hidey-hole IF he doesn't freak about cage covers. Make sure he has water w/in easy reach of wherever he's holed up. If you just happened to have some glucose on hand that would be swell. lol Maybe coconut milk/water? These would be great for liquid & nutrition. Assuming you aren't lucky enough to have anything like that lying around, I think I'd leave him a blob of peanut butter. Nutritious, soft & isn't going to spoil. Then put the lights out & let him sleep. You too. If there's no vet available, there's nothing better to do tonight than for everyone to try to get as much rest as possible. Hopefully, everything will look a lot better in the morning. And please let know, ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Gosh, you have been through a nightmare that is so scary. Hopefullly you can get to your vet today and have some sort of peace of mind. Good that the bleeding has stopped and you kept calm. It has been almost a week since we had a night time emergency and I still feel exhausted. Bless you and your family. My husband is traveling to Oregon today and I was just looking at the time difference. I'm sure you are looking at the clock and waiting for the vet's office to open. You have gotten him through the crisis, my prayers are with you to give you all the strength to carry on and see him through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblivion Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Yikes! Best wishes. I think Jay gave some good advice, but I can't imagine what vinegar would feel like in a fresh cut! Yikes! If it's any consolation, blood seems to have a way of looking like there's a lot more of it than there actually is - especially when it gets sprayed around. Good luck getting to the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Sending good thoughts your way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Hope all is getting better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinsmom Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Oh my god, I am soooo sorry, the poor, poor boy!! Any news? Did you get to the vet today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Yikes! Best wishes. I think Jay gave some good advice, but I can't imagine what vinegar would feel like in a fresh cut! Yikes! If it's any consolation, blood seems to have a way of looking like there's a lot more of it than there actually is - especially when it gets sprayed around. Good luck getting to the vet. Thanks, actual, a Grey has only about 400 taste buds compared to our thousands......If there's a sting, it's only for a second....lol Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandische Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 quick update: things are not looking better. This morning he couldn't eat anything, even mash, but after a little coaxing he ate a lot of peanut butter. A lot. I thought this was a good sign! Unfortunately he would not drink, and I had hoped he would do better as the day progressed. His weight and droppings were normal this morning and he was a bit more active and vocalizing. The vet also thought he was likely to improve and said to watch him for now and call them back if he didn't improve. But tonight he seems worse. He wants to eat but now can't even get the peanut butter down. I tried orange juice, baby food, yogurt etc...all his favorite foods, and he seems very interested but just can't do it. He seems to want to drink but tries and gives up. He tore up a couple of grapes, but I'm not sure he swallowed anything. He has lost 10 grams today (he weighs 450 usually and was 449 this morning) and while I can't see any wound, his tongue looks very swollen. Right now he is sitting on me and sleeping, and he is tucking one foot at least, none of which he was doing last night. He gave me a kiss tonight but doesn't want me to touch his beak. He has a thermo perch to help keep his body temp up too. I thjnk tomorrow I am going to be at the vet's when they open and hope they can get him in relatively quickly. Ugh, I am trying not to panic and freak but I am really worried :-(. I do not want to take any chances! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Go to the market and get some Powerade Zero...Its made by Coca Cola and it is low sugar and low sodium. It is better than Gatorade etc. Put some in a deep spoon and do anything you can to bring the liquid in his mouth without touching his beak. Remember, they don't need a lot. What we are trying to do is rinse his mouth. Try to do the same thing with the apple cider vinegar. It is an antiseptic. Stop the peanut butter. It is too gooey and sticky. What you want is baby food...no junior food. Beans, peas, carrots, squash, applesauce or apple-betty. Even if the vet doesn't want to look at him, take him anyway or find someone who will see the baby. Please use the vinegar. It helps stop infection.If the vet wants to give you an antibiotic for your baby, it's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Jayd is giving excellent advice coconut water the unsweetened kind is also full of electrolytes and easily digestible& soft on the tongue as well. Do let us know how the Vet visit goes holding your e-hand to help you be calm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I hope all is well and that you got to an Avian vet today. Looking forward to a status update and hoping/praying for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandische Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 so, things are looking up! We took him to the vet today and they said there's no infection and he's got a healthy scab on his tongue that is healing well. He has also been eating normal food today and gained back the weight he lost (he was down 15 grams this morning.) The vet gave him a pain killer and he really perked up. So it seems like he's going to be fine! The best part though is that he has been totally awesome today. As soon as we got home from the vet he wanted scratches all over. Then he did something he's never done - he stretched his neck out and rubbed his cheek against mine. After all we've been through recently in our relationship and then all the stress of the last few days, feeling like my bird was purposely saying he loved me is just the best feeling in the world! Thank you all for your advice and thoughts...I really hope we never have to go through this again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandische Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 Also, I don't know if this us in the avian first aid kit thread, but I'm going to get a lot of the things you all suggested and just try to have them on hand for the future, because I didn't have a lot of them in my pantry. I'm a big believer in holistic nutrition and the suggestions here could be useful for other kinds of traumatic/stressful situations to provide highly nutritious, electrolyte rich foods. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 awwwwww great ending Im so glad your baby is ok now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 That is wonderful news, what a scare he gave you but you handled it well, I have no doubt he loves you very much. Yes we all should have a few things on hand at all times to deal with such an emergency for we never know when it will be needed. Now don't make yourself a stranger again now that the crisis is over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 It makes me so happy to read that he is on the mend. This has been a scary ordeal. His cheek rub to you is just the most awesome thing. I hope his tongue heals quickly and he soon forgets all about this, but I am sure you won't forget it soon. It does show you that you can handle a crisis and everything is okay, you did great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandische Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 Thank you And yes Judy, I hope to be around here more often! I've struggled with my own health issues this last year as well, but hopefully I am on the mend as well. Gryph is back to his old self with one exception...he has been getting sweeter with each day. Here he was last night, partaking of some scratches while he sat on my knee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 great pic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I am SO glad the crisis is over and that he's feeling better (and you too)! It's a good reminder for all of us to keep certain items on hand at all times like Apple Cider Vinegar and maybe some Powerade. It's one of those precautionary measures that can't be understated...like having styptic powder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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