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Health - Sudden Death


epic19

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Hi,

 

I got my 2nd African Grey about 4 weeks ago, and today she passed away. She was about 6 months old, and up until a day or two ago seemed to be the epitome of health. She was friendly with everyone, very sweet and loving, and very outgoing. She was very active and alert, and we just are at a loss as to what could have been wrong with her. Friday evening she was a little more quiet then normal, but nothing alarming. Then on Saturday we noticed she was not wanting to eat as much as normal and her feathers were ruffled. We thought maybe she was a bit cold since the weather has suddenly changed around here and put a heater by her cage so she was plenty warm. Then yesterday she didn't touch her morning vegetables, and just sat on the bottom of her cage all ruffled up. She would still walk around if you put her on the ground and would step up and perch on you too. But, since she just wasn't acting normal we made an appointment with the vet for first thing this morning. Well, this morning we got up and she steped up on my hand to go to the vet, but just on the short drive over there suddenly she just lost all energy and laid on my lap on the way there, and then she passed away in the vets office as we were waiting for him to come in. I am just trying to figure out if anyone has any idea what this could be? Sorry for the length, but I wanted to be able to give some back story so you knew the situation. We have only had her a short time, but other then these past two days she has just seemed as healthy as can be. She had a brand new cage, got fresh vegetables every morning, and always had fresh water, a full bowl of pellets and a full bowl of a seed/nut mixture available to her. She slept in her cage at night, but would be out all day either going around the house with me or playing on her play gym. We are so sad and just can't imagine what happened. We would like to know if anyone has any idea just so we can have some closure.

 

Thanks in advance.

Suzanne

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I am so sorry to hear of your loss. These are the saddest posts on the site. My heart breaks each and every time.

 

I think the only way to know for sure what happened is to have a necropsy done. Your vet should be able to put you in touch with someone who can do it. The peace of mind is worth every penny.

 

You mentioned she was your 2nd...does that mean you still have another one at home? If so, the necropsy is even more important so you know if there's something you need to do to protect your other bird.

 

A year ago I had several finches (12) and grass parakeets (4) in one large aviary cage. They started dying one by one (a few weeks apart) and after the 3rd time I brought him in and found out he had an infectious disease and I had to have them all euthanized (it was zoonotic - transferrable to humans, so I couldn't risk it...nor did I want it to pass to my parrots). I was happy I knew what it was though so I could take all steps necessary to ensure my parrots were not affected and do what I could to protect them from picking it up. I also had to deep clean my house with a new cleaner to kill the bacteria as it could live for 2-3 years! In the end it gave me peace of mind in many, many ways but a very sad situation.

 

I understand about closure and hope you're able to get the information you need in order to get it.

 

Warmest regards,

Lisa

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I am so sorry for your loss... I can't even imagine how horrible of an experience that must have been for you.

 

Lisa is right, the only way to know for sure is to have a necropsy done. There could be a hundred different reasons.

 

One thing I thought I would ask is... Can you elaborate on the type of heather you put by his cage? Certain heaters contain teflon and when heated to a certain degree can be fatal to birds.

 

Again I am so sorry... Our thoughts are with you.<br><br>Post edited by: Makena, at: 2007/10/22 21:51

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I thought about that too Makena, but if she has another Grey at home it would affect that one too, so I would think that one would get sick too! Unless it would affect a baby more than an adult hmmmm

 

Regardless I am sooo sorry for your loss, it's never easy, especially when it happens out of nowhere! You're in my thoughts!

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I did a search for the polyoma virus and this is what I came up with: http://www.petcaretips.net/avian-polyoma-virus.html

 

I'm wondering if it's possible for parrots/birds to get sick from fruit that was oversprayed with pestisides, so that washing it doesn't get all the chemicals off?

 

I'm so sorry for your loss, Suzanne. Only parrot and pet owners know how devestating this can be. I hope your precious heart can mend quickly from this sad tragedy.

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you can vaccinate your adult birds.

 

One thing that my vet pointed out to me was that bird shows , while a lot of fun , are a perfect way to transmit polyoma. She said you don't even have to touch the birds to get the virus on you, and from you to your birds.

 

scared me to death because I had been at a birdshow a couple of weeks ago!

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