[Chefbudgie]

Hello I couldn't figure out how to post this on my phone since the mobile sites been a little wonky.
We brought Ollie to the vet a few weeks ago because we thought he kept getting blood feathers and he bled twice in 1 day, we brought him to a small avian clinic and they referred us to another since they didn't have the equipment for him. They found out he had a bump on his wrist and we sent it for testing, his wings always been down a bit and he's never been able to fly but the animal shelter vet siad he was okay. Even though I contacted them about his droppings b/c I wasn't sure if I should bring him to a vet.
I believe he has fatty liver disease b/c of his droppings but he needs a blood test to verify and my grandmother and mom are both not willing to do the test because they would just want to put him to sleep instead. I want to get him milk thistle but I don't know how much he's supposed to get.
He's being converted to a low calorie and low sugar diet so we're trying to ween him off of Zupreem and seeds and only give him veggies and pellets. The vet recommended pellets but they contain peanuts which I'm severely allergic to so I'm awaiting her response about roudybush.
She also wants us to increase his activity level but he can't fly and doesn't like coming out of the cage. How else can I increase it? He likes to dance and sing when I play guitar or listen to music.

I want to help Ollie to get better, he was given antibiotics and painkillers before.

 

[catalinadee]

I'm sorry to hear he's not doing great. I had a bird with fatty liver and he had a lot of treatment for it including milk thistle. What species is he? I wouldn't personally feed pellets. If you can get him onto a diet of chop there'll be no need for them. If you do want to feed them I recommend TOPs. I think if he has liver damage a high amount of vitamins and minerals from pellets may do more harm than good

 

[Mr Peepers]

Sorry to hear Ollie isn't doing well if he has liver disease then you should start sprouting his seeds for him and letting him eat more fresh veggies. I sprouted seeds daily for my canary that had fatty liver disease as sprouted seeds are so much healthier for your birds.

If Ollie can't fly then he needs to climb for exercise so get him out of his cage and place him on top of it, give him things to play with he likes. He'll get annoyed at being out of his cage and climb the bars back to his safety zone but this is some type of activity so I would encourage it and bring him out as much as you can and place him on his cage letting him climb back again and again.

Mr Peepers my canary had fatty liver disease and I had to try and give him a better life quickly so I forced him out of his cage by moving SPX's cage closer to his so he could fly. I would put his fresh veggies he loved on top of his cage so he had to fly from SPX's cage to his cage to eat. It wasn't a huge distance but it was a start after a few days I moved the cages farther apart and Mr Peepers would fly like a pro landing in and on his cage like he had done this all his life with ease, which was amazing considering Mr Peepers had been stuck in a cage for 2 years and had never flown until he came to live with me.

All day he flew back and forth from his cage to SPX's cage happily, I figure he mostly flew to SPX's cage so he could steal SPX's seeds as I wouldn't give him the seeds he wanted. He was a smart and crafty canary and a seed pig! :lol:


I hope you can find out what's happening with Ollie and are able to get him the help he needs to get better.

Good Luck.

 

[Chefbudgie]

I was told not to give him seeds the bets am to is to just have him to eat pellets and veggies.
He's not tame so I'm not sure how I'd get him out, towelling him results in him sticking to the perch and refusing to let go. And trying to get him out on a perch makes him run away and cower in a corner.
He climbs around a lot in his cage and even runs every once in a while.

 

[Mr Peepers]

Sprouted seeds are best because they contain a natural source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids where normal dry seeds are higher in fat and carbs that are not good for your bird especially if it has fatty liver disease.

You can sprout beans lentils and other things that are good for your bird as well.

 

[Chefbudgie]

Sprouted seeds are best because they contain a natural source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids where normal dry seeds are higher in fat and carbs that are not good for your bird especially if it has fatty liver disease.

You can sprout beans lentils and other things that are good for your bird as well.

The vet gave me a diet but she said just veggies and pellets, she wants him off seeds by the end of the month if I'm able to get him off.

 

[catalinadee]

I think that's a bit unrealistic given the fact that their natural diet contains seeds. I would definitely recommend reducing them and trying sprouting them but he will still benefit from them. Perhaps try him on a mix without sunflower seeds? All of my parrots eat seeds and they do fine. If you provide him with the veggies and fresh foods then they won't hurt in smaller portions. If he downright refuses to eat pellets have a look at grinding them up or buying something like Harrison's mash. You can mix it in with chop and he will gobble it up without knowing

 

[Chefbudgie]

I don't know if I should because the vet was very against seeds because of the growth and she also told me I can only give him leafy greens and low sugar veggies.
She said I could give seeds as a treat for when I train him but otherwise I'm supposed to take him off of them.
She even contacted other avian vets before sending me the diet. The plan at first was to give him less seed and switch his pellets to something with less sugar.
He allowed small portions of sugary veggies, low sugar fruits, and seeds as a treat is what the vets decided on.
I've heard of bird diabetes before and I'm wondering if maybe that's what it is. Because he's really young for fatty liver (about 4 or 5) but I don't know what his other owners fed him.
What I've noticed since he's been eating more pellets is his poop has improved, he doesn't really smell like he used to (cilantro now he smells like oatmeal) and he has a lot more energy.

 

[catalinadee]

If he has been fed an entirely seed based diet prior to you owning him then it could cause fatty liver disease. Did the vet rule it out? If you're concerned about it you could supplement him with milk thistle extract (after speaking to your vet of course!). I had a bird with fatty liver and as well as his two other medications twice a day he also got a dosage of milk thistle extract and it did seem to keep him functioning a lot better. I wouldn't say that he's too young to have it. That said, I've also seen birds with fatty lumps (lipomas) and have had a budgie with one myself. He does fine and can still fly etc. He just looks a bit podgy. Like a baby budgie with a full crop!

Best veggies to feed are as you said leafy greens but also if you can feed brightly coloured veggies too. I would cut fruits to an absolute minimum as it's usually those with the high sugar content. Have they said anything about seeds being sprouted? Nutritionally they're one of the most beneficial foods. My lot go nuts for them

 

[Chefbudgie]

He hasn't been tested yet since the vet thinks fatty liver was unlikely however I now found out he's older then we thought (born in 09) so maybe it's possible.
She said seeds as a treat, I asked her about chop with sprouted quinoa and she siad no.
From my understanding I think his last owner should have him only seed and I think 'human' food b/c when we first got him and ate infront of him he wanted chicken fingers and chicken more then any fruit or veggie I would eat with him.
I've tried to give him peppers but he hates the taste, he'll lick it then throw it.

 

[catalinadee]

Awh that sucks. It's frustrating! When my orange winged Amazon died, his necropsy revealed that he had an impacted crop from grit. He was 4 years old and I hadn't had him too long and never fed him grit. Obviously previous owners had done. Very annoying and sad. He also screamed for things like chips (fries) and biscuits (cookies)

 

[Chefbudgie]

I wish some people who got birds were more experienced, like so many are rehomed or get sick from people not knowing
I'm sorry for your loss