Rocky died today

[Pinkbirdy]

Rockys my blue and gold that lived with Ruby the greenwing . He ended up having sour crop . I think from feeding Ruby who kept laying eggs . The soonest the vet could see us was today [I noticed his crop ..Wednesday night he kept eating, drinking and throwing up]. I kept telling him hang in their buddy, we're going at 1 :(. I told the vet what I wanted to do. Suck the junk out of his crop and put him on a antibiotic and anti inflammatory. He was so weak in the room he kept trying to get to me. They took him to clean out his crop. They came and got me. They said he was having problems and threw up the medicine. I said I wanted an injection to get it in him. They went to get him and he died with me. I am so heartsick. He trusted me and I let him down. I should have went bat**** when I was trying to get him in [I told them it was a emergency]. It was too late. It went on too long. I didn't do an autopsy. We took him home and buried him. I didn't expect this. I thought I had everything planned for problems. No more being polite to the vet receptionist any more [If I could have gotten him their sooner :(]. Macaws are very humanlike. I miss him already

[Mare]

I'm so, so sorry, Terri! I know you did everything you could and I agree, it's best to barge on in to the vet's office when your bird is that sick, they can't turn you away. Please take some relief knowing you helped these birds out of a difficult situation, by taking them in when you did. :th_hug8:

[kendrafitz]

I am so very sorry for your loss Terri. I know how much you loved him and so did he. Please know that you changed his life and he enjoyed every minute while he was with you. I know this is true from how much he flourished with you. He is looking down at you with nothing but love and gratitude.

[PlaxMacaws]

Oh Terri, I am SO, SO sorry :'(. I can only imagine the heartache you're feeling right now. I'm not exactly clear on what led to Rocky's death... and now is obviously not a good time to discuss it. I, myself, have such a horrible apprehension when it comes to vets and veterinary procedures... especially when one of my guys becomes seriously injured or ill. I know that you feel as I do concerning this as a result of your past horrific vet experiences. There can be nothing worse than losing one of our cherished fids to a 'what if/if only I'd/I should have' situation. When these guys get sick or hurt it can be so very stressful on them, as well as on us. But we sill have to try and make the correct decisions through that stress and, in many cases, do so with only subpar avian medical care available. It can be unbelievably difficult to do exactly what's required when less-than-adequate avian veterinary care is all that's available in someone's area. It may literally make performing the correct treatments or procedures (or even learning what they are) in a medical crisis, impossible. So, please don't beat yourself up for what happened... I know that's far easier to say than do, though :(

I'm not able to express how truly heartbroken for you I'm feeling, Terri :'( ...but I really am heartbroken from your news :'( As Mare said, please take some comfort in the fact that you got those Macaws out of their previous situation of neglect and abuse. And as Kendra said, you changed Rocky's life! That's truly a great thing :). I understand that these thoughts can't begin to soothe your terrible pain. But I think they are still important for you to consider.

If and when you need to chat, we are here.

[94lt1]

Sorry to hear this.. :( up until recently I had a great vet.. But his wife's health has taken a turn.. So now I'm in exactly the same boat.. But I'm not afraid to barge into a vets front door.. I found that manners don't get you far with many of em..

I feel for you.. But know in your heart that you're friend knows you were trying.. And that you were doing the best you knew how. Try not to get lost in feeling that you failed.. Remember the good times you've had. Sending good thoughts your way.. :)

[Maddy]

Oh Terri! I am so very, very sorry to hear about your Rocky! :th_hug8: Fly high and free sweet boy! You were so loved!

[spiritbird]

Please know we all share your grief. The loss of a bird can only be understood by other bird people. It is beyond sad. Rocky would not want you to blame yourself for how this turned out. Hugs to you and family:big_hug:

[Honesty]

Terri, I am so, so sorry. I cannot even begin to imagine how you are feeling! We are all her for you.

Sending hugs to you. :th_hug8:

[Debra]

Oh, Terri! I am so saddened by this news. Please take comfort in that he finally knew what it was like to be loved and to love in return. He will be missed greatly by your family and flock, but also by everyone here on the forum. Like Tony said, if you need to talk through your grief, we are all here for you. (((((((Hugs to you)))))))

[2birds]

So sorry to hear this. It feels horrible when you loose a pet. Sorry :(

[Rita]

Hello Terri,

I am so sorry to hear that your sweet B&G Rocky passed away.
When you told the vet-receptionist that was a emergency she should have listened to you, being a serious Macaw-owner with a lot of knowledge about macaws.
She should have made a emergency-appointment at let you come to the practice with Rocky rightaway.
Don't blame yourself for Rocky's dead. In my opinion the vet-practice is responsable for Rocky's dead. Poor Rocky.
I understand that you are heartbroken by his loss. You are in my thoughts Terri!

Greetings from the Netherlands,
Rita

[Pinkbirdy]

Thanks everyone ,Im definitely a wreck over this [you know I live and breath my birds ] . I really thought I had the right game plan with this . I have 3 vets near me [that I think are poor] . But need them for initial things [like what if someone broke a wing or beak]. Then I have Cornell as a back up plan [and they are great] . I know when an animals old and its time for them to go its easier to accept. This is hitting me in the gut . So im searching out other vets and no theirs no time with the first signs of illness. Im going to make a list of all the emergency things I can do at home first . I looked up for this [sour crop] but didn't feel comfortable with baking soda . I believe the receptionist should have alittle knowledge on handling emergency requests . She should have asked what it was [and know birds don't have a lot of time].I think the vet should have contacted me in the mean time . To advise what I could do at home

[Pinkbirdy]

I might write a letter . Boy did we have fun with those guys [he was like the mayor of the room :)] Rubys doing way better than I thought . Shes a different bird without him. Its almost as if she knew how sick he was . There were no objects in his crop . The only thing I can think of is, instead of him feeding Ruby now she was feeding him. Normally this is from spoiled food. But their dishes are cleaned twice a day [they eat a lot].

[Mare]

Again, Terri, I'm so sorry. I'm glad to hear Ruby is doing ok with her loss, also. I think writing a letter is a great idea. (Your talking about to the vet, right?). It would be good for the vet to hear, in my opinion.

[Honesty]

I agree Terri! Writing a letter is a good idea! I think the vet needs to hear a few home truths. Things like this certainly make you lose faith in them :(

I am glad Ruby seems to be doing okay :)

[Macaw Lover]

I too am so sad for you losing Rocky.

For sour crop what could have been used was Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother, that would clear it.

This should be a reminder to all of us. If we have a little birdie who is really sick, never wait. Call your vet, announce that you are on your way in with a sick bird and expect you to be there in XX amount of time. No if's, and's or but's about it, you are bringing this baby in and the vet needs to be prepared to see you immediately. Any good Avian Vet will know a truly sick bird can't wait for an appointment and their employee needs to be trained for these situations.

:im so sorry:

[Animalman2046]

Terri so sorry for your loss.

[PlaxMacaws]

Terri... your tragic loss of Rocky has truly impacted upon me. The fact that I never met him seems to make little difference. I think the whole thing just makes me all the more aware of how fragile and how vulnerable these feathered companions of ours actually are. Since you posted your tragic news I've been avoiding many of my regular activities and instead spending lots of extra time focusing on my 4 feathered guys. Truth be known, we can never really know what may happen from one day to the next :(

I'm so glad that Ruby is handling her loss of Rocky fairly well. I've been quite worried about her. The passing of Rocky is such a horrific thing :(. You know, I so wish that quality avian vet care weren't so difficult to obtain for some of us. As you may recall, I as well have encountered my share of inexcusable conduct from veterinarians (and their clinical staff members) during emergency situations. Such things simply shouldn't ever happen! :(

Please hang in there... and give each of your feathered kiddos a hug and a scritch for me :)

[Pinkbirdy]

Thanks Tony :( Ruby is trying to bond with me . Shes a different bird now . She crawled in my lap for the first time today. You can tell she misses him [but seems to understand hes not coming back].She surprised us around dinner time and imitated his voice and laugh [we all cried]

[PlaxMacaws]

Thanks Tony :( Ruby is trying to bond with me . Shes a different bird now . She crawled in my lap for the first time today. You can tell she misses him [but seems to understand hes not coming back].She surprised us around dinner time and imitated his voice and laugh [we all cried]That's so bittersweet :'( I understand that everyone will adapt in time, but it's such a painful thing... it hurts me a lot to think about :(

[Minamommy]

Terri I can't tell you how sorry I am for your loss. I'm so glad Ruby is doing well and that you are seeking comfort together. I live in central PA with 2 crappy vets near me too Cornel is 2 hrs away. I feel ya. It is terrifying when you need help and don't have it. When I called for Mina when she was sick on march 30th they gave me an appt for April 9th!!! They just don't get it. I said forget it she will be dead by then and hung up. Like you I am on the hunt for a GOOD AV. Seems they are few and far between. Not sure if you are near me, if I find one I will let you know. Again (((((((BIG HUGS)))))) and know your sweet Rocky is watching over you and Ruby.

[Blancaej]

Oh Terri, I am so sorry for your loss of Rocky. :( You did so much for him, so please don't blame yourself.

I AM in the same boat when it comes to vets. I may have to drive 2 hours to see one. It's tough.

This is truly heat breaking. You were the best mama he could ever have. He couldn't have been anymore loved.

Sending many hugs your way. Fly free little Rocky.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

[Pinkbirdy]

Thanks guys . I going to make a full blown emergency kit . With everything I can think of looking up on the internet. A book with the "signs" and first things I can do . Like if they get burned ,eggbound if they broke something etc. Im researching all vets I can find and have their numbers in there and have syringes ,saline solution etc,

[Turquoise]

Oh Terri I am so so sorry to hear about Rocky. I am just now seeing this thread. I know words cannot express to you how I feel about this and like Tony, I am feeling this in a very hard way even tho I never physically met Rocky.

We all did know and love him through his amazing conversations you shared with us. I am truly so blessed to have known Rocky even for just a short while through your writings about life with him & Ruby. And I hope Ruby continues to take this well and doesn't suffer too much grief as we know parrots are so capable of. I too am here to talk to if you need, just give me a shout. ((Hugs To Ya',)) Ruby and all your other Fabies. They are truly blessed to have you and your gentle care you give them. Things happen beyond our control and sometimes it is just meant to be. Doesn't change the hurt and sadness for the loss. :th_hug8: