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auds200
06-03-2016, 11:15 PM
My vet pointed out that my parakeet, Kiwi, is showing signs of fatty liver disease. His beak and toenails are growing abnormally fast and his beak keeps getting bruised. He told me that if these symptoms continue after 6 months than he suggests getting blood work done. However, I'm worried that 6 months might be too late. I don't want my budgie to die before then, especially knowing that I could have possibly prevented his death. Does anybody know how long parakeets with fatty liver disease live for? Also, do you have any suggestions for helping Kiwi to get better? I'm switching him to a pellet diet with additional fruits and vegetables. I'm also making sure he gets enough exercise. I just want to know if there's anything else I can do.

Lady
06-03-2016, 11:59 PM
Hi auds,
I'm very sorry to hear the news your vet shared with you about Kiwi. I hope with good nutrition Kiwi does well. I have not experienced this so the best I can do is search the internet and see what is said. I hope you can gain further information from this link until Plax or someone with advanced knowledge stops by to leave a comment.
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Do keep us updated on his progress.

And btw......:pp_welcome:

Cedardave
06-04-2016, 01:33 AM
Fatty liver disease can be caused by a high seed diet...at least to some degree.If you get onto a pelleted diet and ween away from seed...add lots of fruit and vegetables.Kale is a good one for boosting overall health.One thing we have found to help people that have birds with this condition is a drop or two of apple cider vinegar in the water.Of course follow your vets advise as I am not a vet....but the above is a common sense path to improving your birds health.As for how long a bird can live with this condition...I'm of the opinion that the condition can be significantly improved with the improvement in nutrition.

lolsavannahh
06-04-2016, 02:36 AM
I am sorry to hear this! BUt glad you caught it, and know the symptoms. A pellet diet is very good for most all parrots, and he will be much healthier and happier on this regardless of his disease(: Fruits and veggies are also very big..

I have no experience with this.. but I of course would suggest visiting a vet just in case, or just emailing one would do. Sometimes they can help you out over email for free!

Casper's 2nd best friend
06-04-2016, 10:06 AM
When Casper came to live with us the vet warned us about fatty liver disease and the fact that he was overweight. Hardly surprising really because in his previous home all he was given was sunflower seeds (because he just wasted other foods) and some fruit/veg.
The vet recommended Harrison's and when we put some in his bowl I though he's never going to eat that, brown and boring cubes, but he loves them.
One thing I would recommend is that you weigh Kiwi once a week and record the weights so you can tell how the weight changes, not only with a health diet and exercise but they also seem to have seasonal weight differences.
Friday is Casper's weigh-day, always at the same time - after his first poop and before his first meal for consistency.
Here's how we weigh him on the postal/kitchen scales (set to zero after the perch is put on)

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How to weigh a parrot ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr

PlaxMacaws
06-04-2016, 04:02 PM
Hello auds200...

I think the advice you've received is very good. Switching to a quality pelleted staple food and offering lots of greens and veggies is essential for overall avian health. The other component is to allow and encourage kiwi to get plenty of daily exercise. Vigorous activities such as flapping/flying are the best! And I would certainly go through with the blood testing. The results should give you an accurate assessment of Kiwi's liver function, which can serve as a baseline for future tests. And you might ask your avian vet about incorporating some vitamin/nutritional supplements into Kiwi's meals. You should be able to call the clinic and simply tell them your concern in this regard and I bet they'll provide a recommendation.

Please keep us updated!