It's so good to hear that he's doing a bit better, Celia! The poor guy . What is his heart medication like? Do you administer it with a syringe? Is it flavored? Do you have to force him to swallow it?
It's so good to hear that he's doing a bit better, Celia! The poor guy . What is his heart medication like? Do you administer it with a syringe? Is it flavored? Do you have to force him to swallow it?
He wanted to live. He was my Heaven... He's gone!
Margaret has been giving Casper two different antibiotics and something else for his liver since he came back from his stay at the vet. That involved three syringes in the morning and just one in the evening.
She eventually found that an old tee-shirt was the best thing to wrap him up in, she trussed him up like a baby in swaddling with just his head sticking out. Keeping the right way up so that the medicine would go down his throat she put a little at a time in the side of his beak, giving him time to swallow it before pushing more in. Early attempts she put too much in and it just came back down his nose but she soon got the hang of it. Of course Casper is a little wriggle-monster and kept working his way out of the wrapping so it took a few goes. He also tried to bite the end off the syringes. Once it was all over he went back into his cage and spent about ten minutes cleaning his beak on the bars: rattle scrape scrape rattle.
Today he went back to the vet for a check-up and he no longer has to have the antibiotics, just the liver medicine but only twice a week now. Just when they were both getting used to the routine
"A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom
kendrafitz (01-12-2018), Lady (01-19-2018)
I've recently had to medicate both Jack and Zaf. Jack was the most recent. He was on Amoxicillin twice daily for two months. What I do with him is let him sit on a perch (this goes for Zaf as well) and anchor my left hand to his head with my four lower fingers while using my index finger and thumb to control his mandible spread. Then I simply discharge the contents of the syringe and he swallows it. While this method might not work with every macaw, it works for these guys. If you are able to do it, it should be less stressful for poor Max than toweling him each time.
He wanted to live. He was my Heaven... He's gone!
Casper's 2nd best friend (01-12-2018), Dragonlady2 (01-12-2018)
Thank you guys for all the advice!
Update- we woke up this morning to him on the bottom of his cage- I totally freaked out, thought he had passed away. THANK goodness he was just sleeping. Definitely took a turn for the worse if he couldn’t even perch anymore Immediately called the vet and she had us bring him in this morning.
Couldn’t give us a reason why he relapsed so we ended up hospitalizing him again. He is in really bad shape this time and my heart is so heavy.
I really need him to pull through, please keep him in your thoughts
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Our rescue birds~
23 yr old Katie - Catalina Macaw
39 yr old Max- GW Macaw
1 yr old Nibbles- GC Conure
ADOPT DON’T SHOP
I hope Max pulls through. I can imagine the feeling of seeing Max at the bottom of the cage...one of my fears that I will find one of mine like that.
Has the vet said anything about setting up the cage to accommodate Max's condition? Lower perches, keeping him warmer etc? Max might require a different setting? I would be afraid he might fall off his perch.
Casper's 2nd best friend (01-16-2018)
That poor baby! My heart hurts for you and your family, Celia. Please accept my deepest condolences
He wanted to live. He was my Heaven... He's gone!
Casper's 2nd best friend (01-16-2018)
Poor Max, I hope he recovers soon. All our thoughts are willing him on to get better.
"A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom