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Thread: What happened to my parrotlet?

 
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    BirneyBirderko's Avatar


    What happened to my parrotlet?

    I hope I posted this in the right section. I felt my question is more medical than bereavement related.

    A few weeks ago, my Parrotlet got out of his cage and attacked by one of our cats. Please, before I get any hate (as I already have on other forums and already am mad enough at myself) please understand that we take every precaution we can having a bird and cats in the same house. They are never out in the same room, the cage is large and heavy, and we've modified extra locks to keep doors closed. But, after 14 years of never having a single accident, eventually we did. We took Birney to the vet immediately and got him some antibiotics, pain medication, and some ointment to help his wounds. He did great the next few weeks, healed up well, and we were starting to get back to normal life.

    However, Wednesday evening I noticed he was a bit more tired than usual. I also noticed his right eye, the skin around it, looked darkened compared to his left. Thursday I noticed his eye was worse, and he was constipated (straining, poop stuck to his butt), the first time he's ever been sick in 14 years of life, so I made an appointment for the vet today, fearing it was related to his attack. (Fyi He is on high quality food, not junk, and receives fresh fruit and vegetables daily, so I didn't feel the constipation was food related but maybe)
    This morning I wiped his bum clean and hand fed some fruit and veggies fearing he wasn't eating. However, I came home on my lunch break to discover he didn't make it past 11am.

    My fiance was home and stated he was scratching his head and cuddling him, but he was acting very lethargic. He walked away for a minute (keeping Birney in his cage) and heard him fall from a perch halfway up his cage, dead on the bottom.

    I called our diagnostic center to see how much an autopsy would be, which they estimated to be between $80-130. I don't mind spending that money on him if he were alive, and certainly did when he first got hurt, but am already planning to spend that money on cremating him, so don't think I can afford to get an autopsy done. Does anyone have any idea what could have happened? He has never been sick before in his life, so to come 2-3 weeks after a cat attack I'm sure it's related. But he was almost totally healed up and acting his fiesty self, to go from fine to dead in 2 days is beyond me. Viral infection from the cat's mouth that laid dormant for a few weeks maybe?

    Thank you for any help. I am lost and desperately want to know what happened, but am juggling too many other financal issues to spend that money on an autopsy that wont really solve anything other than ease my mind.

  2. #2
    Junior Member
    EllenD's Avatar


    Parrots

    Senegal Parrot-Kane; Blue Quaker Parrot-Lita; Green Cheek Conure-Bowie; Cockatiel-Duff; 8 American/English Hybrid Budgies
    I'm sorry for your loss, that's a terrible situation when it happens...

    Did the Avian Vet put your parrotlet on any antibiotics? Cats carry a bacteria in their saliva that is deadly to birds, and often even when the bird survives it's injuries, it dies later due to a systemic infection caused by the bacteria from the cat's saliva entering in through open wounds. You mentioned that your bird had external wounds, so it's likely that this is what killed him with the amount of time that passed from the accident to the time of his death.

    If not from a bacterial infection due to the cat's saliva, which is my opinion of what happened, he could have had an internal injury that you didn't know about and that the vet wouldn't have found unless they did an ultrasound or at the very least a plain-film x-ray, though often internal bleeding, if it's slow enough, isn't going to be seen on an x-ray, only an ultrasound or a scan. However, I doubt this was the cause due to the amount of time that passed. My guess is that he died from a bacterial infection from the cat's saliva that eventually spread to his bloodstream, and he died of sepsis. It's a very common cause of death when a bird is attacked by a cat...I'm very sorry.

  3. The following 2 users like this post:

    Dragonlady2 (05-18-2018), PlaxMacaws (05-18-2018)

  4. #3
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    I am so sorry for your loss. Unless you have a necropsy done, you probably will never really know what happened. I suspect it might be the result if the infection he would have had from the cat attack and stress. Birds will hide their illnesses until it is sometimes too late to help them.
    All you can do is remember Birney with love. Again, so sorry.

  5. The following user likes this post:

    PlaxMacaws (05-18-2018)

  6. #4
    Senior Member
    PlaxMacaws's Avatar


    Parrots

    B&G (Jack) | MM (Maynard) - RIP | Hy (Zaf) - RIP | GW (Salsa) | NC (Bozley)
    I too am terribly sorry for your loss of Birney. I agree with both EllenD and Helena. One of the most suspect infectious bacteria that's present within cat saliva is called pasteurella multocida. All cats carry it. Since cats tend to continually lick their paws and their fur, this pathogen is ever present on their bodies and especially on their claws. As such, a mere scratch that breaches surface skin ever so slightly can be lethal for a bird. As EllenD mentioned, such infections can take time to build to the point of devastating illness. And as Helena mentioned, birds are well noted for hiding signs of illness for extended periods. So your description of events tends to fit. As has been stated, the only way to learn conclusively what happened would be through a necropsy. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.
    He wanted to live. He was my Heaven... He's gone!

  7. The following user likes this post:

    Dragonlady2 (05-18-2018)

  8. #5
    Senior Member
    kendrafitz's Avatar


    Parrots

    Rosie, our Greenwing Macaw (Hatchday 4/1/12)
    I don’t have an educated opinion on what was wrong. I just wanted to extend my sympathy for your loss.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Rosie & Kendra


  9. The following user likes this post:

    Dragonlady2 (05-19-2018)

  10. #6
    Junior Member
    eickhorn's Avatar


    Parrots

    Yellow Collared Macaw
    Sorry for your loss. It makes me sad when i read these posts. I to have cats and will need to learn how to deal with the issues asap and make Rio feel like its his home.

  11. #7
    Super Moderator
    Lady's Avatar


    Parrots

    Illiger Macaw (Primolius maracana)
    I too am sorry to hear of your loss of Birney.

  12. #8
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    So very sorry to hear of your loss.

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