Hello, all! I am brand new here--I was hoping for some advice on how to help my little guy. Please forgive the length of this post; I'm not sure what information is most important . . .
I've had Pretty Boy since I was a child. A neighbor caught him admiring his reflection in their backyard pool and gave him to my sister and me to take care of. I assume he was someone's escaped pet, but I never could find his original owner. Anyway, I have no way of knowing how old he is, except that he is at least twelve because that's how long I've had him. He was extremely cagebound when I got him and he's been getting better, but he still prefers not to have his head touched and he can be grumpy.
I caught pneumonia a few weeks ago and wasn't paying as much attention to him as I usually do (his cage was clean and he had food and water, but he was covered more than usual so he'd be quiet). I also had a humidifier going. Last Tuesday I realized he wasn't acting like himself--a bit more lethargic and clumsy, spending more time on the bottom of his cage, etc. On Tuesday night he fell off a perch and sat on the bottom of the cage, breathing hard. He was unresponsive when I talked to him, and when I took him out of the cage he acted like he was too weak to stand up--he just lay in my hand and let me pet him (he usually complains and won't stand much petting).
I got him to the vet the next morning as soon as I could, but he was already acting more normal. The vet didn't seem especially knowledgable . . . he said it might have been a stroke, and if it was there was nothing to be done but put him down. On the chance that it was some kind of infection, he gave Pretty Boy an antibiotic shot and gave me some medicine to give him over the next ten days.
He fell off his perch again on Wednesday and seemed "out of it" but not as bad as on Tuesday night. I moved everything in his cage lower down so he wouldn't have as far to fall. I put a food dish on the floor of the cage and made sure he could reach his water, and stayed with him until he was acting normally again.
He seems to be improving, but still not quite himself. He's fluffed up most of the time and doesn't sing very often. He's eating and drinking and hasn't fallen in awhile. When I was giving him his medicine, I noticed that his tongue is a normal "flesh color" now--it was a bit dark on the end when he first got sick.
---------
I suppose my question is twofold: what could cause a bird to suffer lethargy and clumsiness and a dark-colored tongue, as well as episodes of unresponsiveness and heavy breathing? And, what can I do to help him, or at least make him comfortable? He doesn't appear to be in distress, but I'm worried about him.
I'm also thinking I need to find a different vet. Any recommendations in the San Fernando Valley, CA area? :/
Any suggestions or brainstorming would be most appreciated! Thank you so much!
I've had Pretty Boy since I was a child. A neighbor caught him admiring his reflection in their backyard pool and gave him to my sister and me to take care of. I assume he was someone's escaped pet, but I never could find his original owner. Anyway, I have no way of knowing how old he is, except that he is at least twelve because that's how long I've had him. He was extremely cagebound when I got him and he's been getting better, but he still prefers not to have his head touched and he can be grumpy.
I caught pneumonia a few weeks ago and wasn't paying as much attention to him as I usually do (his cage was clean and he had food and water, but he was covered more than usual so he'd be quiet). I also had a humidifier going. Last Tuesday I realized he wasn't acting like himself--a bit more lethargic and clumsy, spending more time on the bottom of his cage, etc. On Tuesday night he fell off a perch and sat on the bottom of the cage, breathing hard. He was unresponsive when I talked to him, and when I took him out of the cage he acted like he was too weak to stand up--he just lay in my hand and let me pet him (he usually complains and won't stand much petting).
I got him to the vet the next morning as soon as I could, but he was already acting more normal. The vet didn't seem especially knowledgable . . . he said it might have been a stroke, and if it was there was nothing to be done but put him down. On the chance that it was some kind of infection, he gave Pretty Boy an antibiotic shot and gave me some medicine to give him over the next ten days.
He fell off his perch again on Wednesday and seemed "out of it" but not as bad as on Tuesday night. I moved everything in his cage lower down so he wouldn't have as far to fall. I put a food dish on the floor of the cage and made sure he could reach his water, and stayed with him until he was acting normally again.
He seems to be improving, but still not quite himself. He's fluffed up most of the time and doesn't sing very often. He's eating and drinking and hasn't fallen in awhile. When I was giving him his medicine, I noticed that his tongue is a normal "flesh color" now--it was a bit dark on the end when he first got sick.
---------
I suppose my question is twofold: what could cause a bird to suffer lethargy and clumsiness and a dark-colored tongue, as well as episodes of unresponsiveness and heavy breathing? And, what can I do to help him, or at least make him comfortable? He doesn't appear to be in distress, but I'm worried about him.
I'm also thinking I need to find a different vet. Any recommendations in the San Fernando Valley, CA area? :/
Any suggestions or brainstorming would be most appreciated! Thank you so much!
