bingo
Weaned Todd
Bingo
Joined: October 2005
Posts: 27
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Post by bingo on Oct 25, 2005 18:14:37 GMT -7
We have a male Solomon Island Eclectus that we've had for about 6 months. He is around 2 1/2 yrs old. He seems to be a very happy bird and he is not a plucker. He is very playful and is on a zupreem diet along with fruits and vegetables every day. About 3 months ago we noticed him itching his neck with his foot. We started to notice a small area on the back of his neck starting to get bare. About 1 1/2 months the bare spot seemed to be getting worse so we took him to the vet. She gave him two doses of Ivomec on the neck over a period of 2 weeks. During this time we also got a humidifier and continued to spray him with water twice a day. His bare spot on his neck started to get better and some new feather were starting to appear. He also seemed to stop itching almost completely. We assumed the feathers would continue to grow in, but this is not the case. Just in the past week he seems to be itching a lot again. His neck is not completely bare, it is covered with short fuzzy feathers. When we took him to the vet the first time she did an intestinal parasite exam and discovered no problems. We called the vet again today and she suggested that it may have something to do with the liver. She said that we could have a fungal test done if we wanted. We are unsure of what is causing this and about what to do. Any ideas? Thank-you!
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 25, 2005 21:16:26 GMT -7
When you said "liver" and "Eclectus" it rang a bell about something I read recently: www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww24eii.htmALOE DETOX-- About a year ago, I wrote an account in an on-line newsletter of an adult female eclectus that I own who became seriously ill. After undergoing every imaginable test and treatment protocol by two veterinarians, no diagnosis could be made and the bird was sent home to be "kept comfortable." In desperation, I went browsing in a health food store with the hope of finding something that might save my beloved bird. Both vets had mentioned liver damage so I decided to try a liver-detoxifying agent called Aloe Detox by Naturade. I was shocked at the immediate response--her appetite returned, she began perching for the first time in weeks and she became responsive to her surroundings again.
After a couple weeks of steady improvement and when she seemed normal again, I took her back to one of the treating vets for blood work. He was pleasantly surprised just to see her alive, and he drew blood for re-testing. He phoned me with the results of the CBC and said "If I had not drawn the blood myself, I would not believe that it came from the same bird. All of her liver values are completely normal!"
In hindsight, I wish that I had kept a log of all her treatments, including the Aloe Detox, but the dosage that I used was, at best, unscientific, being simply all that I could get into her. I made her drinking water half Aloe Detox, soaked her bird bread in it, and put it on everything that she would eat. Being a non-toxic product, I felt that there was no danger of overdosing her. Due to the serious nature of her condition, there was nothing to lose.
The veterinarian who published the on-line newsletter in which I recounted this story became interested in Aloe Detox . Here is what Dr. M.L Simmons says about the product.
"After the hen recovered fully and resumed her role as part of a prolific producing pair, I started recommending Aloe Detox in cases where antibiotics, anti-fungals, and other treatments had failed. The results were so startling that I became more and more convinced that we had stumbled onto something. Sometimes the favorable responses could be seen within two to three hours. We have given it to babies as young as one day old, and to adult birds, with no side effects.
We are now using it prior to antibiotics, which so far has resulted in no need for the antibiotics, which can have damaging effects on bone marrow and immune systems. We do not know how Aloe Detox works--it may be a powerful natural antibiotic, or it may be a powerful stimulator of the immune system, or some combination thereof. Initially we use it full strength as the liquid in the feeding formulation. I usually recommend a little BeneBac (probiotic) and a little handfeeding powder mixed well and fairly liquid. Sometimes we have had to dribble the fluid into the side of the beak as the chick was no longer responding at all. (If possible, tubing would be a good approach.)
After a positive response, we reduce the strength of the Aloe Detox by adding water to make up the difference. Then over a period of two days we gradually eliminate the detox gel and replace it with water. Two of my vet friends, initially very wary of "herbal cures", were convinced to try it and they now keep it in stock in their clinics at all times. (It is a very good vehicle for delivering oral medications in dogs and cats and is absolutely fantastic for canine and feline simple enteric disorders and diarrhea.) This stuff really does work!!!"
Through the internet and by word of mouth, Aloe Detox has become popular with quite a few Avian vets in the U.S. and has been credited with saving many birds, which is most gratifying to me. I think that it should be an integral part of all Avian first-aid kits.
Product description: NATURADE Detoxifying Formula, Double Strength Aloe Vera Gel (200:1) with Aloe Pulp and Natural Herbal Blend: Milk Thistle, Burdock, Dandelion, Echinacea, Green Tea, Red Clover and Blue Cohosh. Cost: $15 per quart. Where to buy: health food stores or NATURADE web site at: www.naturade.com/products/specialty/detox.htm
Dr. Greg Harrison, Avian vet of Lake Worth, Florida, also recommends Aloe Vera. In his book, Avian Medicine, Principles and Application, he makes the following recommendation: George's Aloe Vera (Warren Laboratories) Available as a lotion for topical application on pruritic lesions or as a liquid for oral administration. Solution for treating pruritic skin lesions is made by mixing one-half ounce of Aloe Vera oral liquid with one teaspoon of Penetran, two drops of Woolite and one pint of water.Also, when I recently took a parrot care class, I heard the instructor talking to someone about an Electus. She said some of the problems they were having with these birds were possibly caused by not getting enough natural sunlight. They said Eclectus might need as much as 5 hours a day with either a full spectrum light, or in an outdoor aviary to get natural sunlight. |
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bingo
Weaned Todd
Bingo
Joined: October 2005
Posts: 27
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Post by bingo on Oct 26, 2005 10:28:24 GMT -7
Thanks for your reply. That article is very interesting, I will keep it in mind. I went ahead and made another appointment to take Emerald to the vet tomorrow. We will see what tests we an have done and go from there. Hopefully we will find something out!
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 30, 2005 20:30:35 GMT -7
Did the vet figure out what was wrong? I sure hope so.
Could he possibly have an allergy to something, like maybe something in his food?
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