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My 2 year old cockatiel ws just diagnosed with bornavirus and I couldn't be more heartbroken. What foods and toys could I give him to make things the best they can be?

I’m so sorry I took so long to respond to you friend, and I’m so sorry to hear about your cockatiel. Unfortunately this isn’t something I know much about :( I’m sure someone here might be able to give some advice?

#cockatiel #ask #illness #bornavirus #Anonymous

Epilepsy in parrots

First of all, I'M NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. I'm a parrot owner with way too much first hand knowledge of caring for epileptic birds. I've had two parrots with epilepsy, one (since deceased 😭 from unrelated causes) with really bizarre seizures who responded well to the first med we tried, and one with what people usually think of as "typical" seizures who hasn't really responded to AEDs (anti epilepsy drugs). He's on one hell of a cocktail that's helping some right now, but nothing is really certain in epilepsy. The body develops a tolerance to meds, the disease changes, just... it's a constant reevaluation. Most of what I've learned about epilepsy was just from a desperate search to keep Mijo alive. It's all based on either published articles on epilepsy in humans, message boards for people with epilepsy, or experience managing his disease. Also conversations with my vet of the "omfg what is this what do I do" variety. Hopefully this helps someone, because there is basically NOTHING online about epilepsy in birds. Some of the info on treatments might even be useful to humans with epilepsy, because there have been some interesting developments recently in that area. (I'm going to post in sections, it's taking me too long to finish writing. I want this available asap.)

First, if you found this post because your bird or other pet is having a seizure RIGHT NOW and you're freaking out, I got you.

Seizure care

1) Take a deep breath. You can do this. 💪 2) Turn off any fans you have going in the room, close the door, close the curtains. 3) DO NOT RESTRAIN THEM. It increases possibility of injury if their muscles are pushing against restraints. 4) Make sure they're not in immediate danger of injury. If they're dangling from a foot or if a wing is trapped, just put your hands under to support their body and take the strain off their joints. DO NOT try to untangle them just yet unless necessary. 5) In a soothing voice tell them it's ok, you're right there. 6) They might vomit. If possible try to keep them on their side or front with head angled a little downward. If you have a choice try to get them on their left side. When syringe feeding you're supposed to go in from the left, so that's probably the best side for them to lie on if they vomit. 7) Count the seconds off. You need to know roughly how long it lasts, and I find that it helps keep me calm. 8) Some types of seizures aren't convulsions. If your bird is flying madly around their cage like they're fighting off a predator they could be hallucinating. (This was Mija's 😭 type of seizure.) Turn off the lights, cover the cage, make it as dark as possible. Reducing outside stimulus helps reduce the symptoms until the seizure is over. 9) Most rescue meds are oral. If you give an oral med during the seizure there's a very good chance they'll inhale it and that's... very bad. Unless the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes we wait until AFTER the seizure to give Mijo the medicine. He has seizure clusters, which means that once he has a seizure he will have at least one more within 10 minutes. It's bad for the brain to have seizure clusters so we try to stop them before they start.

Seizure aftercare

If they had a wing or leg awkwardly caught they should be able to free it themselves. Just keep supporting them and let them do it. Wings in particular are very delicate and you don't want to accidentally hurt them.

If they're unconscious you can try to untangle them. Make sure you're moving the wing in ways it naturally moves, like folding it closed etc. Listen to their chest for a heartbeat, make sure they're breathing. Make them comfortable in a spot you can keep an eye on them and check their vitals every few minutes. Their body temp is likely to be elevated due to exertion, so bear that in mind when deciding whether to cover them. If their breathing is laboured, their heartbeat is unsteady, or you would feel safer, take them to the vet.

They're going to be exhausted, overheated from their muscles working so hard, and confused. Gently wipe off any vomit, letting them beak the tissue paper to clean the inside of their beak. Move slowly and continue to speak reassuringly. Offer water. Mijo always poops shortly after a seizure so brace yourself for the sticky onslaught.

Check for injuries such as cuts and bruises. If they broke a blood feather or are bleeding try to stop the bleeding and go to the vet. DON'T use human ointments on pets. They could ingest it while grooming and die. There are special ointments available from the vet that are safe for pets. Don't assume an ointment for a cat or dog is safe for a bird. They are very different biochemically. Make sure their eyes are undamaged. If something seems to be wrong go to the vet.

One pupil bigger than the other doesn't necessarily mean the same thing in a bird as it would in a human. They have conscious control of their pupils and can dilate each eye differently under normal circumstances. Check that the pupil is responsive. If it is, and that eye starts behaving as usual within 15 minutes, it's likely NOT a symptom of brain damage or stroke.

One side or limb might be temporarily weaker or unresponsive. If it goes away it's likely just part of the seizure. They might be temporarily blind, deaf, aggressive, or fearful. That's also likely a part of their seizure.

But again, if something doesn't seem right to you, even if I said it's not necessarily something to worry about, go to your vet. Trust your gut. You know your baby. If this is their first seizure DEFINITELY go to the vet.

Next up, in no particular order: record keeping, questions for your vet, rescue meds, potential treatments, symptoms, towelling advice, how to give meds, PDD aka proventricular dilation disease aka borna virus, visiting a specialist, beneficial environmental changes that could help manage the disease