At our wits end over Harry budgie!

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello every budgie lover out there,
As my thread title says it all really I suppose many of you can relate to feeling like this when your beloved budgie is not well. Our beautiful boy is called Harry and he is six years old. I will try and keep this as short as possible. I have had the pleasure of the company of budgies throughout my life, I am now 53 so must have known a few! At the moment we have one very sick little chap and I am at the stage where I feel like banging my head against a wall in order to try and make some sense out of what is wrong with him. We have a very good specialist avian vet for him, and he is doing his utmost for Harry. A fortnight ago Harry was fine and then just over a week ago he became unwell. You know how you can just tell? He wasn't right, all fluffed, listless and most noticeably scratching around his vent area, also his droppings were smaller with slightly pale yellow liquid in them. We took him straight to the vet the following day. He said that Harry did have a 'fat pad' on his chest that might be pressing on his liver, this would cause the yellow liquid in his droppings, it's a bit like comparing it to a human having jaundice. He gave Harry an anti-inflamatory and antibiotic injection, also gave me antibiotic, Bioplus powder (to help the gut) and vitamin drops all to go in his water. A couple of days after this Harry seemed like his 'old self' but the following day he was back down again. On and off he has been 'flicking' his wings and shaking his head (worse for some reason when there is noise?) Two evenings ago this became really bad and we took him again to the vet on the following morning. Another anti-inflamatory injection and a different antibiotic and Harry seemed just slightly improved. Today he is just sitting, head tucked or flicking his wings and shaking his head. Eating a little if I put a tray by him, but drinking even less. Not really wanting any fuss at all. It is breaking our hearts to see him like this, I have never seen the wing flicking and head shaking symptoms in a bird before. I feel helpless as the vet said to give him another week, while there is life there is hope. Am I doing the right thing or just prolonging Harry's misery keeping him like this? Is he likely to make a recovery therefore should I hope and pray that he will? I'm sorry that I said earlier that I would keep this short, I've rambled on but I wanted to make sure I mentioned everything. I would be grateful for any advice given, but I would hate to think that there is no hope for him.
Love, Jan.

[BUUZBEE]

I'm so sorry to hear about Harry. What do you mean about the wing flicking? I have recently had some problems with my aviary birds. A necropsy was done on one and he also had liver problems, but due to toxins. I have had 3 pass away, he was the last. BUT I did notice since they were all put on antibiotics (before necropsy resutls came back) some of them were doing a little wing twitch thing. not lifting them up or out at all but just a shake type thing. I assume it was due to the biotics they were on. Donald is still doing this sometimes. So now I am really wondering if anything else is wrong.
I have no advice to offer up on whats wrong with Harry, he is up there in budgie years, and organs do tend to slow down with age. As long as he is comfortable, and eating/drinking I would let him keep fighting. I hope he gets better with the treatment. fingers crossed & keep us posted.

[clifff123]

Sorry to hear about Harry, Our payers are with you both. We become so attached to these little creatures that totally rely on us for everything. I am so sorry you are in that helpless position and hope and pray all goes well for you both!!

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you for both messages so far and I take heart that someone else is praying for Harry. Anna, the wing flicking is just as you say 'not lifting them up or out at all but just a shake type thing' it's just a quick 'twitch/flick' of the wings, loud enough to hear as he does it, but definately not lifting them very high. Maybe it is the antibiotics causing this then and I hope that it's nothing else to worry about. Thank you again for your concern.
Love, Jan.

[Donna]

Hi Jan,

I really wish I had some answers for you ( to help Harry) but I don't. I am really sorry for what you are going through.

Please know that you have many friends out here who understand your worry and anxiety because we all have Budgie friends that we love too. So we can understand your pain and we really do feel bad for you.

I hope you will keep us posted on how Harry is doing and let us know how things are going.

Harry is very blessed to have an owner who cares so deeply about him.

Take care,
Donna

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you so very much Donna for your caring message, I feel a little easier after sharing how we are feeling over Harry, I will certainly let you know how he gets on and pass your messages on to my husband and son, who are out at the moment. They are taking it hard too, but seem to find it less easy to show how they are feeling, I can just let go and have a good cry but I think its not so easy for men.
Love,
Jan.

[redgirl]

Aww bless you, my thoughts are with you all.

[BUUZBEE]

Maybe it is the antibiotics causing this then and I hope that it's nothing else to worry about. .

I have no idea if thats what causes it. I noticed the day after giving it to them, that about 6 were doing it. they are still on the biotics, and i have only noticed 2 doing it now. i can only assume it is from the biotics, but dont know for sure. They will still be on it for another week (new type now, was changed on sat.)
so i will see what happens when they are off

keep us posted with harry
xx

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you all again for sharing your experiences and for your good wishes, it really has helped so much. Harry is at this very moment eating, he always seems to pick up in the evening. Also seems much better when all is quiet, so doing our best to achieve this. I will keep you updated.
Love, Jan.

[Budgiekin]

I am so sorry to hear about your precious little guy Harry. It really causes us great stress when out little feathered friends are obviously not well. My thoughts are with you Jan.

I'm afraid I don't know what to say about Harry's condition as that is not in my experience. I have had many a visit to an avian vet, but not for anything like what Harry is experiencing. My best advice is to keep him warm (ideally an ambient temperature of between 80-85 degrees Farenheit). You're doing everything you can for your little sweety.....in the meantime, I know how stressful it can be to not know the outcome, so hang in there! The best you can do is make him as comfortable as possible and rely on the expertise of your avian specialist. Keep us posted...;)

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello to everyone,
Thank you Budgiekin for your very good advice. I have only just come back to the forum after speaking to you all last time. I was a little afraid of 'tempting fate' by letting you know that our precious little boy is a little improved. He is no longer 'flicking' his wings and no longer shaking his head, which is such an improvement it was so hard to see him like that. He still isn't out of the woods, you will all know how frightened we are of being too hopeful when our birds aren't well. We are taking things one day at a time as his improvement is so slow, but he is getting there. He still sleeps a lot, but restful sleep and not agitated rest/sleep. Yesterday he amazed us by flying to his little swing in the window, he hasn't bothered with this swing for ages, but now it seems to be his favourite place. It was a really sunny day and he just sat there watching things going on through the (closed) window. He's never in direct sunlight as it's filtered through window net, but it really seemed to do him good. He would fly back to his cage have a little to eat, and a tiny drink and then go back to his window swing! I forgot to mention that Harry is never caged, all of his things are on the outside of the cage, perches, food, water, toys! He never goes where he shouldn't though just toddles about from perch to perch or sits on the bars, and we are all fanatical door and window closers! His cage is just for transport to the vet and obviously he knows if he is put in there then he is going on a visit! One thing that is most noticeable is that he is no longer 'talking' before his illnes he would never stop and I would need a lot more time and space to write down here some of the things that he used to say! Maybe it will come back with time? We aren't bothered though, just as long as Harry recovers his health. He is eating as I write this, so another good sign. I wonder if its true what they say about good wishes and prayers, because he started to pick up after my first visit to this forum, maybe all the good wishes sent his way have helped him? If we can get him through this I will post a picture of him on here, again I'm afraid of tempting fate by adding one before he is fully recovered.
Thank you all again,
Love, Jan.

[Donna]

Hi Jan,

Thanks for the update on Harry. It sounds as though he is improving little by little, and that is a great thing. Just the fact that he's flying and eating makes us more hopeful and is very encouraging. Obviously, Budgies and pets are like people in that they need rest to recover from an illness. And I can see where it would be hard to not hear your little friend talk like he used to. But then again, how many of us are up to talking when we feel really bad? Just give him time to recover and I bet he is back to his old self talking and chirping.

Have a great day!

Donna

[Budgiekin]

Thank you so much for this update. I have been worried about your little guy! It sounds as though he is at least more comfortable and is making small steps to becoming healthier. I'm so happy that he is no longer flicking his wings or shaking his head...that is so great to hear! Please continue to keep us updated! ;)

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you Donna and Budgiekin, I will certainly keep you updated. Just as you said Donna, when not well ourselves we do not feel like talking. I have come to realise over these past few days just how deafening silence can be. We were so used to Harry's chattering, but I don't think that I ever took it for granted as it never failed to amaze me when listening to him how so many big words came out of such a tiny little creature!
Love, Jan.

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello everyone,
Harry is still hanging in there, but eating very little. He flew over to us today while we were eating snacks as if he knew it was feeding time and it was something different from seed! He must be hungry to have made the flight, and maybe at the moment seed is just too much trouble or just not tempting enough? I was wondering if any of you know if there is any such thing as invalid food for sick budgies? I am totally in the dark over this, the vet has never mentioned anything and I just wondered..... maybe someone out there will know.
Love, Jan.

[BUUZBEE]

glad to hear harry is doing a bit better. have you tried a soak mix? all the carbs in it should perk him up a bit. i've never heard of an "invalid" food, lol. they love mashed hard boiled eggs too

heres the link to the soak mix, like i said, carbs give us a berst of energy, i would think it would do the same for the little one too
http://talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=2429

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello all and thank you Anna for the 'soak mix' recipe. It sounds just the thing to pick Harry up. Also mashed egg, I have often wondered about this and have never been too sure if it is OK to feed it to budgies, I was sure I had read somewhere in the dim and distant past that it was good for them, so now that I know for sure I could try him with a tiny bit. For all interested in Harry's progress he is pretty much the same today. Still very quiet, a squeek now and again if he thinks we are going to leave him alone, but other than that not very much communication at all. He has allowed me to 'tickle' around his neck with a ceramic budgie ( his favourite ornament) that usually sits over in his corner of the living room with him. You know how budgies just love that tickle thing, all my past pets have, Harry has never let fingers close enough to him to give his neck the special budgie tickle/scratch! I suppose it's just another little contact thing that he is allowing because he isn't himself. I still feel so sad when I look at him, he just wants to sit quietly and that's not Harry at all. I know we have to be patient but I so wish that we had our chatty, cheeky little bundle back. I will have to find out how to post his pic? Maybe if you all saw him (I have photo's from before he was ill, haven't wanted to take any while he is unwell) then you could send good feelings his way? I do know how to add photo's to email but not sure how it works with a forum.
Thank you all again for your concern,
Love, Jan.

[BUUZBEE]

glad to hear he is still doing good. he should love the eggs too.
do you have an online photo ablum account, like photobucket?

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello Anna, no I don't have anything like photobucket or any other kind of online photo album account. Just the usual photo's stored in 'my pictures' on the computer. So not too sure how to proceed from here and look forward to any advice that you can give.
Jan. XXX.

[BUUZBEE]

www.photobucket.com is a free online album. you can make the album private if you choose, and have a password too. you would just upload them to the photobucket account, and then post the "img" tag that will be under the photo

(it will have URL TAG & IMG under each photo)

i am pretty sure on here, you can also upload from your computer, but im not sure if that is just for the gallery (i've only posted a few in the gallery, not in a post) i always use the photobucket img link

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you Anna for the advice, I will look into photobucket as it sounds such a useful thing to have. Also see if I can upload into the gallery, if I manage to do it I will let you know.
Love, Jan.

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello again, I have managed to get Harry's pic into the gallery, quite an acheivement for a newbie! Please look under 'H' for Harry to see him.
Love, Jan.

[budgiesmum1953]

Sorry I meant to say you have to 'search' Harry to find him, I couldn't locate him in 'H'. Jan. XXX.

[BUUZBEE]

awww. what a looker!

heres a link, not sure if it will take us directly to it??? lets see
http://www.talkbudgies.com/photoplog/index.php?n=397

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you Anna, he certainly is and I will pass your message on to him with a great big kiss! Also thank you for the link, that makes it so much easier if anyone wants to see him. I couldn't wait to update you on his progress, so here goes. Overnight last night for some reason he seemed to go downhill, he couldn't sleep for twitching and shaking his head etc, so I expected the worst. I just didn't know what to do for him. I had an idea at around 6am this morning, after thinking about what you had also found when your birds were on antibiotics, I thought could it possibly be that? As today was the final dose day anyway I decided to leave it out of his water first thing this morning, just give vit drops and Bioplus. Very, very gradually through the day he has been improving. At the moment no more twitches, and because of that he has been able to have some restful sleep. He ate more and drank more today than he has since falling ill, and we have also had a couple of tiny swawks from him! I know not to get my hopes up fully yet, know how very fragile bird health is, but fingers crossed and please God maybe we are fighting our way out of the woods. I'm wondering too if some very good feelings have been sent our way, to help Harry? I just can't thank you all enough for being there when I really didn't know where to turn. The vet can only help so much and with the physical side of things. If all goes well it might be worth passing the message around that antibiotics can sometimes have these frightening side effects and not to worry about them. If Harry does continue to improve, I think I will let my vet kmow what happened just so that he can warn any future fretful mums and dads of budgie patients!
Love, Jan.

[BUUZBEE]

Well I know i've been sending tons of love & wishes his way! I really hope he keeps pulling thru! huggs to you too Jan!

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you so very much for your good wishes and huggs Anna, it really means so much and has made my day. I'll carry on and keep you all updated with Harry's progress.
Love and best wishes,
Jan. XXX.

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello to everyone who has been watching to see how Harry is getting on. He is still with us. He sleeps a lot, is eating and drinking but not really too interested in very much that is going on around him. We are keeping him warm, especially at night. He does fly to his swing in the window for his night sleep and there is a radiator (safely out of reach) below so he's nice and warm there overnight. He does get breathless after this little fly, but soon recovers and then sits quietly. I think that at the moment all we can do is to keep him comfortable, as long as he isn't in pain. I now think that this is all due to the 'fatty' area on his breast, and probably the vet was right it could be pressing on his liver. It is breaking my heart to see him like this, but I have to accept that this is all part of being Harry's 'mum' and having had the very great pleasure of his company for the last six years. I will keep you posted.....
Love, Jan.

[budgiesmum1953]

We've lost him! Around half an hour ago Harry passed away. At least we were here with him and he was in his dad's hands. Our heart's are so heavy, please say a little prayer for Harry.
Love,
Jan.

[pal0m1n0]

I am so sorry to hear that. It is a comfort to have been with him when he passed. I am sending you a virtual hug. <hug> :crying2:

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you pal0m1n0 so very much for the hug, it means so much and I will pass it on to my husband and son. We are all still very upset. The weather was so strange when he passed away, the sky went really dark and the rain poured down, we even had a rumbling of thunder, then about fifteen minutes after it just seemed to clear away. It felt as if Heaven was crying for Harry too. :crying2:
Love, Jan.

[BUUZBEE]

Oh Jan, i'm so sorry to read this. He was a little fighter and gave all he could. He will be in your families hearts forever, and will be watching you from above where he flies freely.
*huggs to your and your family
xxx
anna

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you Anna with all my heart, he was a little fighter, and so brave. I'm sure that he knew we didn't want to let him go. He just couldn't hang on any longer though, bless him. At least he is no longer feeling any discomfort and I'm sure you are right that he is at last flying freely and happily watching over us. He needn't worry about a new budgie taking his place as he is irreplaceable. We have all decided that the pleasures of sharing your life with one of these wonderful little creatures are immense, but the heartbreak at losing them is just too much to bear.
Love to all who have shared Harry's fight with us.
Jan. XXX.

[Budgiekin]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your precious little Harry! I cried when I read your posts. I know what it is like to lose a budgie. Apollo died when he was 6 and we never did figure out why (even after a necropsy). My thoughts are with you sweety. It is amazing the impact these little guys have on our lives. They really do bring us joy and make us realize how precious life is when they pass away. I felt so sad when Apollo died; my heart was so empty and I kept thinking about what I could have done differently which may have led to a different outcome. I still miss my sweety tremendously and he has been gone for over a year now....It does get easier with time and you will always hold a special place for him in your heart.

[Angela]

:( I watched my budgie struggle for consciousness, but by some miracle, his health has improved dramatically in the past week. He's 10 and getting on in age, but god has blessed me with some more time to spend with my Blue. I cried and cried because I thought he was going to die. He fought, just as I know your little buddy fought. And i understand your loss. When I was younger, I had another budgie named Prince. He was a blue budgie (skyblue to be exact). I lost him tragically at eight months because he accidently escaped out the front door. It was a crippling loss because he was such an amazing bird, never wanting to be alone, always wanting to share his time with someone. It still haunts me, almost ten years later! I have dreams where he reappears outside and lands on my shoulder. But at any rate, I hope you and your family are comforted in knowing that your sweet little guy is in a better place.
Best wishes,
Angela

[clifff123]

I am so sorry to hear about Harry, How could anyone imagine these little creatures could effect our life's the way they do. They may be gone but never forgotten.

RIP Harry!!

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello and thank you all for your lovely heartwarming replies posted since my last visit. I can't thank you all enough for your thoughts on Harry's passing. As Budgiekin said it's just not knowing why a precious budgie has died, also ''I kept thinking about what I could have done differently which may have led to a different outcome'' over the past few days I have been going over and over in my head what I could have done or not done to alter what happened to Harry. I'm sure we go through an irrational period of self blame because these little fellows rely on us so competely that if something does go wrong then we must be to blame, or so we feel at the time. We have to stand back from the situation and take stock and realise that we are feeling like this because we are just so upset. I'm so sorry for your loss of beautiful Apollo, he must have been a very special little guy to have been so greatly loved. Also I take great comfort when you say that it does get easier with time.
Angela, what a wonderful miracle that Blue has recovered from what must have been a dreadful experience. We know how fragile these little creatures are, but they have so much fight in them for life when they are loved as much as our little fellows. Thank God Blue is now OK, I know you'll treasure him and the rest of your time together. Please give him a little nuzzle and kiss from me. I was so sad when I read about Prince, he sounds so much like Harry, not wanting to be alone and always wanting company. I hope that you can take comfort in the fact that a lot of 'lost' budgies are very often found by people. Some years ago now, two of our previous budgies were bought to us (at different times) by neighbours who knew that we loved birds. We did our best to trace previous owners, adverts in newspapers etc. and neither were reclaimed. We happily embraced each of them into the family and they became wonderful pets. I'm sure that there is every chance that this could have also happened for Prince.
Thank you also clifff123 for your good wishes. You are so right when you say that these little creatures affect our life in the special way that they do. It's so hard to put it into words but they are very special little beings! Who could imagine that a tiny, tiny tongue could find its way around words like 'beautiful, gorgeous, cheeky, beautious, budgie, pup budge! And Harry's favourite phrase 'Daddy's gone to toilet!' My only regret is never having recorded some of Harry's funnier phrases, but they will always be alive in my memories along with the beautiful image of a very special little budgie.
Love to you all and give your treasure's an extra little kiss from me.
Jan. XXX.

[Donna]

Hello Jan and Family,

I am so sorry about your loss. I am just now reading about Harry's passing on, and I feel bad that I didn't read about it sooner. I can't imagine how you are all feeling at this moment. I bet the time that Harry was sick seems like it was much longer than it was because when you spend countless hours with worry, the days are long.

Anyway, please know how sorry I am for you. Just try and think on the good times you had and remember the funny things he did.

Did you by chance, ever record Harry's voice when he was talking? My Dad passed away from Lou Gehrig's (a little over two years ago) and if I can just play a tape of his voice, that sometimes helps me through some of those rough moments. From my experience, it truly is a great comfort, to once again hear the voice of someone you've lost and loved so much.

Do you have any other Budgies or was Harry the only one? I am only asking because I thought maybe if you had any others, you might try recording their voices now, so that it will be a treasured keepsake for you in the future.

I thought I was going to lose one of my Budgies a few weeks ago, but everything turned out just fine. Even though I didn't end up losing him, I can relate to the fear and worry during the time I thought he was sick.

Whether you have any other Budgies or not, I hope that you will still continue to stay in touch with us through this forum. Just know that we all care, and that you are greatly appreciated and loved.

Hang in there Jan. . .

Donna

[Adottybird]

My heart feels heavy on reading about Harry. I am so very sorry that you have lost such a beloved budgie. I saw the picture of Harry you posted...what a good looking budgie. Only time will heal your heart. Know that we are thinking of you and understand your sadness.

Hugs. Dotty

[budgiesmum1953]

Thank you Donna and Dotty, everyone has been so kind here, I begin to wonder how I would have coped with losing Harry if I didn't have you all to talk to. My hubby and son are very upset at losing him but I think that possibly men cope in a different way with loss, keep a lot of the hurt inside. I just keep having a good cry every now and again when he crosses my mind, whuch is pretty often during the day and night. I can so relate now to the word 'heartache' as my heart is certainly aching to have Harry back. He has his little plot in the back garden and I can see it from the kitchen window, the wild birds feed there and when I watch them I get upset all over again. The last couple of days I have been trying not to look out where he is, which has helped a little.
As you say Donna the time seemed so much longer when Harry was sick. I have a photo of him from September 3rd. he was climbing over and around his cage, then on September 6th. he started showing small signs of not being himself. I can't believe that it has been less than a month ago and in that short space of time we have lost him. It has certainly seemed a lot longer. Unfortunately I never taped him talking and I so wish that I had. He said some really funny things and was always telling us that he was 'daddy's big boy.' I could never get him to say 'mommy's baby' even though I did keep trying! He was an 'only' child! :) I think that is why he talked so well and we gave him lots of company and love so I hope that he didn't miss the companionship of another bird. I'm so glad Donna that your little fellow came through his health scare safely and is now well, and I'm sure that you understand how it feels when one of our little treasures is lost as it frightens us so much when they are ill we worry just as much as if we have lost them. Thank you again for your caring words and I will stay in touch if that is OK. I found the forum when Harry was pretty ill, I think it was meant to be as everyone has been so supportive.
Thank you too Dotty for your lovely thoughts and words. This afternoon was really bad and I had been crying over Harry again, I logged in here just to see how things were going and found that I had two more 'replies' as with all previous messages I felt so much better after reading them and sitting here sharing thoughts of Harry with you. I am thrilled Dotty that you think Harry was a good looking budgie, I have to agree with you there, even though he was our special little boy he was an exquisite looking little creature. I do think that you need to have shared your life with a budgie to understand what magical little things they are. I am sure that we are all very lucky to have discovered this! I love all animals, but I'm sure that you will know what I mean about the very special personality of a budgie. I remember saying that I could never replace Harry but there have been times this week when I've thought that I couldn't take the 'silent' house any longer. I know that it's too soon yet really, I would feel like I had betrayed Harry this early on, but maybe in the future?.....
Thank you all again for your love, caring words and hugs,
Jan. XXX.

[kisses]

I am sooooo sorry to hear about Harry. I started reading the post from the beginning today and read through every post. I felt myself excited when he started to get better and was pulling for him! It was so dramatic and sad when you posted we lost him. I actually started crying! My heart goes out to you and your family. Harry was a beautiful guy! Thanks for sharing your story.

[budgiesmum1953]

Hello Kisses and thank you for your lovely message. I remember feeling the same 'excited when he started to get better' you cling on to the slightest hope, but at the back of my mind I think that I knew he was pretty sick. I'm thrilled that you think he was beautiful as every day I looked at him I would think the same, everything about him was so special, his shape, his colour, his eyes, even his tail we used to marvel at the colour of it. We would always tell him this and I think by the way he looked back at us he knew what we were saying, he was very proud!
Since losing him I've been enjoying looking at the budgie pics posted on the forum and it has helped so much to see how adorable other members budgies are. Also the funny things that other budgies do, it's all helping to heal the hurt of losing Harry. I can see too that others are affected in the same way by the loss of a beautiful budgie family member and know that they too understand the hurt that this loss causes. I still miss him terribly and cry for him still, the house is so quiet without him. We have lived with budgies in the past and the inevitable time has come around for them to part company, I know that it was an awful time but I can't ever remember it hurting this much, maybe as we get a little bit older it becomes harder to let go? I'm not sure what else it could be.
Thank you again for your very kind message and I will pass on your feelings to my family.
Love, Jan. XXX.