# how should i give my budgie his antibiotics?



## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

he got an infection and the doctor gave me a syringe and the antibiotic and says to put it in his mouth

but if i grab him and put it in his mouth he wont like that and it wont be easy to do.

any recommendations?

worried he will hate me for doing this twice a day for 2 weeks, but we have 6 years of bonding, hopefully he will understand that i do things for his benefit

though im scared i wont even be able to do it!

its 0.06 ML twice a day


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

OMG i tried to give it to him and it looks liek some of the antibiotic went in his eye cos he shook his head wahat should i do??


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Put him in his cage and let him calm down, is his eye ok, is it open or closed?

Ask the vet if there is an option to use a medication that can be put in the water, it would be easier for both of you. How many birds do you have?


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Cody said:


> Ask the vet if there is an option to use a medication that can be put in the water, it would be easier for both of you. How many birds do you have?


luckily i was able to get a call back, its friday and this place is very bad at replying

i got the in water dosage, i can start it tomorrow morning

i am absolutely shaking right now. i lost my hen last week and now my boy bird has this infection which is a seconadry infection suspected from his cancer, did blood and stool test but gotta wait til next week for results

i am having so many problems i absolutely cant take any of this anymore


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

You gotta keep it together, for your bird's sake. You just need to be calm, giving medicine the first few times is stressful but you quickly learn how to do it efficiently and with the least amount of stress for both you and the bird. If you're freaking yourself out and panicking, your bird will sense it and you'll do worse at handling him to give the meds. So deep breaths, tell yourself this is for your bird's benefit, and that at the end of all this when he's healthy again, he'll realise you were only trying to help.

Since you can give the medicine in the water now, you don't have to worry about this anymore. But next time, if you need to give meds by hand, try to stay calm. You can always, always reset if you think you'll miss the drop or accidentally hurt him. Stop, gently put him back in his cage, take a breather and then try again. It's better than trying to rush it and accidentally putting medicine where it shouldn't be.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

I understand how stressful losing a bird is and then to have another one sick, I've been there. You are doing all you can for him at this time.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You've been given excellent advice. 
It's never easy to give a budgie medication but we do what is necessary to give them the best care possible.
Happily, you are now able to give him his medication in his water.

Please try to remember that your budgie will pick up on your emotions.
You need to be calm and relaxed when you are around him. He is ill now and is depending on you to take good care of him.

You are stronger and more capable than you think -- have faith and believe in yourself.*


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Thanks everyone. The medication I got is Sulfamethoxazole Oral suspension 240 mg

The oral dose was twice a day 0.06 ML and the in water dose is 1/4 cup water + 1.5Ml of the medication, changed every 2 days (48 hours)


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Sadly it seems he does not like the taste of the antibiotic and after a couple sips I can see he is thirsty and will go to the water cup, but just look at it then look at me like im trying to mess with him and then just hop back to his perch.

I am worried he wont drink the antibiotic and no water at all and die from infection or dehydration.

He seems to be traumatized by the syringe from last night's experience. While i give him the antibiotic in the water i will try to get him to be comfortable around the syringe.

I currently put the syringe on top of the cage and he is just looking up at it. Hopefully he will see it wont hurt him and then i can start touching it to his beak and then maybe put some juice in it and give it to him and see if he will like the sweet taste and then maybe if he doesnt drink the antibiotics i can give him the medicine via syringe.

though idk if i have enough time to syringe train him before he dies. Looking back i really should have done this when i first got him but i had no idea about any of this stuff.

I had him for 6 years and we built a great friendship but now he seems very scared of me cos of what happened last night. I hope this isnt how he remembers me as he leaves this world


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## Budgie fanatic (Jun 16, 2021)

Rextos said:


> Sadly it seems he does not like the taste of the antibiotic and after a couple sips I can see he is thirsty and will go to the water cup, but just look at it then look at me like im trying to mess with him and then just hop back to his perch.
> 
> I am worried he wont drink the antibiotic and no water at all and die from infection or dehydration.
> 
> ...


This is so sad to hear😖


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Where is the infection that is being treated, GI, respiratory etc., there may be an antibiotic that can be given by injection that the vet could give him.


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Cody said:


> Where is the infection that is being treated, GI, respiratory etc., there may be an antibiotic that can be given by injection that the vet could give him.


the infection seems to be in his vent, she said it looks very bruised possibly from the cancer tumor. hopefully he will get thirsty and drink the water and get used to the taste


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Hey guys some good news! My buddy will hop to his water cup when thirsty and look at the water and hop away, but when i take the water cup in my hand and hold it in front of him, he will drink a couple sips! so now i am keeping an eye on him and whenever i can tell he is thirsty i will give him the water!

how often you think i should give him the water to make sure he gets enough antibiotic in? how many times a day do they drink? think i should maybe give it to him 3 times a day?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Give him water throughout the day if you are at home. It's important he ingest enough of the medication. Three times a day would be minimum and 5 or 6 times would probably be better.
Each bird is different with regard to the amount of water it drinks. What does he do that makes you think he's thirsty? *


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

FaeryBee said:


> *Give him water throughout the day if you are at home. It's important he ingest enough of the medication. Three times a day would be minimum and 5 or 6 times would probably be better.
> Each bird is different with regard to the amount of water it drinks. What does he do that makes you think he's thirsty? *


I see him go to the water cup then look at it and hop away. I think he wants to drink it but sees the antibiotic stuff floating in it and isnt used to the taste and then leaves the cup, but then when i bring the cup to him he drinks it. The vet techs said that the antibiotic has things to make it taste sweet and i smelled it and it definitely has some kind of fruity flavour so hopefully its not too unpleasant for him, just gotta do it for a couple weeks! Maybe after this he will prefer the antibiotic water to regular water xD


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Good, then whenever you see him go to the water cup, try to give him a drink at that time.

Once the course of antibiotics has been completed, you don't want to continue giving them to him unless advised by your veterinarian to do so.
Too many antibiotics (when they are not needed) will compromise the immune system.*


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

FaeryBee said:


> *Good, then whenever you see him go to the water cup, try to give him a drink at that time.
> 
> Once the course of antibiotics has been completed, you don't want to continue giving them to him unless advised by your veterinarian to do so.
> Too many antibiotics (when they are not needed) will compromise the immune system.*


yeah for sure!

though tbh i notice he is plucking  I have never seen him pluck before. I think maybe cos he is in distress? Though today he seems happier, he is singing and chirping and coming to me and playing with me, but he is plucking. Hopefully the antibiotics help him and he feels better and stops plucking.

We did blood tests and stool tests on friday but have to wait a few days for the test results to come back. Hopefully they will paint a better picture of what is going on. For now doing all i can!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Is he plucking or is he preening? There is a difference. If he's molting he may be removing the loose feathers.*


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

FaeryBee said:


> *Is he plucking or is he preening? There is a difference. If he's molting he may be removing the loose feathers.*


no i think he is definitely plucking. he doesnt seem to be molting and he is genuinely reaching in and pulling out feathers and throwing them on the ground. I've seen him molt and preen many times and its never been like this before 😧

I read online that often times if they have liver problems they may pluck cos it gives them some relief from the pain they feel inside the skin. Though liver is one of the things the vet is getting tested so will be nice if thats not the reason! Hopefully its just an infection and the antibiotics will fix it and he'll be back to normal!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Plucking and Over-Preening*


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

FaeryBee said:


> *Plucking and Over-Preening*





> *4.* The death of a person or animal the bird was strongly bonded with.


OH FAIRY thats right my hen did die 2 weeks ago you think maybe that could be it? he was more bonded to me than to her, she was always bullying him lol, but she did company him for the past several years so that could be a reason.

Otherwise the first time i tried to syringe the antibiotic into him it sprayed on his face and body and some of his feathers are still crispy from it, so maybe he is pulling them out

Also #8 i did reduce his seed by 50% just in case its a fatty problem otherwise he's getting the same amount of harrisons pellets and knotgrass

the vet did trim his nails and the day at teh vet on friday was pretty hard on him, maybe he's still stressed from it.

Otherwise he seems better today mood wise, he is singing as i am currently typing this post xD


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

Also one thing im wondering, I dropped in the antibiotic in the water and kinda just moved the cup around to get it to mix it in, is that okay or should i have stirred it in with a spoon instead?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Your budgie has been under a great deal of stress with everything that has happened recently.

You should always stir the medicine into the water properly with a spoon.*


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## Rextos (Nov 13, 2020)

FaeryBee said:


> *Your budgie has been under a great deal of stress with everything that has happened recently.
> 
> You should always stir the medicine into the water properly with a spoon.*


Good to know thank you!


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