# Huge poops, straining and painful



## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

Buddy has started to have really large poops (like 5x the normal size). They are also pretty wet. He doesn’t poop as often as he used to. Maybe once every couple hours. He makes a squealing sound when he poops and looks like he is straining.

I took him to an emergency vet about 3 weeks ago. The poop wasn’t so large back then, but he was straining and making the noise. They did a gram stain on the feces and found nothing wrong. Gave me a week long prescription for Meloxicam anti inflammatory, which seemed to help as he stopped making the noise after a few days. But he still wiggled his butt a little when he pooped and they didn’t look normal.

A week or two later and the squeaking and straining has started again. I’ve made an appointment with a vet for next Monday, the earliest I could for a board certified avian vet. (The ER vet was not)

Does anyone know what this could be? He does have fatty liver so it may be related to that. When I look up large poops in birds, everyone mentions carrying an egg but he is a male.

Also, I have some old Meloxicam from a year ago. Would it still be good and would it be worth giving to him? I called the vets but they refused to tell me anything without seeing him again.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Since the condition improved when he was on the Meloxicam it seems that there may be some internal swelling, check and see if there is an expiration date on your Meloxicam.


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## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

Cody said:


> Since the condition improved when he was on the Meloxicam it seems that there may be some internal swelling, check and see if there is an expiration date on your Meloxicam.


The expiration was listed as one month after the prescription was given, so it was like October 2020. I have a feeling that the medication is good for longer than that but they won’t answer any questions unless I bring him in (only let me talk to the receptionist).


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*If he is straining and uncomfortable when he tries to defecate then he really needs to be seen by an Avian Veterinarian.
He is obviously in pain and suffering.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment.
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.
If there are no Avian Vets near you, please find an Exotic Pet Veterinarian with experience in dealing with small birds.
*


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## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

I took him to the avian vet. He has lipomas and possibly something else inside him, like a tumor. I declined the X-rays because what can I even do if he has cancer? He is over 9 years old and has fatty liver disease. And it would cost over $900 for blood tests and X-rays. They prescribed metronidazole to help gut inflammation and I’ve been giving him that, metacam, and a probiotic.

Unfortunately his condition has continued to decline. He is listless and vomiting. I hope it’s not yeast, they told me quite certainly that he didnt have yeast when they prescribed the antibiotic. I have stopped it now, and wondering if I should continue the metacam because it is so stressful on him grabbing him. The poops are small and liquid and he still strains. I don’t think the metacam is helping his pain this time and I feel absolutely terrible watching him suffer. I feel hopeless. I can only hope that nature will take him quickly now because I really don’t want to make that decision.


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

Kujen said:


> I took him to the avian vet. He has lipomas and possibly something else inside him, like a tumor. I declined the X-rays because what can I even do if he has cancer? He is over 9 years old and has fatty liver disease. And it would cost over $900 for blood tests and X-rays. They prescribed metronidazole to help gut inflammation and I’ve been giving him that, metacam, and a probiotic.
> 
> Unfortunately his condition has continued to decline. He is listless and vomiting. I hope it’s not yeast, they told me quite certainly that he didnt have yeast when they prescribed the antibiotic. I have stopped it now, and wondering if I should continue the metacam because it is so stressful on him grabbing him. The poops are small and liquid and he still strains. I don’t think the metacam is helping his pain this time and I feel absolutely terrible watching him suffer. I feel hopeless. I can only hope that nature will take him quickly now because I really don’t want to make that decision.


☹
It’s a really hard choice, but you have to look at this from a quality of life perspective. If he isn’t going to get better with treatment, it sounds like the rest of his days are going to be very uncomfortable…
It’s not an easy call, I certainly know (I’ve had to make it on ferrets before with cancer and kidney issues), but if you honestly don’t see a light at the end of his tunnel…


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Although a very difficult decision to make, if there is no treatment that will help him live a quality life, if it was my bird, I would make the decision to help him move on to the Rainbow Bridge. I have had to make this decision many times and it is never easy but when there is suffering without relief I choose to let them go. 😢


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm very sorry to hear Buddy is in such poor health.
His quality of life has deteriorated tremendously and I'm sure he must be suffering.
As difficult as it is, the best decision you could make would be to allow the vet to help him move on in his journey to the Rainbow Bridge. 

I certainly know how hard it is -- I've had to let many of my beloved pets go over the years.
However, I truly believe it is the greatest act of selfless love one can give. 
When a pet has reached the point where it is in constant pain and the quality of life is never going to improve, it is cruel to allow it to continue to suffer.

My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. *


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## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

Buddy is still unwell but he went from not eating anything the other day to eating like crazy yesterday. He is only eating his pellets and ignoring seed. I think he has diarrhea now. All liquid poops. He drank a little this morning but he has looked dehydrated for days. Another vet appointment is Thursday.

Is there anything I can do to get his hydration up? The vets said there’s nothing I can do at home. He often drinks when I hold his water dish near him but he doesn’t want anymore than the sip this morning. I know it’s bad to try to force feed them water but I’ve read some people give them a little pedialyte or water from a dropper? How much do I try to give?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Take a look at this at about 38:30 minutes into this Dr. Lamb talks about using Pedialyte and how much to give.


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## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

So I have lots to mention! Buddy went to the vets about 2 weeks ago. At the time his poops went from the large poops, to not eating, to eating lots, to diarrhea, to having undigested seed. By this time he was no longer really straining but had lost a lot of weight (from 50g to 32g). They did an X-ray and a PCR test for avian gastric yeast. His X-ray showed a slightly enlarged liver and displacement of his GI organs. He was prescribed 10 days of Baytril in case of infection, which has just finished. I’ve been giving him probiotics and a prescribed omega fatty acid liver support supplement as well. I recently heard back that his PCR test is positive for avian gastric yeast.  The vet is gonna prescribe amphotercin B for 3 weeks.

But by now he no longer has undigested seed in his poops (I last saw a few the other day) and has gained weight. He has actually improved so much! He is more active and sings, eats well, has gained weight (38g), doesn’t strain except for a little wiggle now and then. His poops are a normal size and frequency, except a bit soft and they often have a white mucousy coating. I’m so reluctant to give the amphotericin B for three weeks when he really isn’t showing any symptoms of the avian gastric yeast (unless the mucous is a symptom?). But I guess it is best to go ahead and treat him because he did test positive?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

AGY is a serious issue and does not just go away, you need to follow the treatment program. One of my birds had it a few months ago, thankfully the treatment was successful and he is ok now but it is a tough problem and you have to follow the vets instructions.


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## Kujen (Jun 9, 2007)

It’s just strange as I’ve had him for over 9 years, and he’s my only bird. So he must have been a carrier of it his whole life. Or might I have accidentally exposed him to it somehow? I have bird baths and feeders outside, could I have carried the pathogen in on my clothing?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

AGY can lay dormant for years within the bird without making the bird ill and then all of a sudden the bird becomes sick, you will never know how he got exposed.


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