# Polyurea and Antibiotics



## kikkerthebudgie (Sep 7, 2016)

On the night of Sunday the 8th of January, I realized high liquid content in Finn's droppings (polyurea). I stopped giving him veggies/fruits and watched him until Tuesday morning. He was active and normal. But for very short periods of time, he would puff up and hunch over a little. This is what I consider normal budgie behavior but since I was watching him too closely due to the polyurea situation, I got a bit suspicious.

I called the vet on Tuesday morning and described the situation. She asked for a sample of the dropping. I took the sample to the clinic. After looking at it under the microscope, she said that there was bacteria in the dropping (isn't this just normal?) and asked me to bring both birds to the clinic the next day.

On Wednesday, the vet examined both birds and said they weighed normally. She confirmed that Finn has polyurea and it is likely caused by too much fruit/veggies. When I explained that I kept him on a seed/pellet diet for 3 days prior to stop his polyurea, she decided to take a MIXED dropping sample from both birds under the microscope again.

She told me that there was only one type of bacteria that was very prominent in the sample (instead of the normal mixed population of microorganisms) and that it would be best to start Finn on antibiotics. She didn't think it was necessary for Kikker since I never observed her hunched and puffed like Finn.

Oh, and she insisted that Kikker is a male budgie because her cere was not pink. I tried to argue back but she got very annoyed by it. Sigh...

Anyway, Finn has been on an antibiotic cure for 7 days now. There are 3 more days to go. His polyurea has improved but he still leaves very watery droppings now and then. But I'm very worried about the effect this treatment is having on him. He was not the most confident and tame bird to begin with. Now I have to handle him by force twice a day and force feed him the sticky stuff. His cheek feathers are a sticky mess and he's grown extremely fearful of me. On top of all these, Kikker started bullying Finn. She doesn't let him near her and chases him around the room. I tried separating them but this freaked out Finn even more.

Complaining aside, Am I harming my bird instead of helping it? Do you think the antibiotics are the way to go in this situation? Did you ever have to give such a long, stressful treatment to your birds? How did you ensure that it was as quick and stress-free as possible? Do you think it's possible that the vet didn't know what she was doing (the gendering argument)?

Thanks for reading my long post and have a great day! Here are photos of Kikker :yellow face 2: and Finn :green budgie: .

Notice how ragged the poor boy is 










And she's a girl, right?!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

I have had to medicate for extended periods, in order to reduce the stress on the bird I do it early in the morning while it is still pretty dark. I slowly open the cage and quietly reach in and remove the bird from the cage, give the medication and put the bird back in the cage. If medication needs to be given twice I do the same thing at night. 
Was the vet and avian vet? Was a gram stain done on the droppings? There are gram positive and negative bacteria, gram positive are usually found in the droppings which is normal but an overabundance of gram negative indicates a problem and antibiotics may be needed. It is important that you finish the course of medication that the vet prescribed in order for it to have the proper effect on the bacteria. I know it is stressful for you and the bird but in the long run is the best thing. You can always ask the vet for a detailed explanation of what was found in the testing and at some point another test may be done to make sure the bacteria is gone.


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## kikkerthebudgie (Sep 7, 2016)

Cody said:


> I have had to medicate for extended periods, in order to reduce the stress on the bird I do it early in the morning while it is still pretty dark. I slowly open the cage and quietly reach in and remove the bird from the cage, give the medication and put the bird back in the cage. If medication needs to be given twice I do the same thing at night.
> Was the vet and avian vet? Was a gram stain done on the droppings? There are gram positive and negative bacteria, gram positive are usually found in the droppings which is normal but an overabundance of gram negative indicates a problem and antibiotics may be needed. It is important that you finish the course of medication that the vet prescribed in order for it to have the proper effect on the bacteria. I know it is stressful for you and the bird but in the long run is the best thing. You can always ask the vet for a detailed explanation of what was found in the testing and at some point another test may be done to make sure the bacteria is gone.


Thanks for your response, Cody. Unfortunately there are no specialized avian vets in my area. I don't know if she did a Gram's staining but the antibiotic is effective against both Gram positive and negative bacteria so I'm guessing she didn't. I will call and ask about the specifics.

I give two doses a day. The evening dose is always easier since I can turn off the lights beforehand. The morning dose is harder since he's very alert in the morning. I will try to follow your advice and give the morning dose earlier, before sunrise. Thanks!

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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

There are also meds that can be added to the water but you never know if the bird is ingesting enough to be effective.


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