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15 May 2003 - PDD is mentioned for the first time
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That is it PDDS. I couldn't think of the name being so rattled this morning. After our discussion and me explaining to her the small piece of undigested food i found in his stool I took it over to her for her to view. It looked like a small piece of the inner part of a string bean. She examined it and then said she was not overly concerned by what he had passed. I'll have to ask her the name of the medication that has been newly developed this last year for PDDS. Her exact words to me was " We are lucky now because we have medication to treat PDDS , as of last year, we had nothing". She didn't sound alarmed at all if indeed he was to have PDDS. She also mentioned to me it was unusual or not very common to see PDDS in Young Birds and after a year of having him to suddenly show up. (if he was to have it all along). We went through all cases: No birds in my home, No persons who own birds have been in my home. A trip to the Aviary, I changed in the Garage and showered immediately as i'm very cautious of this when i do visit. I am not going to rule anything out just yet......but am going to try hard to just deal with every little step one step at a time. I've been feeding Austin little bits of formula all day long, he's been holding it down since this morning. And stopped spitting it up. He's been eating pellets too and drinking water when he needs it. We had a good dose of Nystat (SP) for any possible Fungus infection in the Crop. He actually seems alittle chummyer. He has not passed anything else in his stools (Been watching closely). I think I can say, he's made a small improvement today, Hopefully this all is nothing but a crop infection all along. If so, we should definately have a better idea by tommrrow. A good 24-48 hrs on Baytril and Nystat shoud show improvement if indeed his ailment has been something like a crop infection.
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15 May 2003 - Day before 1st Xray
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This morning Austin seemed even better in spirits then yesterday. He is again more mobile, preening etc now. So the medication surely is helping him along. This morning we were booked for Anesthesia for an Xray. After examination of Austin and more talks of what his symptoms are, the vet checked his crop and said indeed there is some swelling.....and he definately has a slow crop at this moment. She is now highly suspecting a foreign object he might have ingested. (As he does play with tons of chew apart things, including water bottle caps which are plastic, lego, wood, tree bark, boxes, and newspaper). I guess according to all the symptoms we have now, slow crop due to a foreign object is the suspicion. She felt his keel bone, and said it is not what she would like to see.....not dangerously, but enough to make her suspect something going on. If it where PDD, (And yes i know PDD also can cause slow crop as many other ailments)it would be suspected that he would be very ill, I guess? ( then he is)...and watery smelling poops too. Where his poops have always been formed, and ordorless. However, it will be ruled out one way or the other. He is passing stools, so food is moving, just very slowly hense he's not getting all the nutrition he needs in a full day. This could explain his malaze and the loss of weight without all the other symptoms that come with other illnesses. Except regurg which would come with a situation like this.......or anything to do with the crop. So definantly nothing but formula and keep on heat to help with digestion. So, because after his feeding of formula this morning and when you handle him (towel) he regurgitates some undigested food. Therefore an exam and anesthesia is not possible without risking Aspiration today. So tommorrow morning, no breakfast, just meds and off to the Vet we go for Anesthesia for an Xray. I am to bring a sample of all the chewables he plays with so that if there is anything in there to view, they can match size , shape up to any of the articles. If something is found..........it's off to OVC again, for microscopic and probe surgery. Relief that there could NOT be any real illness is there, but now worry that if he does have a blockage, it is done with success and full recovery. Memories of Dawson comes back.......she should have healed and a secondary infection took her away. I don't think I can bare any other loss like that again. Other then that, Austin is eating pellets and making more of an effort to be close to Emily and Owen. Which is good to see. :-( Prayers for Austin.
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15 May 2003 - Fear sets in
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One minute I am okay and think all is going to work out, then the next minute my thoughts run to places it shouldn't go......and I can't function. I love all these guys with all of my heart and soul, I can't even begin to imagine my life without them, I keep asking myself "Why"? Why me? Why all this termoil with my birds. I am so careful, so dilgent, spend rediculous amount of money on the best foods to give them the healthiest diet possible, I spend most of my day with them, I've gladly given up so much in my personal life to love them, do for them, make them happy. Why?. I needed to vent that.........sorry. But I am just so upset with all that has happened this past year, I don't know how much more I can take. It really hurts the heart more then I can bear.
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15 May 2003 - Frightened Now
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Im so frightened at thoughts of him having PDD. I keep denying it even being possible, I can't even begin to imagine how our lives could turn if it is possible.
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15 May 2003 - Last Minute Words Before Xray
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We appreciate all the prayers we can get right now. I am sickened with nerves and fear. I haven't been able to hold or play with any of them today with bawling my eyes out. I feel like a zombie.
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15 May 2003 - Preparing for OVC
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New update: Austin is scheduled for OVC tommorrow at 10:30 am. We cannot get him in today due to a full booking of surgical emergencies. The good news is that my vet feels Austin is stable enough for this wait. If she didn't feel he was, she'd send me somewhere else. Now the TopAvian Specialist and Doctor (Dr. Mike Taylor) is away till Wednesday, but his associate second under him is there and will do a scope tommorrow to actually go in the P and have a look to see what blockage is there, and treat Austin as neccessary. If for some reason, he will need Dr. Taylor they will keep Austin under their care till he arrives and feed him by whatever means they feel is neccessary to keep nutrition in him. So I am going to pick Austing up in about an Hour, give him small amounts of diluted (thinner then normal) formula every 2 hours , keep him on heat till we leave tommorrow. Other then being draggy from anesthetic, and his problem, Austin has been okay....it's just when he eats alot that he gets slumpy, sits over his feet.
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15 May 2003 - The Night before OVC
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Just spoke with my Vet again (check up on Austin) and she explained abit more to me. it appears that there is a small "bubble" in the Proventriculus. I was just about to start to worry not seeing any poops from austin (fed him his first feeding at 12 noon) and then suddenly he produced one that is to my satisfactory and is of the color of his formula (as opposed to the dark green early this morning and afternoon). Whew.\\ --------------------- May 16 would be the day our lives changed forever......
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