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I am trying to get information for a woman who has a male parakeet

Sent to Bird Experts August 26 2008 at 8:21 PM
   

developing a hernia. She had another parakeet that had one years ago and he had surgery but it never went away, it got bigger and he eventually died. She does not want to go through that again with this parakeet and it wondering if anything else can be done other than surgery that might help the bird.

 

Optional Information:
Age: 3; Male; Breed: parakeet

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not my bird, info. listed in question

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $9
Info Request
August 27 2008 at 10:57 AM (14 hours and 35 minutes and 24 seconds later)
         
Hello,

Some additional information will help me to answer your question.

Was the vet who diagnosed the first bird a certified avian vet or a general vet?

Is the hernia located near the vent?

What does your friend feed the parakeet?

Thank you.

Anna
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MsAM -- Bird Expert -- 100% Positive Feedback on 183 Bird Accepts
Have owned and/or raised parakeets, finches, cockatiels, and poultry over a period of thirty years.
Reply
August 30 2008 at 6:54 PM (3 days and 7 hours later)
         
I believe the first vet was a general vet. I was told the hernia is near the "butt" and she feeds 10 birds/5 parakeets and 5 cockatiels bird food/seed, I don't know what kind.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
August 30 2008 at 7:21 PM (27 minutes later)
         
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Thank you for getting back to me. Your description of what happened to the first bird sounds more like it had a tumor, rather than a hernia. Unfortunately, parakeets are extremely prone to tumors. Surgery doesn't help very much, and often, the bird dies shortly after. I think your friend's best decision would be to see an avian vet as soon as she can. If this actually is a hernia, an avian vet would be much more likely to be able to help. There isn't a nonsurgical treatment, but an experienced bird surgeon will probably get the best results. If the bird has a tunor rather than a hernia, an avian vet will be able to diagnose that, too. General vets are not often familiar with bird problems. This link will take you to a directory:

http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/vets.htm

If the birds are eating a mostly seed diet, they're much more likely to develop tumors, fatty liver disease, and other health problems. Pelleted foods are best, and should be supplemented with fresh produce, and a few seeds as treats. This site has great information on care and feeding:

http://www.4animalcare.org/birds.html

If you need any more information, or have other questions about this, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. There's no additional charge for such follow-up questions.

Anna
Picture
MsAM -- Bird Expert -- 100% Positive Feedback on 183 Bird Accepts
Have owned and/or raised parakeets, finches, cockatiels, and poultry over a period of thirty years.
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