Canary sick!!!! Help!!!

[mica54]

If anyone can help, I would really appriciate it....
My five year old male canary has been acting poorly for several months after he molted last year. I thought it had something to do with his food so I switched him to the simplest seed formula and gave him couscou with bee pollen. I also gave him powdered vitemins in his seed and when I saw that he was not eating it, I bought liquid vitemins for the water. I also gave him 2 antibiotic treatment with no success.
I did notice he favors a leg but I have not been able to see anything wrong with it. He has it up most of the time but he does use it once in a while. Today he is worse than normal, sitting low and with no appitite.
If anyone has any idea, short of taking him to a vet (in NY there is only one and he already killed one of my birds after three visits and " he only needs vitimins" opinion!)mica54@excite.com

[janejacinto]

First, I would like to say, take him to another vet. I do understand you had a bad time with one. Maybe you could find another. I am worried about the leg, could be the root of the problem. Vet may or may not be able to help.

With that said, if you still do not want to take your bird to the vet this may be something that you may want to try. You could try Benebac, after antibiotics are given it can mess up the digestive system and Benebac can help to get it back to normal.

With vitamins in the water you have to be careful, I would change it several times a day if you want to put it in the water. It can get old and nasty, I would not put it in the water.

You have to get your bird to eat. I don't know what he likes best, but I would give him what ever he loves, just to get him to eat something.

I would also put food and water right by his favorite perch. This way will not have to mover around much to eat and drink.

I would also try making the perches easier for the bird. Wrap with soft cloth or put in rope perches. Platform covered with material would maybe help also.

Make sure he is warm. You may want to set up a sick spot for him. Small fish tank, with heating pad under one side, set it on low. Put in water and food. Cover half the cage with towel for darkness and to make him feel safe. This would keep the activity down and maybe help with stress and give time to heal.

I don't know if any of these things will help or not. I am no vet but these are some things to try. Could make matters worse also. I would still think the best thing to do is take to the vet. You do what you think is best for the two of you.

Hope it gets better,
Jane

[mica54]

Thanks for your help. I do have a lamp next to him and his food is right by his perch. When I get back from work, I'm going to get him in a small carry cage with the heating pad under. I tried this once already and he was so scared of it, he stayed on his perch the whole time, so I removed the pad. I'm going to see how I can get him to be on it without getting stress.
Trust me, I went down the list of vets trying to find one that would take birds. They only treat dogs and cat. This vet was nice, but my bird died after three months of treatment and 600.00 under. I still think my bird was only suffering from mites but the treatment I gave did not work (scat). After several weeks of the treatment, he went into convulsions and died when I took him to the vet. He had no idea what it was.....

[buehler740]

you seem to be giving him alot of stuff, just a drop of vitaman in the water, if he is not eating, I would get some baby bird feeding fomula and had feed him, the baby food has alot of extra vitamans and minerals needed for babies to grow, when you have the lamp pointed into the cage, make sure that there is a part of the cage that is without it so the bird doesnt get to hot and has a choice of weather he wants to be in the heat of the lamp or not he has to have that choice, same with the heating pad only use it on one side of the cage if he goes to the heat this is what makes him feel better, just put him under the lamp or on the heating pad and make sure that is not to hot put a towel over it, what may seem not so hot to us could be a stove for them , and he wont get dehydraded, use an eye droper to give alittle plain water to him if you can have 2 water dishes, one with vitimans and one fresh clean, it is possible to hurt the bird with to many vitimans and antibotics, changing food can also make a bird sick to, he may just have a muscle strain, if he can move his leg chances are he didnt break it maybe a small fracture which will take time to heal , his leg may not have built the strength or sometimes muscles do not form right, I had a bow legged parikeet, I tried everything to keep them straight as he grew but the little stinker always wiggled his way out, I just ended up putting 2 perches one on each side of him on each level, and he needed both to stand, but it allowed his musles to strengthen, he could stand on the perches and lean on the side of the cage, he never could walk so he slide on his belly to get around on the bottom, I went to the toy store and got some outdoor play set that they have for dolls and doll houses, got him a slide and swing set, and he used it alot, other than that he was just as healthy and playful,determined he would do all the fun things that the other birds I raised and I think he really was proud of himself when he figured out a way to do the same thing the others did, he was a happy little bird, how long have you had this bird and how old is it? Chris

['too crazy]

My canary loves eggs and lettuce, romaine not iceburg. Eggs, with the shell, is a great source of protein and the shell is good calcium. Best of luck and keep us updated.

[Shad]

Thanks for your help. I do have a lamp next to him and his food is right by his perch. When I get back from work, I'm going to get him in a small carry cage with the heating pad under. I tried this once already and he was so scared of it, he stayed on his perch the whole time, so I removed the pad. I'm going to see how I can get him to be on it without getting stress.
Trust me, I went down the list of vets trying to find one that would take birds. They only treat dogs and cat. This vet was nice, but my bird died after three months of treatment and 600.00 under. I still think my bird was only suffering from mites but the treatment I gave did not work (scat). After several weeks of the treatment, he went into convulsions and died when I took him to the vet. He had no idea what it was.....



I have a female canary really sick, I think she is suffering from air sacs mites and I request Scatt to use as treatment .... Can you tell me what happened to your bird??? A.S.A.P Please !!!

Shad

[krazy4birds]

Shad, I am sorry that no one answered your post and I honestly do not know what to tell you. Maybe some others will see and can help.....