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6 Jun 2003 - Progress of Bailey Today
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After a quite Morning yesterday, Bailey seemed to perk up abit. I witnessed her playing with Zack as they normally do. This of coarse, makes me think she is doing okay.
She gained some weight overnight, but again, I wonder if this is real weight, or whether this is food left her digestive system. This is the problem with PDD related symptoms. (if indeed Bailey is showing signs) You cannot really trust the scales 100 percent, because the digestive system slows down and quite often food is in the GI track for along time, giving false weight results. I opt to trust the feel of her keel bone moreso. Which she is a little thinner in that area then Zack or Simon who are still very thick, chunky and well developed in that area.Bailey this morning played her usual game of "One, two , three" as she bops her head up and down and we count, then follows the flutter of the wings with excitement. You have no idea how happy that makes me , to see her perform her favourite "wakeup" game. However, she ate hardly nothing on her own for breakfast, again following me to the kitchen for handfeeding. She also just HATES with a passion the toweling process in order to give her Meloxicam and Nystatin for her crop infection. She struggles and goes ballistic. I think this process alone stresses her for hours afterwards, as i suspect I will mabe see her be more herself by late afternoon. It's still too quite for me in the birdroom. Things just aren't the same as what it used to be. The constant chatter, The practicing of new words, The songs they all used to sing , are more spratic now. You have no idea how it makes me feel when they DO vocalize. Im not sure what the next step is for bailey. Her digestion is still slow as I fed her 40cc's at 830am, and it is now 1230pm and she still looks rounded in the crop. This is her 2nd day on nystatin for the yeast infection. I pray that is all it is. She still sounds "wet" during her scretching when I towel her. We are waiting for Dr.Taylors' return to discuss with Dr. Kover the next step for Bailey. I am certain by the beginning of next week, we'll know what those steps are. The only thing I can do, is keep the meds going in, make sure she is warm, encourage good sleep and rest and TONS of alone time with her. She's fasinated by me typing on the computer right now. *smile*. God I love her. She is my first feathered child and my oldest. We have the longest bond and connection because of this. I picked her from others as she hatched!. So we've been buddies since she was not even minutes old. I took over handfeeding and raising her alone when she turned 5 weeks old. She slept with me in my chest many a night. I am holding very high hope for Bailey. Although we don't know if she is starting PDD symptoms for sure, we do suspect it simply because of Austin's positive diagnosis. *pause* I am NOT going to think about that possiblity at this time.......I just can't. At least not right now. Her favourite toy is "Water bottle lids*. She just HAS to have your plastic lid off your water bottle. I swear she can hear you cracking one open from any room in the house and if you've never seen an African Grey Parrot "charge" before, Well......she certaintly does.........but only for water bottle lids!.
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6 Jun 2003 - JoJo & Callie Lay Eggs
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I thought it might happen. But then again, having moved JoJo and Callie ( my two untame breeder African Grey Parrots) into a living room enviornment with the intention of allowing them to retire. I had noticed that JoJo was often feeding Callie, spending a great deal of time in the nest box (which I continued to provide for privacy, protection and comfort). He would just sit in there for hours at a time, and move around the material inside. I also noticed that he started to look a little thin.....again thinking of *PDD* symptoms and horribly worried about it. However, Callie is completely bare on her chest and tummy (she was when i got her 2 yrs ago)so I can easily see Callies Keel bone. She has more muscles and fat protruding and it is very hard to even see her keel bone. She's a heafty girl. But JoJo is much different. Although he is nicely feathered, he's thin in the breast. I am still hoping its only feeding Callie. I then noticed a few days ago Callie looking a little swollen just above her vent and I had a feeling she was going lay eggs. Sure enough, Yesterday she spent ALL DAY in there . I lifted the lid and there she was, sitting on her first egg. JoJo appears to be doing his job, protecting the nest when Callie comes out, going in to relieve her for a while and spending time eating and then disappearing in the nest with her. He didn't do these things before...this is why I am getting that feeling THIS TIME they might be fertile. And it just figure!!!!!!!! JoJo and Callie have never produced fertile eggs the entire 2 yrs i've had them. Callie has produced about 5 clutches of unfertile eggs. All clear completely. Now you watch ............now that we have PDD exposure, Jojo and Callie will just happen to lay a batch of fertile eggs. If they do......what am I going to do???????? *sad*. I need to ask Dr. Taylor about this. I am not sure if PDD can be passed into the developing young in the shell. *if they are exposed etc, which I do not know*. It saddens me, because I would have LOVED to beable to raise a batch of baby African Greys.
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6 Jun 2003 - Austins Pathology/Histology Report
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Today I received Austins Pathology/Necropsy Report. His histo is in. I looked at the envelope and sat on the couch and just started at it for some time before I found the nerve to open it. How painful all over again it was to read all this horrible horrible stuff that was going on my baby's poor little body. It was another reminder of how much I wish I could have his body back and could lay him to rest in our Garden, so he was close to all of us.
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HISTORY:Received one dead African Grey parrot named Austin for postmortem. Weight loss, regurgitation, seizures, crop dilation
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS: PDD GROSS PATHOLOGY
Gross Pathology Report: 03/05.07
Necropsy Time: 3:40-4:30pm
Body Weight: 232grams Internal findings: The carcass is moderately dehydrated. Moderate atrophy of the breast muscles is evident. Food is present in the oral cavity, esophagus, crop and stomach. The proventriculus and ventriculus are dilated and thin walled. The right ventricle of the heart is pale and firm. There are no other significant gross findings. Tentative Diagnosis: Proventricular Dialation Disease
Test Ordered: Histology
Tissue Held: Intestine with contents, brain, liver, lung, trachea
HISTOPATHOLOGY
REPORT DATE: 03/05/30 BRAIN/SPINAL CORD: Perivascular accumulations of mononuclear cells (lymphocytes,plasma cells, macrophages) are present throughout the brain. The brainstem is most severely affected. Light mononuclear cell accumulations in the meninges and choroid plexus of the brain. Perivascular mononuclear cell accumulations are present in the grey matter of the spinal cord with dense accumulations in the spinal ganglia and nerves. ESOPHAGUS, CROP, PROVENTRICULAS, VENTRICULUS, INTESTINE: Light to dense mononuclear cell accumulations are present in nerves and ganglia of the myenteric plexus in the serosa and throughout the tunica muscularis. Mononuclear cell aggregates are present in nerves and ganglia in various tissues including lung, kidney, mesentery, heart and peripheral nerves(sciatic, brachial, vagus) No significant findings are present in the sections of trachea, liver, bone marrow, muscle, spleen, thyroid gland or thymus that were examined. FINAL DIAGNOSIS: GANGLIONEURITIS AND ENCEPHALOMYELTIS COMPATIBLE WITH PDD The mononuclear inflammatory reaction in nerves and ganglia especially in the gastrointestional myenteric plexus is compatible with Proventricular Dialation Disease. Lesions in the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves also occur in some cases of PDD.
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6 Jun 2003 - Strange Episode with Emily
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At 9pm I noticed a few drops of blood on the kitchen floor. I knew it was human blood, but that of a bird. My first thought, was Jeffery. (broken blood feather issues). Approaching the bird room where they all where tucked in for the night to check to see if I could make out who it was and where it was coming from. I could not find anything on any bird, nor on the fresh paper below them. *Still feeling nervous about that since I couldn't find anything indicating blood loss, cuts etc*. Upon reaching Emily's Cage (Timneh african grey) and lifting her cover, she was sitting on the bottom of her cage in the corner toward the light in the kitchen, which often that light captures their attention. However, her being on the bottom of the cage upset me, I don't if she was digging in the corner, just simply trying to peak out of the little hole in the cover toward the kitchen (sometimes they do), or what. As soon as I opened the door, she came running with her little feet right into my arms, under my neck, immediately closed her eyes and we layed on the couch under a blanket. It was weird. She just layed with me calmly and very sleepy, then would climb out of the blanket when she got too warm. hummm. It was just really strange of her. I made sure she was indeed okay but perking her up a bit and then Emily was herself moreso. I fed her again and put her back to bed with Avian Heat since she seemed to want to be curled up in darkness under my chin. This may not seem like a big deal to some. But it is VERY important to write and list ANY abnormalities in behavour , habbits, activity,eating, sleeping, etc. That list is long. With PDD fear around every corner I feel I am the most diligent human on the face of this earth at this moment. Everything counts from now on. Nothing is too silly to mention and so i've learned.
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