my cockatiel

Question
QUESTION: Thank you for your reply. we brought our cockatiel to thr vet this morning and he has told us that nothing is broken only that when he fell he banged his head and this has caused swelling around his eye which has caused him to lose his balance. The vet gave him an injection for pain and an anti inflammatory injection for the swelling. we brought him home about an hour ago and he took a drink after ten mins he started vomitting. The vet says this is normal but we are so worried can u please help and let me know he he is going to be ok?? We are so scared and upset.

ANSWER: I'm so glad to hear that you did the right thing. He must mean a great deal to you and I can appreciate that, having had a little guy who meant the world to me.

Are you sure it was 'vomit' and not regurgitation?  The motions before it happens can indicate which it is.  A head bobbing up and down, in a forward motion that deposits a semi-solid mass is regurgitation.
  
 A side to side, almost violent looking head shaking that results in a sticky, liquidy substance being flung around and nearly always landing on top of the bird itself, is vomit.

Regurgitation as the result of a medication reaction may happen; vomiting is nearly always the result of something more complicated than that.  

This poor guy might just need some time to recover not only from his injury, but from the trauma of the vet visit.  

Keep him in a quiet area, subdued light and low activity.  Make sure he's warm enough since stress can lower body temp, but don't over do it.

 It can take a couple days for them to bounce back so don't rush him, but don't hesitate to call your vet if this is actually 'vomiting' rather than regurgitation and most especially if it happens again.  If the vet continues to try to dismiss it, it's time to find another vet.

 Offer some natural yogurt to your guy to help keep healthy intestinal and crop flora which might be off due to the meds.  Be sure it's natural yogurt. No artificial anything, including sugar substitutes.  

 About 1/2 teaspoon a day if he'll take it, but any amount will be helpful.

 Check back and let me know how he's doing ok?

Oh, and let's not forget wing clipping once he's feeling better. I learned the hard way too.

 
www.4AnimalCare.org



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Just a little question about our male cockatiel that got hurt?? He is pretty much back to himself not a bother on hi really. just concerned about his toilet habits at the moment since he got sick he has not been passing through solids we thought this may be because he was not eating much and drinking ALOT but he is now back to normal and eating properly again. But he is still drinking ALOT and when he goes to the toilet he pees and little bits of poo come through it but we have not seen him just pass poo on its own without pee?? Do you have any idea why this may be?? Very concerned about it

Answer
All bird droppings are made up of three parts: Faeces (feces), the solid, central part which can vary in color depending on the food the bird eats.
 Urates, the next layer of the ring, which can be cloudy-clear or with shades of white, yellows and greens, again depending on the foods eaten.
Urine is the clear liquid, usually outer layer of the ring. Depending on the amount of fruits and fluids the bird eats/drinks, this can be a significant part of the dropping.

 Though it might look like it sometimes, a bird cannot just make urine, nor just make faeces.  

Chances are that your little guy is making droppings just as he's supposed to.

What concerns me is that he's drinking a lot.  This is usually due to a crop infection of some kind and he may need to have one more trip to the vet for a "crop swab" so whatever the infection is can be diagnosed and treated accordingly.

 Hopefully though - it's nothing more than a temporary stress reaction and by the time you read this he'll be perfectly normal again.