Severe Macaw

Question
Hello



I am a Leukemia patient who went into the hospital for 6 weeks and then came home.  Bird was OK

I went into the hospital for next treatment for 3 weeks.  Bird was OK

I went into the Hospital for next treatment for 3 weeks.  Bird plucked almost all of his feathers off the day before I got home



I will be going into the hospital in about 4 weeks for another 3 weeks stay.  Is there anyway to prevent him from plucking between now and

when I go into the hospital.  What can I do, I have one more treatment



Please help



Randy  

Answer
I'm so sorry about your illness!
To tell the truth, there is no 100% way to stop plucking but you can do some things to help. Talk to the bird about your leaving (sounds silly, I know, but it works). You can get a special collar from the vet (much like those dog cones) that prevent plucking. Have the person taking care of him watch him closely and the moment there are signs of plucking, have the collar put on. No need to put the collar on if he isn't going to pluck, but it's good to have a backup.
Please, get some rest and ease your mind about your bird. Even if he does pluck again he still loves you and will most likely go back to normal once you come home.
Oh, one more thing that might help-why not call the house every day and have the person watching him put it on speaker phone. This way you can talk to him and he wont feel abandoned. It works wonders for when I have to go on trips and leave the birds! Webcams are great, too.