Hello from Texas

[nels042002]

Hello everyone, I just joined today and wanted to drop a line or two. I am the owner of a sweet little diamond dove named Clarity. I have had her 6 years and we have bonded so well. We talk to each other all day. But recently we were gone for a weekend (Ihave someone come in and check on her and my dogs) anyway we came back and I found her hoverinng on the bottom of her cage, all fluffed out like she was cold. I read a little on sick birds so I created a "hospital cage" atmosphere in her cage. I moved her away from all vents and got her some vitamins and a warming light. She is better as far as she is moving around in her cage again and eating again, however she seems to have laryngitis. I can barely hear her coo. Has this happened to any of your birds and if so, did your bird get her voice back? There is not a averary vet here so I am hoping you all have some remedies for my baby. Thanks so much.

[maxollie]

Hi! Welcome to the community. Is there a regular Vet in your area? All birds have a very keen way of hiding illnesses. Since she was hovering on the bottom of the cage and was all fluffed out, there is a chance she might have picked up some sort of illness such as a bacterial infection or respiratory infection. Since she does seem to have laryngitis, if I were you, I would try to find a regular Vet to speak with. You could begin by going to your local telephone book and see if there are any Vets listed in the yellow pages. Make a telephone call to one of them, and tell them you are looking for a Vet to check over Clarity. Explain what happened to her, and see what the response from them might be. Perhaps they would have the name of an Avian Vet who you could call. At the very least you could explain the symptoms of illness Clarity has to the Avian Vet over the phone, and see what he/she might think about the situation. Another thought is that Clarity might have been in a draft of some kind, and ended up with a respiratory issue.

And another thing to consider is that since you and Clarity are so very bonded, perhaps she was very homesick while you were gone and her immunity was lowered due to the grief of you not being there. All birds feel very "close" to their caregivers, and I know from experience when I have to be gone my budgie and tiel sure are happy to see me when I get back home. Even though someone came in to look over her, there is nothing like your "Mom", to be there for you. And that's how Clarity probably felt while you were not there.

I hope this information has been of some help to you. Keep us posted on how Clarity is doing, and when she gets to feeling better post some pics of her. We love to see pics of all kinds of birds on the forum.

[Birdmanca]

Some regular vets also know how to treat birds. Also, if there is a vet hospital that is open when regular vets are closed, some of their doctors. Yes, seeing your bird on the bottom of the cage and fluffed up is cause for worry. When they become very weak, that is where they go.