Wheezing

[7 macs]

I'll be thinking about you and Ivy tomorrow. Please let us know what the vet says.

[hyacinthlove]

well, the vet's office called me at work tonight to inform me that the doctor had an emergency and won't be in tomorrow. so now the appointment is saturday morning.

i did a little searching in the meantime and found this :

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Respiratory Diseases in Macaws - Pulmonary Hypersensitivity Syndrome

this line is what really caught my eye. it pretty much describes what ivy has been doing :

In the early stages of pulmonary hypersensitivity syndrome, the macaw may appear normal, but wheeze with excitement.

ivy and artemis spend their days in separated rooms, but they do sleep in the same room. maybe i should invest in an air purifier for that room.

[Jessalyn Eaton]

I'm sorry you have to wait! Is this disease very serious? It does sound like what Ivy is doing. May tomorrow come quickly!

[Wendy]

Oh sh** Emily. I really hope its not this syndrome. I had no idea that powder could cause so many problems. I knew about allergies and such, but this, no.

I know you will, but I'll say it anyway, please keep us posted!

[7 macs]

PHS is a disease that is very near and dear to me. Hopefully you will be able to find a way to keep your tiel separated from Ivy. Air cleaners are not enough. They really need to be in separate air space.

Hopefully Ivy has something that is minor and easy to treat. Tho, be sure to mention to the vet that she shares her house with a tiel. I'm sure the vet will be looking for asper as well.

((Emily))

[Jessalyn Eaton]

Sweet Ivy! Don't wheeze! Love you! Jess and Ruby

[hyacinthlove]

wendy, i didn't find out it could cause such problems until the first time ivy got sick and i thought it might be from that (turned out to be a cold that time).

jess, i honestly don't know how serious it can be. i couldn't dig up a whole lot of information on it. i am trying not to get too far ahead of myself before going to the vet.

emily, could you tell me more about your experience? i will certainly have to come up with new sleeping arrangements if this is the case.

thanks so much guys, i really appreciate your concern and will keep you updated.

[7 macs]

You're right Emily, there just isn't much info out there about PHS (pulmonary hypersensitivity syndrome).

My first experience with PHS was with my B&G Akai. About 10 years ago he started sneezing, coughing and losing weight. The vet thought it was asper and treated him for it but he never got better. I just happened to stumble on a comment on a chat board that macaws can be sensitive to cockatoo dust. At the time his cage was in the same room as my cockatoo. I bought an air filter and that did help but only a little. I finally moved the cockatoo to another room and within 2 days Akai was feeling better. He has not had any respiratory symptoms since. He was directly exposed to the cockatoo for about 6 months. So hopefully it wasn't long enough to do any permanent damage. We have since moved and our current home is a larger so I can easily keep the cockatoo away from the macaws. I still run air filters in nearly every room though.

My second experience hasn't turned out as well. About 4 years ago I took in a B&G because her owners were being transferred overseas. They told me she had breathing problems but nothing prepared me for what I saw. Poor baby was blue from not getting enough air. She was wheezing and bobbing for breath. To make a long story short, 2 years later after a lung biopsy, she was diagnosed with PHS. The actual term for it is COPD. It's the same disease that smokers or those exposed to things like asbestos get. There is no cure, just supportive care.

Doc was not exposed to a cockatoo unless it was at the breeders. Her previous owners got her as a baby and only had one other bird that was a quaker. Her previous owners were not very savvy about bird safety, so it's possible she was exposed to something in their home like PTFE, scented candles, or who knows what.

Why are some macaws sensitive and others aren't? It's the same answer as why don't all smokers get COPD or lung cancer - everybody is different - most do, but not all. One this is for sure, that most macaws with prolonged exposure to tiel, grey or cockatoo dust could be affected at some time in the future.

Hopefully your vet is able to diagnose Ivy and help get her better fast.

cathy

[Macawflyer]

Emily, so sorry to hear about Ivy. I know that Too dust is bad for macaws, but not aware that Tiel dust is as well. Please check in after Ivy's appointment, I am worried.

[hyacinthlove]

thanks for all the info, cathy!

the vet visit went fairly well. we finally have a board certified vet in orlando and he is nothing less than amazing. i've never had such wonderful and knowledgeable service, wow!

ivy was not a happy camper during the blood draw and i had to turn away to keep from crying. but it was good to see them doing everything i've read a good vet SHOULD do like taking blood from the neck and not the wing. we got a few xrays, and the vet noticed thinning of the air sacs. fortunately, nothing abnormal with the lungs, throat, or head. he is saying it is Air sacculitis at this point in time, and is glad i brought ivy in now. he seems to think we are preventing something more major by catching this now. ivy is on 3 meds right now...baytril, an anti-fungal, and an anti-inflammatory. we get the blood results on monday or tuesday which will show if there is anything serious lingering around.

so a lot of weight off my shoulders for now. really glad i took her in. i will keep everyone updated as i hear things.

by the way, could someone move this to a more appropriate forum?