Looking for books about parrots?
Check out our
Amazon Bookstore
|
The PDD Memorial Quilt
In loving memory of all victims of Proventicular Dilatation Disease.
Livvie's Story
In October of 2003, I had taken a ride to a local Bird Mart. My roommate had gone with me. We both owned two birds, and wanted to see some friends and see what was there. There was also a show that was being run, so I was excited to see that too. At the show, we ran into a breeder which my roommate had spoken to before. She had three baby Jardines for sale. I was not looking to take any new birds into my flock, but my roommate was going to buy one of these babies regardless. I agreed to go in on it with him, and we would work so that this bird would be the one that we could both handle. Of the three birds, two were 8 months old and one was 4 months old. We decided to go with the younger bird. I initially argued that I would feel better with one of the older birds. Something about that baby just did not look right to me. When we went back later, the bird looked normal and we put down a deposit.
Two weeks later, we picked up Livvie from the breeder at a half-way meeting point for both parties. We went straight to the vet. The vet examined Livvie and said that he appeared very healthy. The blood work that was done also showed that everything was ok. I noticed right off the bat, though, that he was very clumsy and very clingy. The vet felt that as he was a baby, this would get better in time and he would grow more independent. Three months later, in February 2004, I noticed that Livvie wasnt getting much different at all. He had picked me as his person within a week of arriving home, and would bite my roommate to the point of drawing blood when he held him. He was very juvenile acting, and was still very clingy. I noticed small things with him such as how when I held him, his tail would point inward. When he ate, he did not sit on one hand while he ate with the other he would eat from the bowl as he held onto the perch with both feet. He would peep sometimes in the morning if he was really hungry. He would never want to sit on his
playgym. He would repetitively jump to me, and would drop into the floor with a thud. I took him back to the vet, who commented that he was a bit thin, and that the other issues were probably behavioral. We ran more
bloodwork, and again, everything was fine. As the months went on, he gained some weight, but never really started to "grow up".
In June, I needed to board all my birds. I had become extremely attached to Livvie by now, and for some reason I dreaded him being boarded. I never understood it, but I always had a weird suspicion that he wouldnt be with me long. It was just a hunch, and because of that, I was always very overprotective of him and we got very close. He was very attached and devoted to me too. When the birds came home from boarding, the store owner told me that Livvie had fallen a few times when he was startledand he also noticed the same things that I was worried about. My vet was convinced that we were dealing with a behavioral issue. I got the impression that he didnt believe me on a lot of the things that I saw with
Livvie. Ten days after the birds came home from boarding, things started to fall apart.
Livvie suddenly reverted into full baby mode. He was begging for formula. The night this began, I ran out to get some formula. When I came home, my roommate informed me that as soon as I left, Livvie went back to normal and jumped down. He approached my roommate for attention. When Ken picked him up, Livvie bit him very hard and drew blood. When Livvie was put back on his
playgym, he sat and ate normally. When I returned home, the baby behavior came right back out. Now, it was early July. For the next two months, the baby behavior would be a big part of
Livvie. As the summer went on, he developed a respiratory infection. The illness continued to get worse and worse, and no drugs helped. One night, he began walking around the bottom of his playgym as if he were drunk. He then collapsed, and appeared to be in the process of dying. I sat in shock and waited. He laid still, stretched out on his side, for about 20 minutes. He then perked up, and acted like nothing had happened. This behavior continued through July and August. The respiratory issues (which we had assumed was aspergillosis since Jardines tend to be prone to it) got worse by the week. By late August, Livvie was gasping and gaping for air. We decided that the vets office would be the best place for him. I accepted the fact that he might not be coming home.
Two weeks later, Livvie came home. It was labor day weekend, and I was so happy to see my baby. He had lost the baby behavior, and was sneezing only minimally. The limp was much less pronounced than it had been. He seemed like a new bird. He was vocal, and very active. He was back at a healthy weight. We watched to see what would happen next. He was still on his medications. As the next three weeks unfolded, he slowly reverted to where he had been before. The baby behavior didnt come back, but the respiratory infection got worse, and the weight slowly came back off. He went back in to the hospital again in late September. And, two weeks later, the vet called and said that he was doing much better and to come get him. So I did.
We got home, and I found that Livvie couldnt walk. He had totally lost use of his feet. I was angry at the vet because I couldnt understand how he could drop this far in one day. He looked terrible, and weighed less than ever before. I made an appointment with another vet. She didnt offer much, but did a consult with a vet in Ohio that had a lot of experience with aspergillosis (the signs seemed to match). The vet in Ohio said that she felt it was a case of PDD with a secondary infection. I spoke with that vet, and the other two several times as I tried to rule PDD out. I couldnt though. We never saw any GI signs such as the vomiting or undigested seeds in the droppings. It all seemed to be driven by the repiratory infection. The Ohio vet felt that it may not be PDD, so we began treating him for
aspergillosis, and also antibiotics and Metacam (a NSAID drug for relief of PDD symptoms)along with a heavy mix of herbal remedies to help his body. He could not walk (although he did figure out how to get around that problem very quickly) so I had to tubefeed him several times a day. I kept him in a heated tank in my living room, and slept on the couch each night right next to him. Often, he would wake me up to say hi in his little duck quack voice. He seemed to be gaining weight, and looked great.
Then, around mid-October, things took a turn. Livvie started getting very lethargic, and started to feel a lot thinner although he was maintaining his weight. He was spitting up his food after he was fed. On October 20th, he began vomiting after he was fed. When he finally stopped, I put him into bed. I knew that we had run out of time. I was angry with the vets for not being able to stop the illness. I was angry at myself for not knowing better than to buy a mart bird. I was not angry with
Livvie. I felt so bad for him. He was the one that I really didnt want to come home, and when he didhe took over my heart. He had become my favoriteand I was about to lose him. I woke up in the morning, and I was surprised that he was still alive. He had been vomiting all night, and was now gasping for air. I had to work that morning and I had no way out of it. I called the vet when I got to work. I was promised a call back (I was going to have Livvie put to sleep should he survive the day out). My roommate left for work a little later then I did, and had sat and talked to Livvie while he rubbed his head. He said his goodbye, and went to work. About 10:00 am on October 21, I had a hunch that I needed to go home. I did, and I found Livvie dead.
I was in total shock that this had happened. I got a necropsy and a histopathology done, so I could tell if there was any danger to my other birds. Two weeks later, I received a call from the vet. Livvie had PDD. My heart dropped. Livvie was finally at peace, and for that I am happy. Now I may have to watch this happen to any or all of my other 4. We believe that Livvie had PDD from infancy, which would explain the clumsiness and other little quirks that were there from the beginning. I made the phone calls I needed to make to the people and places that Livvie had been around where other birds were concerned. I also tracked down the man who bought the only other older sibling out there (there were two older siblings. One went to the breeders son). His 40+ birds are all fine as of now. The breeder had been in touch until Livvie was hospitalized. Once it was clear that he was really sick, she didnt respond to any calls or emails. She lives 4 hours away, so a trip there isnt going to happen either. I am angry at the breeder for not responding. I dont blame her, and I dont want anything from her. I just wanted to know if this started with her. She may not even know that, but I wanted to put the puzzle together.
Its now two months after Livvie died. I am far from starting to heal yet. Not a day goes by when he isnt in the front of my thoughts most of the time. I still am very depressed, and angry that this happened. I am completely terrified about my others. A lot of people tell me dont worry, you probably wont have any more problems. Maybe that is true, but there are no certainties. I cant even imagine going through this with any of the others. I am a person who usually will not let people see sad emotion coming form me. I have been having random breakdowns every few days. Christmas is a week away, and I honestly would prefer to just hide and not deal with anyone or anything. This has changed me, and I will never be the same. A few people have told me that you never get over PDD. I think that could not be more true. I have two really nice pictures of him in my living room, and this past Saturday I received his ashes back, so he is back at home with me again. Once the holidays are over, I am going to start asking my friends and family to donate money to PDD research so that we might be able to help put an end to it.
|
