Poor Lacey....she's gone:-( Any idea what this was?

[StarSpun]

SO DEVASTATED!

Lacey died in my hands last night....Jasmin is distressed....ugh:-(

Here is the history of this story: http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28829


So basically things looked better although Lacey was still sleeping more than she used to, and appeared puffed up when she did this throughout the day. So obviously it was mites AND something else. I figured I'd treat everyone when we returned home to Canada, we were driving right through from Florida to Toronto....kept the heat up, everyone was eating, drinking, etc. She still puffed up. I figured everyone was a bit tired and she was under a bit more stress than usual....

When we were almost at the border, I noticed she was sleeping in her bowl. I picked her up and her bum was CAKED with poop. I cleaned it off with a wet paper towel, which was amazing because normally I cannot pick her up. She lay in my hand as I blew warm air on her from my mouth, she seemed to enjoy it. I put her back in and she slept for a bit then had a bite to eat. I found it odd that I could not see her vent after I cleaned the poop. There was no opening like there usually is, I could totally not tell where it was on the bare skin, which seemed inflamed! I started wondering if it was egg binding after all, but....this has been going on for so long. Isn't egg binding a quick matter?

We get back home and I take the cage in. She is in a corner and I leave her be sitting on the ground. I hooked up a heat lamp and lift her up to the perch so she can sit by it. She is barely reacting anymore and one of her legs is curled up and she won't grip. She falls to the floor!!!! I half caught her and then lay her down. She stays on her side with her wings out and her tail up. By then I am thinking, it HAS to be egg binding. I rush her to the washroom and did the steam think with the facet and me holding her and breathing extra hot air on her. She did the wing and tail thing for a minute and then passed away in my hands.

I collapsed into a sobbing mess, thinking I maybe gave her a heart attack or something, blaming myself as usual. Jasmin, her finch buddy was freaking out the entire time, calling to her. She hasn't left her side while sick....always grooming her and nuzzling and cuddling her. I put her body in for Jasmin to realize she was gone. What I saw next will stay with me forever! She started grooming her and nuzzling her to get up....then called and called and called! I got really hysterical at this point and could not stop crying....I finally took her out and managed to do a little autopsy....no egg that I could tell. I have no idea what the problem was!!!!

I am going to continue the treatments for the other two before I get Jasmin a friend....Pumpkin (canary) doesn't really care about anything....Jasmin is the one who feels alone. I really need her to have a friend soon, I can't stand her being alone like this:-(

Does anyone have any idea what happened? Did I kill her by interfering too much?

I am so depressed about this....I loved Lacey. She was awesome and beautiful. Not sure where I can find a colour like hers up in Canada either....

[Sally]

So sorry you lost Lacey. It is difficult to know what is wrong with our finches sometimes. I find it hard to diagnose my own birds, I just don't know enough about illness. If her bum was caked with poop, then she was suffering from some disease or condition. It is also difficult to save them once we realize they are in a bad way, they go downhill very quickly. I'd keep an eye on the other birds, and I wouldn't get a replacement right away.

[finchmix22]

As Sally mentioned, it's difficult to diagnose the exact cause of her death. So sorry you lost her; it's so hard to watch them feel sick and be helpless to do anything more than you tried. When I had a finch with sticky, caked bottom, they died quickly and we assumed they had "wet vent" which indicates either a bacterial or protozoal infection. If I catch something like that in time, I'd give a mixture of Ronex 12% and Amoxitex together. Usually you would not give these two together, but if a finch is really sick and I don't have time to guess, this is my best choice for those occasions. Since what she had could be contagious, I'd recommend treating the other finches who were with her with Ronex 12 % and then Amoxitex, if they seem to get sick anyways. I hope the rest are all right.

[monotwine]

Sorry it is never easy to lose a little one. They do hide their illnesses well. You have been troubled by her for some time, so possibly she had some harbored illness that was not what you treated for. Or before you got her the illness had already done irreparable damage.
Do keep an eye on the others. You may find she just was one of the weaker birds from the group you got and the others will be fine.
So sorry. You did the best you could for her, don't beat yourself up.

[finchmix22]

I forgot she was sick for a while. She may have had fatty liver disease. That can drag out and eventually kill a finch. I had one GS I took to the vet for a wing injury and she checked the belly of the finch by taking a wet cotton ball and moving the feathers away. You could see the fat beneath the layer of skin, showing through! I thought it looked like a piece of chicken at the store. We put her on a special diet and moved her to a larger cage and she has been fine, but we lost a different finch to the same problem because I caught it too late. Sometimes, we never know what the problem was and we have to let it go, even though it's hard to do so.

[StarSpun]

So sorry you lost Lacey. It is difficult to know what is wrong with our finches sometimes. I find it hard to diagnose my own birds, I just don't know enough about illness. If her bum was caked with poop, then she was suffering from some disease or condition. It is also difficult to save them once we realize they are in a bad way, they go downhill very quickly. I'd keep an eye on the other birds, and I wouldn't get a replacement right away.

Thanks Sally....it's just so frustrating. The caked up poop was only the once though, which is so weird....I believe it was because she fell asleep in her bowl with the van moving at night. Before that she was fine, and after I cleaned her off, she pooped in my hand and it looked normal. What was weird is that I couldn't find her vent. I mean I know where it was, but there was no typical line or opening after I wiped it away. Very strange!

As for the other birds....they are active, chattering. Jasmin the finch talks a lot and flies back and forth from her cage, checking out the condo. She does have 'down times' during the day, not sure if that is normal. She puffs up and takes a nap once in a while but them goes nuts flying all over the place!

Pumpkin the canary, is a mystery to me. Supposed to be a 'he' but no singing and has always been PLUMP. Someone here mentioned him looking puffed instead. I picked him up and checked him out, he is for sure not fatty, actually quite lean in my opinion. He is losing a lot of his orange feathers, they are all over the place, and when I was double checking for no wet vent, I noticed pin feathers coming in everywhere, so maybe he is moulting? I have feather up for him in his food all the time.
I also find him to be very clumsy, he can't fly to save his life. If I take him out he smashes into things, so I don't take him out anymore. On any surface his legs fall out from under him, and he hops more than he flies in the cage. Other than that he chatters, does the high pitch calls to Jasmin when she flies around the place....he drinks, eats and poops fine....the only thing I notice is that he NEVER STOPS EATING. I am wondering if he has worms. His poop seems normal though, so I don't know....

Hopefully I can get all this sorted out soon....
Thanks again!

[delray]

I'm very sorry ... Hope u get better soon and hope Ur other finches do too.

[StarSpun]

As Sally mentioned, it's difficult to diagnose the exact cause of her death. So sorry you lost her; it's so hard to watch them feel sick and be helpless to do anything more than you tried. When I had a finch with sticky, caked bottom, they died quickly and we assumed they had "wet vent" which indicates either a bacterial or protozoal infection. If I catch something like that in time, I'd give a mixture of Ronex 12% and Amoxitex together. Usually you would not give these two together, but if a finch is really sick and I don't have time to guess, this is my best choice for those occasions. Since what she had could be contagious, I'd recommend treating the other finches who were with her with Ronex 12 % and then Amoxitex, if they seem to get sick anyways. I hope the rest are all right.

Hmm interesting! Do you think it could have been that even if it only happened the once? I thought it was just because she slept in her bowl...she pooped fine before and after, although a week ago it had wet spots around it on the paper:-/ Now that I am in Canada, it's hard or very expensive to get those from morning bird. Wish I had more time to prepare and get all this ordered when I was in the US, LOL!

I forgot she was sick for a while. She may have had fatty liver disease. That can drag out and eventually kill a finch. I had one GS I took to the vet for a wing injury and she checked the belly of the finch by taking a wet cotton ball and moving the feathers away. You could see the fat beneath the layer of skin, showing through! I thought it looked like a piece of chicken at the store. We put her on a special diet and moved her to a larger cage and she has been fine, but we lost a different finch to the same problem because I caught it too late. Sometimes, we never know what the problem was and we have to let it go, even though it's hard to do so.

It sure is:-( Sorry to hear of your losses too. When you say chicken you mean not the normal pink skin, but instead more fleshy or yellow coloured? I am going to take her out of the freezer and have a look for that. Thank you!

[StarSpun]

Sorry it is never easy to lose a little one. They do hide their illnesses well. You have been troubled by her for some time, so possibly she had some harbored illness that was not what you treated for. Or before you got her the illness had already done irreparable damage.
Do keep an eye on the others. You may find she just was one of the weaker birds from the group you got and the others will be fine.
So sorry. You did the best you could for her, don't beat yourself up.

Thanks Monotwine for the kind words. I always feel like these things are my fault, I will always find a way to blame myself. So many 'what ifs' and 'if only I had ofs'. I have always beat myself up over losing pets, and I carry the guilt forever. Yet I love to have animal family members! *sigh*

You could be right though, maybe there was something up with her from the start. My mother knows nothing about birds but when she saw them she said 'I think something is wrong with that white one'. As in, she was REALLY hyper. Flying back and forth non-stop. I mean non-stop. I see everyone saying how hyper finches are, so I thought it was normal, but yeah, she was 5 times more hyper than Jasmin!

I have to now focus on these birds, I can't lose another one, ack!
Thanks again!!!!

[StarSpun]

I'm very sorry ... Hope u get better soon and hope Ur other finches do too.

Thanks delray!

[delray]

No problem. You did the best u could so dont beat Ur self over that.

[dutch]

StarSpun....just read the post about your sick bird

Are your birds kept indoors?

[StarSpun]

StarSpun....just read the post about your sick bird

Are your birds kept indoors?

Hi Dutch, yes they are indoors:-)

[chirpy]

StarSpun Hi there! I am so sorry for your loss... I know what it is like when you lose your little birdies and how gut wrenching it is
My daughters name is "Lacey".. with the E everyone writes it without the "E".