WARNING!! Not for the Feint of Heart...or Stomach..

[lnlovesorange]

Hello all. Hope everyone is well, maybe you remember a while back I asked about my zebra finch's head. Everyone seemed to think she was getting pecked, so I separated her out from her mate... and the lump on her head got bigger... and she bled....and her and Melvin were miserable, so after 2 weeeks of being alone, and it not improving I put her back with her mate, kept a close eye, and if he even tried to go CLOSE to her head she flinched and he backed off. I don't think it was EVER a case of pecking. The pictures below show you what it looked like last night.... then she escaped my hands (i was trying to put blood stop powder on it b/c the front was bleeding) and the "cone" came off... Below are pictures of before w/ it on her head, her after and the thing itself. Anyone have any thoughts as to what this could be, please be advised these pictures are NOT pretty... I balled when I saw her, and I'm sorry to subject you to them, but i just wanted some expert advice and you guys are always VERY good to me. Thanks!!

[lovezebs]

lnlovesorange

Oh my God!!! Ellen, what in heavens name ?
I have never seen anything like that, ever !

Is she still alive? Are you alright?

It looks like some sort of a cyst to me. I wonder if it started with an ingrown feather..... I really have no idea. That poor poor little birdie.

Please let me know how she is doing, and how you are doing. Hugs coming your way.

[cindy]

do you still have the balls or cone that came off of her...hate to ask you to do this but can you slice that open and either post or pm me a picture... or you could send this off to a someone for you. They may have a suggestion as to what it is and what to do for her.

My first thought was cyst or a sinus that was infected and grew outward..kind of looks like it is over the one eye (can't see it well) where exactly did the cyst or ball come off of, so you have a picture of the wound itself... you can pm it or post it whatever is comfortable for you to do.... Sinus infections can expand the sinus and push in different directions.. was her eye bulging at all?

[cindy]

I sent the whole link to the 2 people I want to look at this for you... were there any other symptoms that see had? Sneezing, itching?

[cindy]

In this case I would also recommend an avian vet. if you do decide to use a vet do not slice the mass open... curious did the mass have a blood supply? Veining?

[lnlovesorange]

lovezebs She's a tough b$%&..... she while bleeding Profusely was still rowdy enought to fly away from me, all around my room (blood everywhere btw) I was so afraid I'd wake up and she'd be gone... NOPE, she came hopping out of the nest just like nothing had happened... I'd put this bird up against a pit bull for what she's been through, I swear!!! I'm not getting my hopes up, because honestly, you can't see it in the photos, but there is legit a hole in her head, i put blood stop powder on it last night, so i dont' think she's bleeding anymore, but she looks a MESSS.... She was so scared last night, when i had her in my hand to clean her up her little heart was beating so fast, and she was fussing and fighting, and everytime i came anywhere near her head she bit at me (now I've been catching her and trying to clean it up and put salve on it since August) and she's never ONCE bit me, and she was biting at me last night, so I just let her go... I felt so bad, I couldn't do anymore to her! Thank you so much Elaina!!! I felt your hugs!!! And it's much appreciated, but keep little miss tough pants in your prayers, no matter how tough, she's still just a little bird... Thanks!

[lnlovesorange]

cindy I pm'd you, but i forgot to mention. She did itch, a little but it seemed only at the sight of the growth and around it (where her skin was being stretched out) and not constantly. The first night i REALLY saw a change in her and her itching and fluffing and acting strange and shaking was last night, almost like she was trying to get it off... and she itched it a lot.... but other than that.... she really wasn't much different personality wise. The wound itself looks like a hole in her head, It's hard to get pics from above, but I will try and send to you. Thanks again.

[MiaCarter]

cindy - That was my best guess too - some sort of sinus infection-related cyst.

I've never seen anything quite like this.

What's so bizarre is the way it just fell off. That's what confuses me. No cyst I've seen has ever done that.

Another thought was a feather cyst...but it wouldn't typically just fall off like that.

So strange.

It's really hard to tell from the photos, but some of the (exterior) areas of the mass almost appear to be papilloma/wart-like in appearance. And chunks *can* come off like that.

But in the photo of only the mass, it doesn't have the internal appearance of a wart. It appears as though there's a round abscess-like ball at the center/core. I'd be curious to know if that was solid or filled with fluid. If you look at the ball-like core of the mass, you'll see there's a little yellow area near the center. That almost looks like it could be a feather or an area of infection.

I too am curious as to whether there was veining to indicate a blood supply.

I strongly recommend a trip to the vet.

But if you don't plan on taking Charlotte (and her bump) to the vet, I would definitely dissect it to see what's inside (and if you do, take photos!) It could be anything, really. Pus and infection? Soft tissue? A hard tumor-type of growth?

If you haven't done so already, I would be sure to put her on a course of antibiotics for a few days while that head heals up. That's a significant open wound left behind.

[MiaCarter]

Another thought.....

The "hole in the head" remark makes me wonder if it was a cyst. Cysts can leave a crater-like area behind.

The fluid on her is suggestive of a cyst or abscess. If you look at the bloody fluid on her, it seems that it's not pure blood; it's diluted by fluid.

Though the "hole" in her head could simply be due to the shape of the mass. It looked to have a circular core.

What was the consistency of that mass? Was it hard like a rock? Soft and mushy? Or seemingly fluid-filled?

I wish I could see it in person. Do you have more photos?

[lnlovesorange]

MiaCarter I do. I will PM all the photos I have to you. I'll try to get some better ones too. The mass was felt like a scab on us, that consistency, and hard, but not hard like a rock... like maybe fluid filled, but it didn't feel like a baloon with water... it's hard to explain... it was hard.... but if i squeezed hard enough I could probably break it with my fingers..... and the exterior felt just like a scab would. The blood didn't look like it was mixed with anything... it was BLOOD red on the papertowel.... the blood you see next to the "thing" is wiped from where it landed when it came off her head.... the blood on her (and all over me) seemed like pure blood to me.... but I'm no expert.... I'll send you a link to my google My photos page.... in your pm.

[Sally]

Wow, I've never even heard of something like this before, it will be interesting to find out just what it is. If you have an avian vet nearby, it would be worth it to find out just what you are dealing with.

[cindy]

ok... one said it look like a drainage build up... cyst from an infected feather shaft.

She recommended a good antibiotic like Baytril or the generic of it... contact glamgouldians.com

[cindy]

if you open the cyst up post the picture here I have sent the link to one more person with a knowledgeable background in avian issues and meds...

[lnlovesorange]

cindy I have.... an antibiotic, which I did try giving her back a month or so ago, and nothing happened... um... hold on let me get the name of it for you. Ok, I have Ronex and Enrotex... either one of these? Or do I have to order another? Also, I know you are suppose to put this in their water. Should I separate her out from her mate again, so that only she gets the antibiotics? I only ask cuz i HATE doing this, the only time she went "down hill" per se in this whole fiasco, was when I separated her from him.. she was miserable.... But I don't want Melvin to get anti biotics and have a tolerance if he ever needs them. Thanks again Cindy

[lnlovesorange]

MiaCarter Sorry it didn't "just fall off" she escaped from my hands when I was trying to treat it with something, and I think she banged into something and KNOCKED it off. I'm sorry If i led you to believe it just fell off. It looked like it was "loosening" up on her head (starting to tilt like Pisa) and i noticed after some flying around in her cage i noticed some blood seepage coming out the front (near her eyes) so i caught her to put blood stop on it, and she freaked and flew out of my hands, and I found the thing on the floor near a decent amount of blood on a little card board box (like maybe she struck that in her frantic/panic to get away) and that knocked it off. Sorry guys, should have been a little clearer on that