Tumor

[Raleighwheels]

Hey guys,

I've got a little girl that has developed a tumor on her chest. I noticed it developing a little while ago, so I tried getting her on an even healthier diet. She was already eating a seed mix, pellets, vegetables, fruits on occasion, and eggfood. I've recently tried getting her more into the pellets and reduce her seeds. I also give her ACV in her water once a week. In the last couple of days, the tumor has become more pronounced. She doesn't seem to be in pain or have any trouble living. I should also add that she's maybe two years old, but I've had her for maybe six or seven months. There isn't really an avian vet close by. The vet near me has an exotic animal specialist, but to be honest, I've never had a sick bird survive after taking them there. What more can I do?

[Sally]

I've never seen this condition, that tumor looks quite large. Too bad you don't have a good avian vet nearby. I can't even begin to guess what might be causing this.

[lovezebs]

Raleighwheels

That is huge!
Personally, I would keep her comfortable, and let nature take it's course. Even if you were to take her to the vet, what could they do? I mean surgery, on such a tiny creature ? I wouldn't put a bird through that, plus the fact, that the odds of survival, would probably not be high.

That's just my opinion.

[wilkifam]

I agree with Elana, If she is OK and happy now, just let her be.

[mhdi20]

use onion juice

[mhdi20]

please check http://www.brokenearth.org/cancer/

[paul-inAZ]

Before anyone gets too excited about onions as a magic medicine, read the articles carefully. They are littered with "preliminary" "suggests" and words like that. It is a large leap from cells grown in tissue culture to tumor cells in patients.
Has anyone studied this in tumor patients?
Until there is a proper double blind study demonstrating proof of cancer efficacy in humans it seems best to simply enjoy them in ordinary cooking but not to tout them as a silver bullet vs. cancer.

[cindy]

I would not give onions, it is the one food listed vets do not recommend since it can cause red blood cells to rupture. But instead wet her feathers and push the feathers back...check the crop and see if it is full of seed, sometimes the crop muscles stretch and loose their elasticity, can you get a picture of the area exposed with all the feathers off the area. Stretched crop if this is what it is we do see from time to time on groups in hookbills, parakeets. Yeast and infection may be involved. If you get a really good picture I can send it off to someone that might be able to help. Is the bird digesting, passing droppings regularly?

if is very hard to say exactly what is going on looking at your picture without clearly seeing the mass under the skin.

Went back on my group page and found something like this in a gouldian recently posted.... could possibly be a fat accumulation, if you examine the bird (from the topic).... "There is a V-shaped area formed by the clavicle (wishbone), called the furcula, that is used as a fat storage area. Sometimes it is excessive and the chest looks bulged. If you feel it, it is pretty hard. If you blow on the feathers to part them, you can see the yellow fat under the skin. It is not normal for a cage bird to have this, but it does happen."

A picture will also help.

[cindy]

If you see under the skin a formation that is rather yellow and the consistency of yellow meringue if may likely be a fat formation.

[Raleighwheels]

Thanks everyone. I'll see about getting a good picture of the lump with the feathers to the side.

[Raleighwheels]

Here's the best that I could get at the moment. I'll work on some better ones tomorrow. I could see seeds in her crop. Part of it looked yellowish, but the other area looked red and what appeared to be blood vessels.

[cindy]

try taking the pictures without the flash it washes everything out, the other is rather blurry.... hold the bird at this angle...wet the feathers back and part them in the center and push them off the entire underside

[cindy]

if in the lower section of the belly above the vent you see a dark line from it's right side (our left) and it goes sort of down on an angle that is the intestine....get a clear enough picture I will send it off for you.

[cindy]

fat deposits look almost like yellow jell-o but thick and opaque....fat pads possibly due to fatty liver disease. Does she ever seem out of breath after exercise? Yellow or white patches in the very lower belly often indicates other issues.

[Raleighwheels]

I took this picture last night. I'm not home at the moment, but I'll work on better pictures when I get back. She never seems tired after flying around.