An interesting approach to giving meds

[Birdy]

My fifteen month old daughter managed to open one of my zebra cages today, and Enzo, an eight month old pied, got out. My cat immediately caught him out of the air and carried him into the kitchen. Fortunately, this cat has never been a hunter and she set him down and sat there looking confused.

Enzo lost all of the feathers on his head, and a patch of skin ripped off. Fearing that he may have had contact with the cat's saliva, I washed his woud, stuck him in the hospital cage and called the vet. We do not have an avian vet, so this was a regular small animal vet. She checked her sources and prescribed Trimethoprim sulfamethoxozole (TMS.)

He's to get 0.01mL twice a day. That is a fraction of a single drop of water. The tech gave me a 1cc syringe, but the dose is still 1/100 of that. So, as I've fed babies by pipette before, she had the thought of giving me a capillary tube. It works very well. For those unfamiliar with lab equipment, it is a small glass tube. And by small, I mean less than 0.5mm across. This particular one has a mark on it for 0.01mL.

I put it on the tip of his beak, and the capillary action takes it into his mouth. It's the perfect solution.

[CandoAviary]

Glad your finch survived the cat Hope all goes well with the medicating

[cindy]

I am glad your little Enzo survived and the vet was able to help you. Could I ask if possible that you post a picture of the capillary tube. Interesting way to deliver meds.

Hope Enzo gets well soon!

[CandoAviary]

pics of the tubes.. they suck up meds like a straw then release your finger and the meds drips out. best way to administer such a small amout.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cap ... ORM=IDFRIR

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=cap ... ORM=IDFRIR

[cindy]

checked with my husband he has these at work, long thin glass tubes...my father used them in the lab also. Great idea!!

[kheather]

great idea!! thanks for the info!

[Birdy]

I thought it was a great idea on the part of the tech. I'm thinking they also may be useful when feeding weak days-old chicks.

Another thing I thought I could mention in this thread:

I've given sick/weak birds hydration or heavily diluted meds by paintbrush before, and have successfully hydrated sick finches that way, though I've used it mostly with larger birds (crows, robins.) You take a clean, unused paintbrush, soak up the liquid and brush it over their beak, and let them chew on it a bit once they get their strength up. They usually notice right away that it is water and take it. It will hydrate a very weak bird without risk of aspiration. Trick I learned from a bird rescue.