Wet Face Feathers & Scratching

[Acelin_Wolf]

Name: Spaz
Species: zebra finch
Gender: female
Symptoms: fluffy (for over a month); wet face/head (started today); excessive beak wiping on the perch (started today); shaking her head (started today)

Over a month ago, I noticed that one of my zebra finches was fluffy/lethargic so I separated her to her own treatment cage, provided eggfood/extra calcium and gave her a heat lamp. As long as she has the heatlamp, she seems to be alright. Aside from being fluffy, there was nothing going on. I had 2 other sick finches, so I sort of didn't pay as much attention as I should. She had no other symptoms until today. Today I noticed her spazzing out. When I went to check on her, she had a wet face/head. No other part of her was wet and the bath wasn't recently used. She was wiping at her face instantly.

So far I've given her a drop of enro (I have extra on hand) and turned on the heat lamp. She's going back and forth between sleeping, pecking at her food, and scratching at her face/wiping her face on the perch. Currently she's huddled in front of the light.

WHAT IS GOING ON? Anyone have any ideas? I thought maybe respiratory infection. Will the enro help that?

My vet isn't open past noon on Wednesdays. I have access to an emergency vet BUT the cost is quite ridiculous so I'm hesitant. My vet is open tomorrow at 9AM.

[cindy]

can your get a picture of her.....what is enro? If the wet on her face and head slimy? are her eyes swollen, is she eating and whipping her head from side to side brining up undigested seed...do you see little clumps of slimy seed on the bottom of the cage or on the walls?

[cindy]

Enro ='s enrofloxacin ok.... how were you dosing her, how much and for how many days so far?

[Acelin_Wolf]

Yes. That enro. I just started her today (few hours ago) when I noticed a progression of symptoms. A drop is what I'm giving her. So like .01 cc? Prob 2x a day, which is the standard dose seemingly.

She is definitely whipping her head back and forth...but not bringing up undigested seed. I don't see any undigested seed or lumps of slimy seeds anywhere.

Uploading pics -- hang on. >>

[Acelin_Wolf]

Pics!

[Acelin_Wolf]

Oh, also, her eyes were a little wet as well when I first noticed it. Otherwise she's keeping them closed and sleeping. They don't seem swollen or otherwise affected.

Each time she wakes up, she flies around to different perches and wipes her face.

[cindy]

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/featur ... ratory.php to read further go to this site

this talks about a wet face, beak wiping "Protozoa Infection Causes
The most common protozoa infection is Trichomonas/ Canker. This protozoa is found in damp, wet environments most often in birds housed outdoors in direct contact with the earth. Contamination will spread to the healthy birds through feces in the water/bath dishes.

There are two forms of Canker. Dry Canker becomes visible as cheesy deposits in the mouth and at the back of the throat of nestlings at pinfeather age (8-10 days old), making it difficult for them to eat and resulting in the birds wasting away. Youngsters with this form of canker choke to death. Infected birds with the Wet form of Canker breathe with an open mouth and have a wet moist wheeze. Wet Canker sometimes causes the birds to blow bubbles and discharge the mucus from the mouth and nostrils, which causes feathers on their face and shoulders to appear wet. This mucus causes the raspy breathing and beak rubbing. The canker germ is also poisonous to the liver and the afflicted birds become ill, do not eat and produce dark green, watery droppings. Vomiting and an increased thirst may also occur. Deaths often accompany this form of canker as it quickly spreads through the flight"


Not sure if this is what your bird has and only a vet can tell you for certain.

[cindy]

What do her droppings look like?

[Acelin_Wolf]

I was just reading about that a few minutes ago, in my search for answers.

I'm a newb at the dropping-deciphering. And it appears that I don't have any fresh droppings to look at (as I just cleaned her cage). ;_;

I'll reply again when I can give more info on that...

[Acelin_Wolf]

Alright. So. She spent all last night gorging herself on millet. I took her to the vet this morning.

She has no bacterial infection or visible symptoms of anything else. She's also picked up in her activity/is being quite vocal again. Her abdomen was noticed to be swollen so they took an xray and her stomach is very enlarged (from over eating), as well as possibly her liver. So she may be having liver issues.

The vet thinks that she overate yesterday and made herself vomit. I'm quite baffled by this finch.

Long story short: she's going on meds for her liver.

[cindy]

are they putting her on milk thistle?

Did they call her condition fatty liver disease?

[Acelin_Wolf]

She's on 2 meds. One of them is that. The other is phytomucil.

The vet didn't say definitely that she has fatty liver, but I think it's suspected.

[cindy]

can I ask what they did put her on?

[Acelin_Wolf]

milk thistle & phytomucil (she got her last dose of phytomucil yesterday).