Cyn, Brenda, thank you so very much.
I sure understand about the age thing - wow - everything is harder these days!...
Avian vet left me a message yesterday on the house line - unfortunately just a partial message because my machine rudely cut him off. As soon as I scopped up my messages remotely from work I called his office around lunchtime but didn't reach him.
He said he had gotten ~ 2/3rds of BJ's blood work back (ladies, you will understand my angst - when the vet was trying to get blood from BJ's leg he kept going in with the needle and nothing came out - ouch and ouch - they had BJ lying on his side. BJ's comb went purple and I said to get him up, that he's struggling, so they did. So then he got the blood from his neck while he was standing. My heart in throat the entire time. BJ never once stopped looking right in my eyes - I just kept telling him how good he is and that it will be okay). Vet's message: CBC was okay - RBC, WBC (JJ note: so much for a simple infection being the cause). Sugar, Calcium, liver enzymes, cholesterol okay.
What was BAD was his protein. It was low at 3.4 (he said 4.2-5 is normal) - he said this can be caused by organ disorder or any number of other things. Not sure what to do about this except to try to bolster him every which way possible.
He is waiting for electrophoresis results to see whether it shows inflammation or infection.
Right before the machine cut him off he said again to worm and that either wormer is fine (Wazine or fenben {Panacur]). I am thinking I might do the Wazine today instead of being frozen in indecision - it should at least be easier on his system because it only tackles roundworms. Since it goes in the water this means Ellie gets medicated too. Not sure withdrawal time for eggs - label says do not give to a being whose eggs will be for consumption
. I gave the eggs to my folks so would stop for some time - not sure how much time - but the important thing is not the eggs, it's BJ and Ellie's health.
A thoughtful person who had chickens for a long time is strongly urging tube feeding so BJ can hopefully gain some strength and weight back if he is able to. In all these years of chicken care I have never tube fed anybody and am very
very skittish about it, not wanting to hurt BJ. Something about me to know is that I am a clutz. She has offered to come from quite a distance tonight to show me. BJ will freak. I dread it and am not sure it will happen more than the one time she does it! She said to pick up a coffee grinder so that his food could be made into a fine powder so as not to clog up the equipment - I bought the grinder yesterday.
Brenda, I raced back from work last night soon as I could spring free - BJ and Ellie were in bed pretty sleepy (work hours, darkness descending early this time of year and BJ being sick do not mix well
) but I mixed just a small amount of the baby parrot formula into apple sauce to see if I could get BJ to take it (he loves apples) - he took 2 little nibbles and stopped. That boy does not like when his beak gets messy so he then set about trying to clean it off on the pine shavings. Does the same thing when I offer him warm butternut squash in cold weather... Anything of that consistency....
Well, I'm going to see how he looks today
