Gander losing weight, pale beak

[Goosebaby]

@Miss Lydia I forgot some of them already, “the news of his pancreatic enzymes was kind of a kick in the gut” but I remember three at least, sweet potato, yams, and butternut squash. She also advised him being on a low fat diet.

 

[Goosebaby]

I was looking up other high fiber foods, oranges, peas, and Swiss chard I might have luck getting him to eat.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Look up citrus I think that one they shouldn’t eat.

 

[Goosebaby]

Will do!

 

[Goosebaby]

From what I can see so far is that citrus can interfere with calcium absorbsion the same way spinach does, but generally in high concentrations, so I shouldn’t overdo it.

 

[casportpony]

From what I can see so far is that citrus can interfere with calcium absorbsion the same way spinach does, but generally in high concentrations, so I shouldn’t overdo it.

You might find this interesting:
Spinach and Oxalic Acid

 

[Goosebaby]

@casportpony Thanks for the info! I have one less thing to worry about now, thank you so much!

 

[Goosebaby]

Just updating Parsnip’s condition.

The first vet he visited in grass valley weighed him at 17 pounds on a floor scale used for dogs. I think the scale was off because he was extremely thin then from my point of view and when his new vet in Carmichael weighed him at 14 pounds it was after he’d regained some weight. I really think that first scale isn’t accurate.
I’ve been weighing him myself once a week on a digital bathroom scale that’s very sensitive and his weight has generally been about the same “14 lbs” until this week when he came in at 15.4 pounds.
He’s still underweight for what used to be his normal but it’s an improvement. I figured out that if I put his bowl of food in front of it he’ll step right up and stay there however long I need him too.
I think he’s gained a little deeper orange color in his beak also.

He’s the guy in the middle in the picture.

I’ve been reading up on pancreatitis and I wanted to add some useful info on it for anyone who might come across this post who has a bird with this condition.

Parsnip has elevated pancreatic enzymes and with his other symptoms it points to pancreatitis.

Some complications of pancreatitis which Parsnip has include:
Jaundice
Anemia
Fluid buildup in the abdomen


Pancreatitis can occur for no reason but some factors that can trigger it are:
Zinc toxicity
B vitamin deficiency
Trauma
Blockages from gall stones
Pancreatic cancer
Alchohol “I doubt Parsnip’s been hitting the bottle”

Other than that last one and trauma I can’t rule out the others.
He’s surprisingly spunky and active, his appetite is excellent so if it was cancer I would be surprised as he seems to be doing well, but without a biopsy it can’t be ruled out yet.

If he has metal in his system I’d need to take him back to the vet for radiology to see if there’s any there, I’ve been feeding him butternut squash “fibrous” to flush anything out if there is, the extra vitamins aren’t a bad thing either.

The most likely causes for Parsnip’s pancreatitis i think is gallstones or B vitamin deficiency.

I’ve been giving him b vitamins, apples “because they’ve been known to help dissolve gallstones” nutrena all flock feed, and romaine. He’s also getting a half tablet of meloxicam stuffed into a blueberry every 12 hours as prescribed by his vet. Meloxicam is an anti inflammatory pain reliever.

Overall I think his condition is improving so I think it’s helping him.

 

[Goosebaby]

Also about a week and a half ago Parsnip and Leo got into a scuffle over who got to murder my old shoes and Parsnip won....and then he thoroughly murdered my old shoes so I’ll take that as a sign he’s feeling pretty good.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Murdering old shoes is defiantly a good sign. And I bet the B complex will help him. Did the vet give you the b complex? asking because TSC carries one brand name Durvet it says injectable but we use it orally for our birds. It's like liquid gold for them. Thank you so much for the update and sure hope Parsnip continues to improve and becomes 100% very soon.