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As you probably recall my lutino feather tearer Button. After her bout with yeast meds and blood tests. I wanted her to rest before the next battery of tests which would mean a skin biopsy. It is pretty invasive and she would have to be sedated. I am reluctant of the risks here plus it has erupted into WWIII in my house. My husband doesn't want to put Button through this test.
My vet said it does have risks so she suggested the use of bach flowers in the meantime.
I bought the solution but it smells strong of alcohol (27%!) I am now nervous about using the bach flowers in her water because of the percentage of alcohol in the mix especially since her liver is already compromised.
Has anyone else used bach flowers??????
Poor Button.I hate her having to go through so much. I keep her clean and well fed with veggies, rice and harrison's. I would hate her to suffer or die because of something I did. In the meantime, she seems happy other than the tearing at her skin in the evening

Poor Button, I would be scared to use something with that much alcohol normally and then with her liver condition I would be terrified of doing it. You say Button has been like this all her life, if she is otherwise happy I wonder if it's just best to let her be.. I would be afraid of the "what ifs" but thats just me I'm paranoid (like you)..

Best of Luck!!! Give Button kissies and snuggles from me and Rosie.

I am sorry you are having these problems. I understand your husband's concern, but perhaps it is best to weigh quality of life to risk. When Bubba was first diagnosed with his liver problems, I had the opportunity to biopsy his liver, but refused, because the risk was too high, and there was little benefit. if the risk is low, and the benefit, high, and improves her quality of life, you may want to go for it.

When it comes to the alcohol content, in my opinion, that is waaaaaaayyy too high. From what I understand from my vet, different manufacturers include at different amounts or exclude alcohol based on their research on what helps it best pass into the gut and stay there. However, the alcohol can disorient Button, as I found with Bubba, and he refused to take his meds for that purpose. This might help some: it is alcohol free: http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Hope this helps some.

Good luck with Button,

Jackie

I can't offer any advice, but lots of good wishes and luck for resolving little Button's problems! It seems to be a question of weighing the benefits and the risks and seeing which is greater, but beyond it all, she is happy and well loved which is the best thing of all and helps to balance out her little life.

Thanks for the link Bubba for the bach flower rescue remedy
As far as Button's diet, here it is:
she gets spring water (no tap water)
food: kaytee seed mix ( I mixed up budgie & teil seeds together), kaytee natural pellets, harrison's mash, (sometimes millet sometimes nutriberries but not often), rice (both brown & white), collard greens, dandelion greens, slice of carrot, brocolli, pasta as a treat. On accasion sometime corn but it makes her itch!(?) so i do not give her corn anymore

Could it be a food allergy? Have you tried eliminating everything that has corn in it completely? I don't have any pellets in your brands right now, but doesn't they contain some corn?

On page 9 of the October bird talk there is this link harrisonsbirdfoods.com/featherpic.pdf
for support for feather picking disorders had some interesting suggestions and thoughts on the subject.
My vet is suspect that Button might have aspergillosis in the feather follicles but I am so nervous having her undergo a tissue biopsy AND more meds..... She did not pick as much while on meds however she was very sleepy & her liver started to breakdown as a result of using these meds resulting in black tarry stools....
Button does eat the harrison's mash but she does raid the other birds seeds etc...I would probably have to isolate her just giving her harrisons & millet only plus maybe the Avix booster.....or bach flowers...
God......

I'm always hesitant to say more than just how sorry I am for Button's on-going health problems because I never seem to find time to read back through all your posts about her condition. So, please forgive my poor memory for details, but have you tried eliminating corn from her diet?

I have only one feather-picker in my large flock. She came to me as an adult 3 years ago, in perfect feather, but apparently eating only seed. I quickly "improved" her diet with pellets, grains, and fresh vegetables and greens. Within 6 months, she began plucking, and it has steadily gotten worse. Regular testing shows no reason whatsoever This past year, I've worked hard to eliminate corn and keep hoping that will turn her around. So far, no significant improvement, but so many feather destructive birds do have food allergies -- as Christie said -- and corn is considered one of the worse offenders. You might want to try Button on Roudybush's rice pellets for a couple months just to see. Corn is in so many things that it takes a lot of scrutiny to get rid of it. Better than dealing with asper though

IS your plucker a teil too?
I really do not think she is allergic to corn but I do think corn may aggravate her condition. She has been through alot of tests over the past 6 years including multiple visits with a homeopathic vet. I tend to beleive she has either a genetic problem and/or a fungal/yeast problem that is tenacious. The problem is that the cure may be worse than the disease. She was treated with meds. She dropped down from 122 grams to 95 grams plus she was sleepy and her poop indicated liver breakdown. We stopped the meds. She is back to her 'normal" self at 115grams but tearing her skin off...

whoa! thanks for the advice....
She is pretty good about eating her harrison's mash and veggies but she LOVES rice & pasta BUT if it is not good for her......
I didn't realize sweet potatoe was bad for pickers...

Don't know how I missed this thread, so I just thought I'd jump in here, too.