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I asked Dr. Walker about the smell of the Metacam and it's kind of like an aspirin disolved in water -- the acid in it is what stinks. Anyhow, I got up enough nerve to actually taste it, and believe it or not, despite the smell, it is actually sweet tasting! I'd never have belived it, but stranger stuff happens with meds

Anyhow, sounds like Bubba is OK with the dose you're giving him. Dr. Walker may be a bit on the conservative side when it comes to oral meds. Don't know, but I sure wish I could get my hands on an avian drug formulary book ...

Sam

What is the metacam for?
Button will not eat millet, nutriberries anything that has the milk thistle on it. I have to give it to her orally (syringe)
Unfortunately she is still tearing at her skin/feathers and retching (she looks like she is yawning and twists her neck) It is so frustrating...
I am sure you feel the same way.
What do you feed Bubba?

Sam, I am not surprised it tastes okay, as Bubba doesn't seem to HATE it, lol.

BB, apparently he has some inflamation in his cohanal (sp?) slit (she cultures from his mouth up towards his nares) where he has the yeast infection. The metacam will hellp with it. It is very frustrating... Sorry about Button and her feathers, but I don't think it is from the yeast or the liver--I would look to something else. As for Bubba's diet, he and the other birds are rotated on and off Zupreem natural and Lafaber pellets. They also get 2-3 nutraberries a day, per vet's suggestion. They also eat pretty much what I eat fruit (very picky, mostly apples) and veggie wise, as they tend to steal food from the plate, lol. How is Button's behavior? Bubba has been sleeping more than normal, not his old perky self, then again, he is also moulting, so is cranky anyway. It seems he spends most his day preening and sleeping. He is starting to vocalize a bit more like his normal self though.

Button's behavior is "normal" (for her). Lately she has been busy with this plastic chain toy. It has wicker balls at the end. (it is toy I had made for her) She spends time pulling the balls off and chewing the chains. At least this keeps her busy rather than picking at her feathers.
Button's throat is red probably due to the yeast as well. I left a message with the vet last night to call me since her throat still bothers her (She yawns and stretches her neck out "retching")I think the apple cider vinegar irritates her throat.

The metacam is an NSAID, and will help control pain. It's actually used extensively in dog treatment for arthritis pain, but I could never find any documented uses for it with birds, but that does not mean it's unsafe. I'm not a vet or a pharmacist, so I have to take the word from folks who do this for a living. I actually prefer using aspirin, but in some cases, the nsaid's are a better choice, especially if there is inflammation.

Sam

How is Bubba doing? what about the yeast infections?
I had the same issues. I am evaluating the situation regarding i.e food, environment that may contribute to yeast production.
Two things I am doing and( i think) may help:
1) the milk thistle has a coconut glyerine base which is sugar. Sugar contributes to yeast. Since I have to give Button meds anyways, I take a little coffee stirrer and put a powdered thistle on it and give to Button before her meds.(You might want to talk to your vet to see if the glyerine could be an issue. My vet did not want me to use the liquid form but I did it anyways thinking it might be easier but it turned out putting the powdered thistle in her mouth was just as easy without adding additives)
2) the seed mix I have is a "premium" seed mix which has dried fruit (meaning more sugar). I changed the seed mix for now without the dried fruit.
And of course, keeping the water dishes clean and wiped.
Button's yeast came back negative through the gram stain (This doesn't mean she still does not have the fungus issue but at least it is a start)
BTW is the meloxicam helping with the inflamation? What dosage do you give? I give .1ml once a day. for 30 days. I do not know if it is helping since she has been on it for just a week.

BB,

How much does Button weigh? That dosage of .1 cc is really low compared to what my vet prescribed for ginger. There is a dosing formula of so many cc's per kg, and of course nobody has a bird that weighs a kilogram, so the dosing is very small. I checked my prescription label and I was giving Ginger 0.04 cc of the meloxicam. Perhaps your vet is being on the low side of safe, or perhaps a bit worried about higher doses? I know things change in the field of drugs, and sometimes it's up to the various veterinarian formularies books to keep up with the current dosing amounts. As for the sugar part of anything, cockatiels will only eat what they like, and sugar is not one of those things my kids go after. Every birdie is different, but a little sugar for them is not a big deal w/r/t/ yeast infections. Sure, the yeast will grow in a sugary mixture, but I suspect it could be a yeast in the air that's causing her problems. Just like making sour dough bread, the yeast spores in the air is what gives SFO sour dough bread it's distinctive taste. You could take the same dough from SFO and transport it to Boston, and you'd not get the same taste because of the yeast spores are different between the two places.

FWIW, my 107 gram bird is on Meloxicam that is a 0.5 mg/ml dilution. Her dosage is 0.05 but only for 10 days. I've used Meloxicam on many occasions and have always been told it is safest used for a short duration. I wonder if Button's very low dosage is related to the very long duration. Or maybe a dilution difference.

chibi-tori wrote:BB,

That dosage of .1 cc is really low compared to what my vet prescribed for ginger. There is a dosing formula of so many cc's per kg, and of course nobody has a bird that weighs a kilogram, so the dosing is very small. I checked my prescription label and I was giving Ginger 0.04 cc of the meloxicam.

Y'all have me pretty confused. I believe .1 cc is a bigger dose than .04 cc, isn't it

Of course you're right Why did I give up caffeine? Button's 0.1 dosage is twice what was prescribed for my 107 gram bird. Maybe our confusion comes from a misplaced decimal Or maybe it comes from a dilution difference.

Ok.. my mistake. I guess I didn't read the decimal point, as that would make a huge difference. In that case, a 0.1 cc is 10 times as much as 0.01 cc. Sorry for the confusion.

Sam

Button weighs 98 grams and the dosage is .1ml once day. She seems to be doing OK so far.....
It takes me awhile to get the full dosage in her mouth (and to swallow it)it's quite the struggle. She seems to be doing well and ithus she is stronger making it harder to to administer the meds.

BB, Bubba is doing better... he went back to the vet the day after his blood test to have his blood pressure taken, which is apparently too high, and has been since he was just a baby--they symptom I noticed was heavy breathing after just a couple laps... I thought it was normal because I didn't know any different... but after getting hearing the other two breathe after laps, I knew it was not normal. The vet has him on a cardiac formula now. As for the yeast, I was 1.5 days short on his meds as well as Annabelle, but vet techs said it would be okay. He was still sneezing with stuff shooting out of his nares, but that seems to have improved. As for Annabelle, she is still sneezing like crazy... I need to call the vet back...

As for sugars, they haven't been getting any extra, not even bread as a simple carb. As for the anti-inflamitory, it was .05. He only took it for 5 days.

His behavior has been normalizing... he wouldn't talk for days, but is being his old obnixious self again, lol. We'll see how things progress.

As for Button, where is her yeast infection--Bub's and Annabelle's are in their cohanal (sp?) slit (up in their mouths by thier nares)... what were her symptoms?

Button had the yeast infection in her mouth as well as in her tummy. She had red raw and white patches in her mouth. She was also doing watery grainy poops.
She has been more active and bratty which is a good sign but she has some chronic issues reflective in her feather tearing. she sneezes on occasion but she never has a runny nose so that was not a concern. What she does is stretch her neck out like she wants to regurg I think due to her sore throat.
Keep me updated on Bubba's and Anabelle's health