| Probiotics & antibiotics - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| thehouse@pooh.corner |
This discussion came up rather recently in here, and I wish I had
paid more attention to it at the time! I'll be googling the group
later tonight.
Over the past two months, Jester (the bare-eyed cockatoo) has
been quietly losing weight, with no obvious signs of illness.
Three weeks ago, a fecal analysis showed that he didn't have any
harmful bacteria in his system.
Today at the weigh-in, he had lost a few more grams, so he stayed
at the vet for a full exam. X-rays, blood tests, and more fecal
analysis.
Still no definitive answers (though this should change when the
lab results come back on the blood samples). However the vet says
he has a slightly elevated body temperature indicative of an
infection, coupled with a fecal analysis that shows he has very
little beneficial bacteria in his intestines.
The vet says that the lack of beneficial bacteria can interfere
with his ability to digest food or absorb nutrients, which would
explain the weight loss.
So I have to give him an antibiotic twice a day for two weeks,
and sprinkle a probiotic (the vet referred to it as a "kind of
yoghurt for birds") on his food during the same period.
I can't help worrying about him, of course. He's my baby! But I'm
also worrying about giving him his meds. I will certainly wrap
him in a towel, because he can be nippy. Well, I didn't want my
fingers anyway. Damn! the things we do for our birds!
Tara J. Ballance
Montreal, Canada
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