[cwebster]

Dr Olsen just called with necropsy results on poor sweet Chloe. He said it was shocking. She had aspergillosis in three places but it did not show on the lung xray. He thinks she had immune suppression. Plasmodium only in 4 percent of RBC compared with 95 percent expected. Her crop was normal...the candida was gone, no odor. Her spleen was enlarged, plasmodium. He made cultures and kept tissues and will probably send out to see if she had circovirus or something else causing massive immune suppression. She did not have haemoproteus. Only contagious disease he said that could affect Fiona would be the possible circovirus. Very sad but hopefully it is info that can help other birds. Asked if tx for coccidia would have decreased her immune system but he didn't think so.

 

[c.hert]

Basically she died of Malaria and Aspergillosis and both of them are really bad especially that Aspergillosis that ends up in places all over the body as the fibers spread out. How terrible and I am so glad the pigeon is at peace. Necropsy was very interesting and thank you with that effort for our gaining of knowledge/ What a trip you have been on and it is so wearing on one for I have been there. I sure thank you for keeping us informed every inch of the way for our benefit in caring for our birdies...Thank you

 

[cwebster]

c.hert, thank you. Am still tearful about poor Chloe. I really miss her. I didn't realize pigeons could get aspergillosis or malaria. She had red mites, coccidia, a staph infection, throat and crop candida, and then undetected until now malaria and aspergillosis. Think she probably also had immune suppression due to something like circovirus. Want to understand so if we get another pigeon we know more and can keep it healthy. Am still trying to figure out if we did something horribly wrong. Was her room too dusty? Should I have gotten tests sooner? Should I have not purchased a bird from an outdoor aviary? Should I have rushed her to the avian vet the minute she quit eating? Should I have let her go when she first got sick to spare her the suffering? Am so hoping Fiona is healthy. She is sitting on eggs nine and ten and eats like a horse. But her poop is always a dark gray voluminous runny mess. I had quarantined Chloe for three months and nearly put them together, right before she got sick. Am very glad now that they never met. Also very sad. If we ever get another pigeon we will probably go overkill with exams and tests.

 

[c.hert]

Mostly everybody goes overkill with pigeons until they settle down and figure it out. Sometimes these things cannot be figured out unless it shows up on a test or something. So we are willing to try anything just to see if that would work but with every step we are taking away from the immune functions of the pigeon if we are wrong. Sometimes it is just a real bad molt or the bird just feels sick and we pump it full of the different medicines that begin to affect it other ways. Your pigeon was very sick and with Aspergillosis and Malaria and they are two nasty diseases. Everybody tried their best knowing how sick the pigeon was....Pigeons are not easy birds to care for especially when they are so close to us and we know their every mood and habits. It's a day by day relationship and sometimes things just settle down but in your case no
because of the seriousness of it. You did your very best with the knowledge that you had at hand and other members did their best too in searching for the answer to make your birdie well. We learn from this and just plug on...so sorry about your birdie..

 

[AndreiS]

Aspergillosis was perhaps the cause of many problems with our birds that passed, even if they didn't show specific symptoms. Efforts must be carried out to be prevented. Please read my signature and go to the webpage in the link, if you haven't done it already. Is what I think the best webpage about this disease, recommending a prevention or treatment with herbs. Since few days, I'm giving daily at least one of these herbs, like tea chamomile instead of drinking water, or, in other days, echinacea poured in water from a capsule (like half of a capsule in one liter of water). Every few days, I'm mixing garlic (garlic juice from freshly crushed cloves, mixed with water) with their food.

These are accesible, not expensive herbs from that list but probably giving as many of them is better.

 

[kiddy]

Poor bird had so many problems. But we cant let them just go on initial symptoms without trying. Many birds recover from illness and so we try initial things to cover most of the common things like broad spectrum antibiotics and anti protozoan and then wormer. Who knows at initial level the things are going to get worse. Sad for you . So sorry little bird had to bear all this.

 

[John_D]

So sad. Circo virus is kind of like a 'pigeon AIDS' in its effects. Lays a bird open to any opportunistic infection. There is really nothing which can be done about the virus.

 

[cwebster]

Thanks to everyone for the support. Kiddy, you and CBL and our babies have had a rough time this week. c.hert, I appreciate your condolences a lot. AndreiS, , will check out that link. JohnD, vet will likely send bursa to a lab to confirm that Chloe had circovirus. Am not wanting another pigeon after this. Hope if we can figure out what went wrong that my feelings will change. My heart is still broken. It makes me even more sad for ferals who have so many challenges and with global climate change, so many species of Wild birds who may be facing extinction. Poor wonderful little Chloe.

 

[CBL]

You went above and beyond, will email you later.

 

[cwebster]

Dr Olsen is sending tissue samples from Chloe for analysis and also a sample to test for circovirus. Will post the results. Asked about testing Fiona. Will probably take a poop sample in for testing. He doesn't think a test for aspergillosis like Elisa on Fiona would help if she has no symptoms because the test shows exposure, not necessarily current infection.