FoxersArtist
10-08-2009, 08:13 PM
Not For Dot
Chester and Thatcher were an elderly pair of lovebirds we rescued earlier this year. Chester passed away a few weeks ago and the result of the necropsy was organ failure with both kidneys and liver shut down. I was a little relieved to discover that there was nothing that I could have done to save him but I really worried for his little mate, Thatcher, who would now be all alone. Thatcher seemed empty without his buddy but he was fairing pretty well - eating well and still active. I had hoped that life would be able to go on for him, even after such a big loss.
Thatcher had his own health issues, some of them occuring just because he was an old bird, others due to lack of care. He had a mass near his vent that was partly blocking the flow of waste from his vent. We put him through one round of antibiotics and though the mass shrunk a little, his droppings were still stinky. We took Thatcher to the vet on Tuesday to see how he was progressing and the vet decided to put him on a new antibiotic. Yesterday evening when I took Thatcher out to medicate him, I noticed his fluffed appearance and as I suspected, he allowed me to catch him without any trouble at all. He wasn't yet wobbly, so I hoped I had caught him in time. I fed him some extra nutrition along with his meds and put him in the incubator for warming. I found a little stuffed bird toy to put in with him and he cuddled up to it for the night. I had hoped that he could have a little extra comfort through the night.
We lost Thatcher early this morning. I have been on high alert since we have lost several birds lately, and was happy that I was at least able to try to save him. Part of me felt really glad that Chester & Thatcher are now reunited - the way it was meant to be. My vet did a necropsy late this morning and found that Thatcher had an impaction in his intestional tract - most likely from the blockage - and he became septic. I guess the antibiotics just didn't have enough time to work and he was too backed up. This is what I really worry about with Loretta.
Anyhow, Chester & Thatcher are now together once again. I'm holding my breath for the end of the year to come. My vet assured me that these things seem to come in waves and that these deaths were due to poor long term care and that the wave is bound to pass soon. Words of comfort are nice, but it's still been a bit rattling. It makes me more thankful for the ones we have been able to save this year - like Orbit, Loretta & Nicky.
Rest in peace kids. See you on the other side.
-Anna
Chester and Thatcher were an elderly pair of lovebirds we rescued earlier this year. Chester passed away a few weeks ago and the result of the necropsy was organ failure with both kidneys and liver shut down. I was a little relieved to discover that there was nothing that I could have done to save him but I really worried for his little mate, Thatcher, who would now be all alone. Thatcher seemed empty without his buddy but he was fairing pretty well - eating well and still active. I had hoped that life would be able to go on for him, even after such a big loss.
Thatcher had his own health issues, some of them occuring just because he was an old bird, others due to lack of care. He had a mass near his vent that was partly blocking the flow of waste from his vent. We put him through one round of antibiotics and though the mass shrunk a little, his droppings were still stinky. We took Thatcher to the vet on Tuesday to see how he was progressing and the vet decided to put him on a new antibiotic. Yesterday evening when I took Thatcher out to medicate him, I noticed his fluffed appearance and as I suspected, he allowed me to catch him without any trouble at all. He wasn't yet wobbly, so I hoped I had caught him in time. I fed him some extra nutrition along with his meds and put him in the incubator for warming. I found a little stuffed bird toy to put in with him and he cuddled up to it for the night. I had hoped that he could have a little extra comfort through the night.
We lost Thatcher early this morning. I have been on high alert since we have lost several birds lately, and was happy that I was at least able to try to save him. Part of me felt really glad that Chester & Thatcher are now reunited - the way it was meant to be. My vet did a necropsy late this morning and found that Thatcher had an impaction in his intestional tract - most likely from the blockage - and he became septic. I guess the antibiotics just didn't have enough time to work and he was too backed up. This is what I really worry about with Loretta.
Anyhow, Chester & Thatcher are now together once again. I'm holding my breath for the end of the year to come. My vet assured me that these things seem to come in waves and that these deaths were due to poor long term care and that the wave is bound to pass soon. Words of comfort are nice, but it's still been a bit rattling. It makes me more thankful for the ones we have been able to save this year - like Orbit, Loretta & Nicky.
Rest in peace kids. See you on the other side.
-Anna