FoxersArtist
03-30-2011, 05:06 PM
Tulip is our wobbly rescue grey. She was given to us by a person who "rescued" her from a home where the family had lost electricity during the winter and could no longer physically or financially care for their two african greys. Tulip had suddenly started going through a phase where the owner would have to take her out with a glove because she wouldn't step up. Her rescuer thought that this was behavioral and it seemed too big a challenge for him, so he brought her to us. We noticed right away when we got her that she was wobbly and had difficulty perching right.
Tulip's initial test results showed possible kidney disfunction and low calcium so she was given shots and supplementation. My vet said that low calcium can be associated with weakness in greys. Unfortunately, Tulip did not seem to improve. Her second round of bloodwork confirmed that there is damage to her kidneys but we don't know how extensive the damage and still could not find a cause. We decided to do x-rays and found that tulip's gizzard is filled with pebble like material that my vet described as being "harder than bone." She wasn't convinced that the bits were metal, but she could not be sure just by looking at the x-ray that they weren't metal. We ordered a toxicology test and when it came back, we had some new answers. Tulip is suffering from zinc toxicity.
We are going to be starting chelation therapy on Tulip this week, using a chemical agent that binds to heavy metals in the body and helps to break them down and flush them out. Unfortunately this also binds to things like calcium, so we will have to be careful to keep Tulip stable since she was a bit low in calcium when this process started. Although lead is most commonly associated with weakness or lack of coordination in parrots, zinc can also cause these symptoms. If Tulip is still wobbly after removing these toxins from her body, there is a high chance that she has brain damage that she was likely born with - causing lack of coordination. My vet says that it is extremely unlikely that Tulip has PDD which could have also explained her wobby state. There is a high likelihood that tulip's kidney disfunction is associated with the heavy metal toxicity and the kidneys could return to normal function once her body is no longer toxic!
Please keep this little one in your prayers, that this is the answer and she will return to good health once we are able to remove these toxins from her body. Tulip is a wonder, sweet girl and she deserves the very best.
-Anna
Tulip's initial test results showed possible kidney disfunction and low calcium so she was given shots and supplementation. My vet said that low calcium can be associated with weakness in greys. Unfortunately, Tulip did not seem to improve. Her second round of bloodwork confirmed that there is damage to her kidneys but we don't know how extensive the damage and still could not find a cause. We decided to do x-rays and found that tulip's gizzard is filled with pebble like material that my vet described as being "harder than bone." She wasn't convinced that the bits were metal, but she could not be sure just by looking at the x-ray that they weren't metal. We ordered a toxicology test and when it came back, we had some new answers. Tulip is suffering from zinc toxicity.
We are going to be starting chelation therapy on Tulip this week, using a chemical agent that binds to heavy metals in the body and helps to break them down and flush them out. Unfortunately this also binds to things like calcium, so we will have to be careful to keep Tulip stable since she was a bit low in calcium when this process started. Although lead is most commonly associated with weakness or lack of coordination in parrots, zinc can also cause these symptoms. If Tulip is still wobbly after removing these toxins from her body, there is a high chance that she has brain damage that she was likely born with - causing lack of coordination. My vet says that it is extremely unlikely that Tulip has PDD which could have also explained her wobby state. There is a high likelihood that tulip's kidney disfunction is associated with the heavy metal toxicity and the kidneys could return to normal function once her body is no longer toxic!
Please keep this little one in your prayers, that this is the answer and she will return to good health once we are able to remove these toxins from her body. Tulip is a wonder, sweet girl and she deserves the very best.
-Anna