Uneven hard lump on keel of eclectus

Shopping

Information

Find Answers

Site Info

Links

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Uneven hard lump on keel of eclectus

by Michelle
(Sarasota, FL )

I have an eclectus with an unknown history. She has been to the vet twice because I would like to know why she plucks. She is on a fantastic diet and almost never in her cage.

The vet showed little to no interest in medical issues. He prescribed elavil. I am very very unhappy with him. I plan to take her to a better vet ASAP

She is very itchy, fat, mild stress lines, discolored feathers under tail.
She snaps feathers, ignores pin feathers

She has good days and bad

She as an irregular hard mass on her chest. I think at the distal end of the keel.

She picks mostly contour feathers. The area of the mass is bald.

The primary feathers look rough

The vet didn't say anything both times I was there so I thought it was normal. It's hard to miss since the skin is bare.

The mass feels like a bunch or small lumps. Maybe 1" wide half 1/2 tall and less than 1/4" thick.

Any ideas?

I've spent hundreds on the vet bills and super fancy organic foods. The vet said I need to stop looking on the net or I'll keep finding problems. I asked about loose feces, he said it's normal. I asked about the lump and he said to have a vet check it out!!!! I want to cry!! There is a vet in Tampa, an hour away, that I am trying to see.

I want to know where to start. Is the lump something serious? It doesn't feel like fat. It feels hard and bumpy and like it's attached to the underlying tissue

I have pics but not on the computer. I will try to upload them

The vet is "dr don" I heard he was great but I feel like he thinks he knows the answer so he doesn't want to look. Didn't even touch her

Comments for
Uneven hard lump on keel of eclectus

Click here to add your own comments

Jun 13, 2011

More info
by: Anonymous

I lowered the dose then discontinued the Elavil. I should also note that her stool in almost always too loose. She knows about being potty trained. If she is on me she will to get off to poop or act agitated until I put her down.
I told the vet about the feces to see if they were related to the elavil. He basically laughed at me, same response as a usually get from questions.
I will update the post when I can get the tests done. What about going to a regular vet or the basic blood work? Then an avian for advanced work up?

Are there any options if I can't pay for surgery? Can she be relinquished? I don't want to give her up, she seems to ate most people but has been nothing but perfect since I first saw her. At the same time I don't know if I can come up with the money

Jun 12, 2011

More details
by: Anonymous

I'm going to see if there is any way to get her into see dr lightfoot in tampa. I heard she was good. I would have gone to her first but I'm 60mi south and at the time did not see the lump. I expected blood work and a fecal test maybe. dr don here in town was sure it was behavioral. I can not be more displeased if a mechanic had showed up to look at her. I was assured that he's a good vet but after speaking with him again I can't work with him.

Dr lightfoot is said to be good and dr Jenkins in San Diego agreed that would be the best option. I hate to talk money but I didn't intend on getting a bird. The office visit is over $100 and the blood work was quoted at $240. That's just to start.

Right now she gets 2-3 meals a day. I try to start her off with veggies since she likes these least. Fresh or steamed dark leafy green. 2cd course is lentils, beans (soaked or cooked) or steal cut oats (hearty, not rolled or processed). I add a couple of drops of oil from palm fruit and aloe detox to the beans since she loves those.

Lunch is light, usually fruit (cherries, raspberries, blueberries, mangoe, papaya with seed, tomato, apple, peach etc)

Dinner is like breakfast. It all varies a bit, depending on what's ready.

Fruit is usually offered with meals but at the end or she will avoid greens.

I add a dusting of flax seed every other or so. Palm oil from the fruit everyday but only a couple of drops. When she gets things that she loves I add aloe detox (it's by lilly valley or something like that. I read about it several places including Land of Vos)

She day cage is on the patio. It gets good light but I bring her in when it's in direct light since she can't get into shade.
She is over bonded with me but I'm trying to put her on the patio at various times during the day and trying to extend those times. There are lots of plants out there that are non toxic and organic. Soil is organic and the fertilizer is organic and applied in a tap at the bottom of the pot. The plants are green beans, various peppers, oregano, basils, rosemary and wheat grass. She will climb down or jump down from where I put her so she can talk inside or look around. She pics at the beans and greens.

She has rouddy mix (I hope that's right) pellots available all of the time. I also have organic pellots by zoopream (?)

When she's feeling good I like to have her occupy herself so I put her on the perch. It's large, natural wood and I hang corn on the cob on it with cotton rope. She gets exercise while eating it.
I noticed today that 20-30 min. After her meals she gets sleepy. Her head is lowered, her eyes close often, she makes
little noises and sometimes grinds her beak. This lasts for
30min to an hour

Re: feathers- They are not so big as to be hunger lines. They are just slightly there.

Jun 12, 2011

Eclectus with lump on keel
by: The Avian Vet

What is her diet?

Good idea to find a better avian vet. This is an inappropriate drug to use in birds.

The lump needs to be biopsied or removed. It could be the basis for her plucking.

The primary feathers look rough Abnormal - May be nutritional, may be improper preening. May be a small cage, may be poor lighting.

This mass could be a lipoma, or an abscess, sarcoma, or one of many other possibilities.

Who is the veterinarian in Tampa? Where do you live?

You asked: Is the lump something serious? It doesn't feel like fat. It feels hard and bumpy and like it's attached to the underlying tissue

Yes, the mass is serious.

Find an Avian Vet
Dr B

Jun 12, 2011

Uneven hard lump on keel of eclectus
by: Linda

Sorry to hear about you and your bird's problems. Hopefully, you are taking her to an Avian Vet because a dog and cat vet will do nothing and charge you a lot of money for it. They are not even licensed much less trained to diagnose and treat birds.

Find another Avian vet as your bird is sick and needs a comprehensive exam including basic bloodwork. She needs to have the growth checked, and avian vet will take a draw out of the lump, put it under the microscope and see what kind of tissue it is. The bloodwork is to make sure organs are functioning properly and to see if any viral infections or parasites are present.

All the lines and striations you spoke of come from long term starvation and will eventually go away once bird is treated correctly and on an organic pelleted diet. Here is a link to article about suggested Eclectus diets and the organic pellets have to be a part of it:

Budgie, Lory & Eclectus diets

So, get your bird into see an Avian Vet within your driving area and have her examined for infections, the mass checked out and bloodwork done to see how all is inside bird.

Once birds are down, it can take up to a year or longer to start seeing many results from good care and a great well balanced diet. The striations will eventually go away with each molt if she is eating the correct diet. Exercise is also very important to keep birds from being fat.

Thanks for writing, and please let us know what the new Avian Vet has to say,

Find an Avian Vet
Linda

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Ask the Vet