dude, this sucks

[PonyOne]

i just got back from the vet with one of my cockatiels. she was acting OK last night but was acting weird this afternoon, and weirder when i got home; her sense of balance was way off, and she seemed weak and slow to react.

they took an xray of her and it turns out that she's what they call "eggbound," i.e. at some point or another, she had an infertile egg developing in her that didn't fully form, and it's stuck. because eggs don't get any nutrients from the body to keep them alive like in mammals, it's essentially gone bad and has caused an infection.

basically they gave me the choice of keeping her there overnight or taking her home, with the pretense that she probably won't make it through the night. i opted for the latter, since, you know, i'd rather spend the last of my life around my loved ones than in a hospital. and there's not really much i could have doen at any point; cockatiels are a "prey" species and so they are biologically set up to pretty much overextend themselves and run their own bodies into the ground pretending to be okay so that no predators will pick them off. shoot, even if i had known something is wrong it'd be near impossible to get that egg out of her without killing her in the process.

she's pretending like she's okay. she's snuggly, she kisses, she flew onto my Vox and sat there on the handle like she usually does... it's just that when i went to get her off, she nearly fell over, she has no balance and almost no energy. you look at her, and she looks back at you with this little face that says "don't worry. it's alright." like she knows. and in true parrot form, she's more concerned with your emotions than her own wellbeing.

so she's sitting in a cage next to me right now. waiting to die.

it's really amazing how much emotion a creature that weighs a couple ounces can squeeze out of you. and they see you do things that are physically impossible for them... imagine living with a creature who can turn the sun on and off, who can lift things that weigh one thousand times what you weigh, who construct things of unimaginable complexity... and here they sit next to you as you're dying, crying their eyes out because there isn't anything you can do to save them.

[magicninja]

I don't know what to say man. At least you had the honor of being her human, if only for a short time.

*plays mournful rendition of "Dust in the Wind"*

[Jolly McJollyson]

I don't know what to say man. At least you had the honor of being her human, if only for a short time.

*plays mournful rendition of "Dust in the Wind"*
If there's a jolly rendition of "Dust in the Wind," I've yet to hear it.

[CW14]

Sorry bout the bird man...
It really sucks losing a pet that you're close to :(

[magicninja]

If there's a jolly rendition of "Dust in the Wind," I've yet to hear it.
I guess a Jolly rendition of "Dust in the Wind" would be when you play it. ;)

[GuitarPsy]

awww that sucks indeed.. guess we've all been there, hang tight matey! just be glad you were so lucky to have experienced such a bond with the bird, my birds always died within days, but then again, they were wild and not meant to be kept as pets

[Kevin Taylor]

I know where you're coming from in a weird way.
I kinda adopted a house mouse a few years back.
It used to be scared crapless of me until I started feeding it.
Then I made a home for it on my computer desk (no cage) and it stuck around for a couple of years.
Then it got an infection or something and slowly went downhill from there.
It's amazing how attached you get to something so small.
And vets are useless.
I called up a vet asking if there was any kind of ointment I could get to help and was told you can't get any medicine for an animal unless you have a prescription.
Like.... A PRESCRIPTION FOR A FRIGGIN MOUSE????

Anyways... for a house mouse it ended up getting totally trained. It'd come to me when I called and I made a scale model of my living room for it on my computer desk and the damned thing actually started imitating me.... like I was the alpha male or something, and the mouse thought that was the way it was supposed to act. It'd lie down on the couch, then get up and chew on the model of the computer...

Anyways... it totally sucked when it died. Last thing it did was take off and go exploring around the living room.

[aschleman]

I don't really know any words to ease the pain... but this Jack Johnson song came immediately to mind when I read your post.....

IF I COULD
Lyrics by Jack Johnson

A brand new baby was born yesterday, just in time
Papa cried, baby cried, said "Your tears are like mine"
I heard some words from a friend on the phone
Didn't sound so good
The doctors gave him two weeks to live
I'd give him more if I could

You know that I would now, if only I could

Down the middle drops one more grain of sand
They say that new life makes losin' life easier to understand
Words are kind, they help ease the mind
I miss my old friend
And though you gotta go, we'll keep a piece of your soul
One goes out, one comes in

You know that I would now, if only I could


It's more about the birth/death realationship... but particularly thought the second verse fit well...

[earthman buck]

Pony, man, that sucks. I'm really sorry about your bird, I know how attached people can get to their pets. My brother had a pet rat that got cancer and died just last year. I never even payed much attention to the rat, but near the end of its life it was obviously in a lot of pain, and it hurt me to watch it. Her eyes were all yellow and leaking, and she had these big gray lumps all over her body. Other than the lumps, she was all skin and bones. I remember watching her try to get a drink of water and just collapsing because she was too weak. In the end, we decided it would be best to put her out of her misery, so my dad and I did away with it. That was a sad, sad night.

Sorry 'bout your bird, Pony. *hug*

[acapella]

Pony dude, when I read that I almost teared up here in the classroom. If anybody knows how attatched you can get to an animal it's me. I love animals more than most people, and nothing hurts me more than to see one or hear about one being in pain. When my dog died I cried forever...in school yet. He had arthritis, and one day it got so bad he couldn't even get up, we had to put him down...and like you say, he just made this face like, don't worry, it'll be fine...he just totally trusted us, he probably thought we were going to make him better...last thing I did was load him in the truck and go to school. I really feel for you man, I'm here for you all the way. :(

[Tonja_Renee]

That's a really tough thing to go through.. losing a pet. It's like losing a part of your family.

I'm sorry for your pain.

[Akira]

That really sucks Pony, it seems like in the past year or so you haven't had much luck with birds, if my memory serves correctly?

Hang in tight.

[jiujitsu_jesus]

I'm really sorry about that, Pony. I know exactly how you feel - the only thing worse than losing a loved one, human or animal, is waiting for them to die. But hold on, mate. I know it must sound patronising and insensitive when I say "you'll always have the memories", but I find that in grief, they're the only thing you have to stop you from breaking down.

My condolences once again.

[Cryptic Excretions]

I'm no good with this kind of thing so I'll keep it short and give you my condolences.

[PonyOne]

thank you, everybody. the kind words, lyrics, etc all mean quite a bit. even if they can't change the course of reality, the sentiment is always appreciated. i spent last night basically sleeping an hour and then waking up to see how she's doing. if in true parrot form she's trying to hide her illness, then in true tristan form she's hanging on just to prove a point of some sort.

she kind of perked up a bit for awhile; tried to preen her feathers a bit, and then puffed (anyone who's been around birds knows what i'm talking about... when they ruffle all their feathers and shake their wings out) and even made like she was going to fly over to the bed, but then decided better on it when she realized that she has no balance. right now she's on her perch, in her cage, puffed up and sleeping. and if you move close to her she opens her eyes and gives you a look like she's expecting you to do something like you normally would: talk to her, pet her, tell her she's a good bird... so that's what I'm doing.

i haven't had good luck with anything lately... there have been a few massive things that have gone wrong here lately. and this is basically how it goes for me: everything is cool for awhile, and then, simultaneously, everything goes bad. the dove that one of my ex's friends dumped on us and she in turn dumped on me died last Jan or somewhere around there... doves don't generally live long anyway, and doves from cheap pet stores in East LA live even less long generally, so i wasn't shocked. and my other cockatiel that I'd had since i was 9 died november the year before last; she was a runt and had always been a little on the sickly side of things... not really sure what it is that got her, but it was probably just time catching up with her. they normally live to be 15-18, depending on your source, but if you deduct a few years for the illnesses she had when she was young (almost died a few times, wing injury...) it sounds about right. Theo, my Amazon parrot, and Sven, the retarded cockatiel, are both doing alright if not a bit on the morose side of things. and my cat has been incessantly curled up on or next to me the whole night.

i'm taking her to another vet in about an hour here, a bird specialist, that the other place recommended. hopefully since i already got the xray, they'll know if there's anything they can do without sitting me there in fear for a few hours. i don't have the money for this, so i'm somewhat concerned whether or not they'll be able to do anything... i'm not thinking that a veterinary clinic will have the oath like hospitals for humans do... but we'll take it as it comes.

[Akira]

Something I believe in is that for every bad there's a good, and for every good there's a bad. Each decision we make, or each event that happens, leads to a certain path which can help better ourselves, even if we don't realise till years later.

I think it's something to ponder over.

[PonyOne]

good news: she perked up pretty good this afternoon and i took her to a bird specialist, who at first said that things looked bleak, but now thinks that things are better than we anticipated. the mass in her doesn't appear to be solid so much as it does comprised of a bunch of smaller things. the vet thinks it may be something metallic, but, it appears as though she isn't completely blocked and can still defecate mostly, which means that they can try to give her some hardcore laxatives to move it further down.

she developed an infection, probably due to it being metallic... but... it sounds like the antibiotics they gave her are helping out alright. so we'll see... at least the prognosis is better than it was. i talked to her tonight and she said Carmen was "resting comfortably" and didn't seem as distressed as earlier. phew.

she's not totally out of danger yet and if the foreign body doesn't come out with laxatives, it's an expensive surgery which will most likely kill her anyhow, which means that we'll probably put the poor little girl down. but right now i'm trying not to think about that and imagine her back here snuggling happily with me. if everything does work out they recommend i get her a mate that will keep her, uh, preoccupied so that she doesn't feel compelled to lay anymore eggs. so we'll see.

in the meantime... here's a pic of how cool she is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/tristan_s/Pets/carmguitar.jpg

[Andrew Sa]

thats awesome man...I hope it all works out like that.

My thoughts are with you and the bird.
please let us know how she is doing.

[Kevin Taylor]

Wow!!
A bird that plays barre chords :)

[Andrew Sa]

not only that...she plays Mr Crowley better than anyone since Randy!

[jiujitsu_jesus]

That's great news. All the best. :)

[guitarfreak141]

that's great! I sincerely hope everything turns out alright. good luck! I once had a ferret that I grew very attatched to but after a few years my mom made me give it away because of the smell and stuff, I still miss her, she was so awesome

[Kevin Taylor]

Man... I've always wanted a ferret. I always chicken out though cause there's too many hiding places it could get into around here.
I can just see it scampering up the fireplace and taking off on me or chewing into my waterbed.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

dude, that does suck. but she sounds like a fighter, I hope she pulls through!

[PonyOne]

good news: got a call from the vet and the blockage is moving down the pipes. they're keeping her an extra night but she's doing very well, and all the staff have been playing with her and noting she's the most social little bid they've had around. so all should be well.

thanks for all the concern and well wishes everyone... looks like this time it all worked :)

i'd love a ferret, but they're illegal in CA and i already have enough active pets. if i get another animal it's gonna be a turtle.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

good news: got a call from the vet and the blockage is moving down the pipes. they're keeping her an extra night but she's doing very well, and all the staff have been playing with her and noting she's the most social little bid they've had around. so all should be well.

thanks for all the concern and well wishes everyone... looks like this time it all worked :)

i'd love a ferret, but they're illegal in CA and i already have enough active pets. if i get another animal it's gonna be a turtle.
glad to hear it! I knew she was a fighter! :cool:

[Tonja_Renee]

That is great news PonyOne. I'm glad everything is working out. I love happy endings... :)

[Akira]

That's fantastic Pony! :)

She has impressive stretch over them frets for a bird.

[earthman buck]

if i get another animal it's gonna be a turtle.
Hells yeah. Turtles are awesome.

Rep 4 U (If I can).

EDIT: Nope. But just know that I would have.

[rockonn91]

thats awesome, man. I can only imagine the relief you feel.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Rep 4 U (If I can).

EDIT: Nope. But just know that I would have.
I'm on it
I love happy endings...
me too.... me too...

[PonyOne]

ok, now, some bad news... yesterday they said she was perked up and being friendly, and today I went in to see her... she looked better, but still not good. The vet wasn't sure what was up, and so, we did some bloodwork and we're just waiting for the results to see what we can do. I'm optimistic about it... I just want her to be okay. She was really happy to see us; you could tell that she'd been lonely, and all the staff loves her... guess it doesn't make up for parental love.

I'm sick of the up and down. I just want to get her back home.

[bigbuda]

Man I hope your bird makes it Pony. Birds are cool pets. My mom had a cockatoo a while back and it would always ask for me. That bird and I were friends. It stinks to loose a friend. :(

[Andrew Sa]

Dude thats not so nice...it must be messing with you propperly, this whole up and down thing.

I have a cockatiel, well actually it is my sisters, but the bird really bonded with my dad. He is also incredibly social...and he seems to have been affected by my dads death just as much as the rest of us...its weird, a few days ago, my dads best mate John came around, and the bird was so excited, I'm not sure what he figured, but clearly associated my dad and John and just went mad.

Its really crazy how much those birds seem to feel

[Akira]

That sucks Pony; I hope the results come back with no hitches.

[PonyOne]

Dude thats not so nice...it must be messing with you propperly, this whole up and down thing.

I have a cockatiel, well actually it is my sisters, but the bird really bonded with my dad. He is also incredibly social...and he seems to have been affected by my dads death just as much as the rest of us...its weird, a few days ago, my dads best mate John came around, and the bird was so excited, I'm not sure what he figured, but clearly associated my dad and John and just went mad.

Its really crazy how much those birds seem to feel
yeah man, that's why i've always been fascinated by them... crazy smart creatures. they're a lot more intuitive than most people realize. even compared to larger, more intelligent parrots.... there's something about cockatiels, they have a sort of empathy that i haven't seen in any other creature, including humans.

my ex is in town, strangely enough, and the bird is really hers; it bonded to her, and though she's always been my little friend (more so after my ex took off) it was always obvious who she'd rather spend her time with. when we went to visit yesterday and my ex came along, Carmen (the bird) perked vway up... she'd been waiting to see her mom, and here she is... it was great to see. seeing my ex has kinda blown, especially since she's here with her new SO having a total blast and enjoying life and this has been one of the worse stretches of the last year for me.

i got a call from the vet today: kidney failure. so i'm jetting up there right now to again meet with my ex and figure out what we're gonna do... i'm at the point now where i'm so spent, physically and emotionally and financially, i'm really just giddy over whatever it is that ends up happening... up or down... who cares??? doesn't seem like i have control over any of it :cool: i just want my bird back.

[Andrew Sa]

dude I hope it works out for the best

[Lordathestrings]

Ow, Pony, I'm so sorry to hear that. I don't think there is such a thing as hemo-dialysis for pet birds.

[PonyOne]

sadly, probably not... at this point I'm figuring she'll most likely die.

[GuitarPsy]

oh man, that really sucks big time, together with the situation with your ex I can imagine, if it's any comfort I think I can say for everyone here, we've got your back matey!

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

oh man, that really sucks big time, together with the situation with your ex I can imagine, if it's any comfort I think I can say for everyone here, we've got your back matey!
what he said!

[PonyOne]

the rollercoaster continues! right now we're going up!

well, I just got back from the vet; the vet had suggested putting her to sleep because of the kidney failure, and i degressed... i wanted one more weekend in which i knew i tried.

i went in today and by this time, they all know me there... they were really excited and told me Carmen has bounced back great. i went back to see her and it's true, it's like she's back to normal.

she's pooping solid, which is a sign that her kidney is working again, and she's alert, chipper, grips your finger... all in all, acting totally normal. in typical Carmen fashion, all she wanted was to be talked to, held, cuddled, smooched and generally paid attention to, and she got really snippy when i went to put her back. so, this gives me a lot of hope.

[PonyOne]

oh man, that really sucks big time, together with the situation with your ex I can imagine, if it's any comfort I think I can say for everyone here, we've got your back matey!
thanks for sticking with me, guys... you don't know how much that means to me.

[EmilyR]

That sucks

[Lordathestrings]

That sucks

Uhh, I'm guessing you posted before reading all of this thread? :rolleyes:

[PonyOne]

good news: she's back at home, pretty much back to normal. she even sat on my shoulder on the car ride back... on the off chance people notice it's always an amusing reaction. :D I have to give her antibiotics 2x a day with a synringe... bad times... you have to hold har in a pretty nasty fashion that makes me feel like an evil person... but... as long as it's for the better.

even the vet described her as a miracle; said that he's never seen a bird bounce back from the brink like that before. it musta been the GT goodwill :cool: thanks all!!

[rockonn91]

that is so awesome man. you should bring her on oprah or something.

[GuitarPsy]

let's keep wishing her to be fine, hope she comes out allright :)

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

that is so awesome man. you should bring her on oprah or something.
I don't know about his bird, but that alone would kill me!

that's great news pony! I'm glad to hear it!

[jiujitsu_jesus]

That's wonderful! :)

[earthman buck]

I'm so happy for you and your bird, Pony. :)

[Cryptic Excretions]

Hey, cheers. Good to hear everything's normal again... mostly anyway.

[rockonn91]

I don't know about his bird, but that alone would kill me!

very true. um, Regis and Kelly?