Recent Feedback
I have noticed a decent lump on my budgie's tummy area. He is eating well and seems to be quite happy singing a lot. He doesn't look as if he is overweight.
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Budgie Gender: Male Age: 6 yrs Name of Bird: Snowy Already Tried: ??
Hi. I'm Dr. Heindel. I'm going to try to help you with your issue.
Budgies are known to get abdominal masses, unfortunately. The way to know if this is a malignant (cancerous) mass vs a benign mass is to take a sample of the mass with a needle and send it to a pathologist. This can usually be done with your bird awake. These tumors, in time, usually cause fluid to form in the belly. In time the fluid causes them difficulty breathing. The fluid can be drawn off with a syringe, and that has been done with some patients for months to years.
Most budgies with the mass are otherwise fine. They don't know they are sick until the fluid starts to form. Then difficulty breathing is the first sign of trouble.
Thankyou for your advice.
what sort of time frame are we talking about?
depends ... sometimes months. I've aspirated fluid off a budgie for nearly 2 years! The clients bring him in every 10 days, or as needed and we pull off 1 ml of fluid. The malignant masses grow faster.
Thankyou
Good luck with Snowy! I'm sending good thoughts your way.
Dr. H
Experience: I'm an experienced avian, and exotic veterinarian, having over 13 yrs of experience.