Answer

Okay, I appreciate the extra information. If you are totally confident of your vet, even to the point of feeling a second opinion is not needed, I don't think I'm going to be able to add much that is helpful. You probably already know, the majority of the time this is caused by airsaculitis or some kind of injury to one or more air sac. If it's an injury, only time is going to heal it. If it is the airsaculitis, perhaps he has built a resistance to all, or most of the antibiotics that have been tried. Only the vet will know if he has exhausted all the possibles that are safe for him. I wonder if they are truly working themselves out or if by any chance he is removing them himself. If it's possible, it's always best to have them as high up on the back of the neck as possible so the bird can't reach them. If he can get at them, a temporary use of an E collar may stop it. I really hate it when a bird has to wear a collar but sometimes we just can't avoid it. If they are truly working themselves out, then either there may be some problem in how they are being anchored or the poor guy's tissue is just not holding them. I know you feel confident with your vet but at the same time, when something is just not working out, two heads can be better than one. Every good avian vet I have ever worked with had no problem at all trying at least, a phone consult with some others to see if there is anything new they can try. If there is any chance you are near a university that has a vet school attached, that can be an excellent source for the most cutting edge approach to almost any issue. Another thing I wanted to mention to you that has nothing to do directly with the stent problem but if he has been on the long term antibiotic treatments, I hope the vet has discussed the use of pro biotics with you to prevent yeast infection. That is almost always the down side of antibiotics. If his beneficial gut flora is not replaced, he will get a yeast infection. That can cause a lot of itching and discomfort on his skin, which just might be contributing to him trying to go after the stents. He might not even be going after them directly but if he is itchy and uncomfortable and tries to relieve it by scratching, plucking, picking or just rubbing, that may be part of the difficulty of keeping them in place. If they are definitely working out, with no help from him at all, he is going to hate it but you may have to really restrict his activities, flying included if he is flighted. I'm so sorry I don't have more to add to this for you but for the most part, it sounds like you vet has it covered, short of getting another opinion. I sure hope you will be able to get it handled for him, soon and once and for all. Poor fella must be miserable. Please let me know if you have any more questions that I might be able to help with. I'll sure do anything I can for you. Patricia