Fatty liver disease is something that is often seen in a bird on a seed only or predominantly seed diet. No matter how much the manufacturer insists they are fortified and healthy, they are misleading all of us. They have nothing to lose if we lose our companion. Lawsuits are rarely instigated and the most they'd be liable for is the market cost of the bird. Pets are considered little more than a piece of property.
There may also be a tumor on the kidney which will not appear on the outside of the body, but other symptoms such as limping, the loss of use of a leg (or both) and/or imbalance might occur. This happens when the tumor presses on certain nerves.
Renal Adenocarcinoma may invade the ischiatic nerves and constrict them, causing (disuse) atrophy of one or both legs.
Tumors can also be in a male’s testes or female’s ovaries and there are not always obvious changes until later on when the growth is more dominant inside.
Vitamin A deficiencies which may occur when the bird is on a high fat (mostly seed) diet.
Vitamin A deficiency (hypovitaminosis A) may lead to respiratory problems in birds which present as a blunting of the little projections (papilla) around the opening of the roof of the mouth. Also, granulomas in the mouth (little abscesses) are often seen. A bird existing on an all seed diet has a higher instance of vitamin A deficiency and many times, treatment of the problems outlined here involves simply improving the diet. Of course, getting the bird to cooperate may be another problem altogether.
In some cases, depending on the professional opinion of the veterinarian examining the extent of this deficiency, injectable and/or oral vitamin A may be advised.
Providing a sleeping cage is also something I find indicative of you going the extra mile for him. You might want to increase his sleep time to 12 hours. If you normally get up at 7 a.m. for example, putting him to bed around 7 p.m. is a good idea.
For right now, while he's losing his balance, you should lower the perches and put several layers of newspaper or even non-looped towels at the bottom. Sure, it's a lot of laundry, but hopefully it won't be necessary for long as I'm confident he can be treated.
The reason I avoid using bath or other terrycloth towels is because a toenail caught in one of these little looped surfaces can cause a struggle and resulting injury.
Find an avian vet near you http://aav.org/vet-lookup and
http://veccs.org/hospital_directory.php
These days, with birds growing fast in popularity as in home companions, many DVM’s are quite experienced and able to see and treat many birds.
If you have a pet store that sells birds or know of any bird breeders – ask them who they use for their bird care.
To be sure the vet is a good one, make sure you’re there for the exam. This should include hands on, feeling the chest area, peering into the mouth with a well placed flashlight and lifting the tail feathers to examine the vent.
This exam should also include any one or more of the following: Blood tests, gram stains/cultures, x-rays, even oral/crop/tracheal swabs and so on.
If the examining vet doesn’t perform a hands on exam, or worse, leaves your bird in their cage or carrier, leave immediately. This is not the vet for you or your bird.
Hopefully you've got another 40 years to spend together.
Please let me know how it goes ok?
Certified Avian Specialist
Cert. Avian Specialist; Int. Assoc.Animal Behavior Consult; Pet Ind. Joint Advisory Council; author