30g weight loss, diarrhea, no appetite, refusing water, wheezing, weakness, African Grey, Probably about a week of minor

I appreciate you reaching out to us for assistance. I’m so sorry it looks like you've had a bit of a wait but I'd like to help you if I can. I understand Kiko is wheezing, weak, and not eating. I have some questions I will ask below that will help me to understand what could be going on with him.

Please be aware I am a licensed veterinarian, but I am not your pet’s veterinarian and cannot examine your pet, so I cannot legally provide you with any specific veterinary medical advice such as diagnosis or prescribing medication. However, I can generally speak to help you understand resources that may help you and advise you to seek medical attention.

Is Kiko your only bird, and what do you normally feed him?

Is he laboring to breathe?

Do you hear the wheezing with every single breath?

I'm glad.

Is his keel less sharp now?

Oh goodness. What are you seeing that looks like a seizure? That's upsetting I'm sure.

How long do those last and how long does it take to get back to normal? This is very worrisome of this is happening especially repeatedly.

Is he remaining perched?

Do you have a way to tell if anything seems stiff or rigid like his limbs?

The leaning to the right is new?

If these are seizures, which they might be, then you will want some blood work pretty quickly. I'm also worried if he's not eating much. Do you think you're able to put some water in with his oatmeal mix?

In between these episodes he's still got his left eye closed and leaning to the right?

Ah, ok. I'm worried about this behavior. Bird seizures look different then what we would expect in a dog or cat, but I think you might be right. Have you ever taken him to a vet? It would probably be a good idea for him to have blood work.

www.aav.org

It's very helpful to find a vet for birds on this website and you can specify the distance you'd be willing to travel. If you would like I could put your ZIP code in and see what comes up, but I would need your ZIP code.

He eats pellets and fresh food so I would doubt he has a nutritional deficiency.

I'm not sure about any of that. Is that supposed to be safe for birds because we would worry about metal toxicity and birds but I'm not sure if that's a way to transmit it or not.

You're welcome. Is there anything else I can do in terms of helping you find a clinic? Or do you think you'll just get in line with the vet who's less available? I'm sorry you're in that situation.

Plenty of TLC and a nice warm environment is always the recommendation for a bird who's not feeling well but hopefully you'll be able to get medical attention for him. I am sure glad he's eating. I hope I was able to answer your question. I sure wish you all the best with Kiko. As I mentioned I am available if you have any follow-up questions for the next few days. If you would like to ask me another question in the future, you can add me as a favorite Expert. You'll have the option to do that on your "My Questions" page if you choose to rate our interaction or you can request me by name if you wish, again my name is*****

Thanks for reaching out to us here at Just Answer.

Dr. Nicki

Not all vets can do a thorough exam on a bird and draw blood which is I think what he needs.

Some vets have a comfort with minor things but not with true illness.

Usually that's not treated injectably for the whole course.

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injectably

I agree.