Oh nooooo....vet just called....Simon is REALLY REALLY sick! He thinks he may have heavy metal poisoning, but no idea why or how he got that. He has no new toys, hasn't been into anything at all....he might not make it. I'm just sick with worry now. I can't imagine what he got into. They have him on antibiotics for any secondary infection, some sort of medication for the metal poisoning, but they won't really know for sure till a test gets back from a lab on Monday. The doc said something about having done some xray that showed some sort of blockage that is common in metal poisoning, but I didn't really understand what he was saying because at that point I think I was just in shock. What on earth could he have gotten into that would cause such a thing??? Please if anyone has any idea, let me know because I am totally stumped.

Oh, poor Simon! I do hope they can help him. I'll keep him in my prayers and please keep us updated. Will he be able to come home for the weekend or do they have to keep him there?

Oh no, I'm so sorry! Joni (Frankie's Mom) had a Quaker with metal poisoning I believe, you may what you talk with her...

Sending some positive, healing vibes Simon's way! *Hugs*

Oh gosh I am so sorry to hear this!! Sending healing prayers! Here's a couple links I found about it
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww64ev.htm

http://hubpages.com/hub/Parrots-and-Metal-Poisoning

If you live in an older home, it can come from Lead Paint. Zinc can be in curtain weights.
You can go to a couple of sites http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/er/poisoning.html and http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/er/poisoning.htmland http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/metals.htm Also google "heavy metal poisoning in birds" which you may have already done. I can't believe all the things that you would not even think of that are toxic to these guys. Good Luck.
I will be praying for Simon. Hopefully he will have a good outcome. It's hard not to worry.
Take Care -----Nancy

Casey's mom...I sent Joni a pm...hoping to hear from her soon. Did her bird survive? Von and Nancy...thank you for the links. I've been googling this and reading stuff since speaking with the vet...but am still stumped. We did just recently moved into an older home, but it has been repainted, and so I can't imagine that it would be the paint. Not only that, but Simon is never out and about unsupervised. My hubby or I one are home most of the day, and he stays either on his playtop, or on his parrot stand...or on us...lol. I did read that in older homes the water can be contaminated with lead...so my hubby is off to Home Depot now to get a testing kit...but other than that, I can't imagine what it is. Now I'm worried about my other bird Pogo as well, cuz he is the one who gets into everything (like a typical caique). His cage is powder coated, we do have the quick links that attach most of their toys to, but they are the same one's we've had for almost a year now...could it be that??? I'm just beside myself.

Thanks for your prayers and support....I will be a nervous wreck tonight and cannot stop thinking of my poor baby there at the vet thinking we just left him there and being so ill. All I can say is that I am so so glad that I took him right to the vet because this just started Wednesday evening, and I really wasn't even sure that he was ill...just knew that he was not himself. I always worry when there is the slightest change in my fids behavior, because I know that birds do their best to hide illness...so I'm always on the watch. I am terrified to see what my vet bill is going to be after this...so darned expensive everytime we go, and who knows how long he will have to stay. I may be out taking a title loan on my car or something when I hear the total...but who cares, as long as my baby makes it, I will be out on the street begging if need be!! (just kidding...but not looking forward to this bill)

I will keep Simon in my prayers tonight. Poor baby!

Prayers coming from across the miles ..I am so sorry you are going through tis , my JJ passed away after 3 months of treatment he succumed to a secondary infection after treatment for metal poisoning due to his immune system being so weak ..its a terriblke thing..we fought so very hard ..I hope Simon has a better outcome ..
I no longer buy any toys with metal only stainless steel ..even bird toys are not advisable I don`t know why they are alowed to make/sell them ..
The links below will give you lists of items that may be dangerous in regards to metal poisoning..Hugs and best wishes for you and your little green man.. ((HUGS)))

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/metals.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiii.htm

http://www.avianweb.com/heavymetalpoisoningbirds.HTML

Majj, I read those pages that you had posted to the person with the bird having seizures. Are the quick links that are on parrot toys made of zinc???? How can they sell those if that is the case? How do you know if they are zinc or stainless steel? Should I replace them all, and if so, what do I use? He has had toys like this since getting him almost a year ago, would it take that long to happen? I'm so sorry about your J.J. How long had he been ill when you first took him to the vet? My vet said that he has Simon on antibiotics for a secondary infection just in case, but he's only been like this since Wednesday afternoon/early evening. Tuesday he was fine...his normal self. The only difference in him at all has been that he was lethargic...sleeping more than usual, and I did notice some runny poop this morning. Do you know how J.J. got metal poisoning? I'm now terrified that my caique is going to get ill as well because we had a change jar on the dresser where the parrot stand is, and 2 weeks ago he was getting coins out of it...now I read that older pennies can be poisonous, and it has me scared for him as well. (but no signs of illness at all from him) I know Simon didn't get into that because he NEVER ventures off the stand like Pogo does, so I'm just stumped as to how he has gotten this. I just feel horrible for him, and guilty that something I neglected to notice could have made him so ill.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Right now I'm not sure I'd know what to do without this forum. I've been glued to the site since hearing from my vet.

Check and see if your vet takes Care Credit. You can pay over 3 months to 12 months depending which one they will take, with no interest. You need to go online to http://www.carecredit.com/ It is actually a credit card, and you can apply online. They will ok you at that time, and give you a cc#. You can also check if your clinic takes it online. Maybe you will get lucky and your clinic will be on there. The minimum is 3 months with no interest. Some clinics go only 3 months because they pay less, where they can pay about 10% for 12 months. It is to their advantage though, because they don't have to carry a payment plan for clients who may have a large bill, and don't have credit cards. If you are a good client, your clinic does not want to lose you.

Oh wow Twiglet...it's THERE!! Going to apply right now and thank you so much!

You are very welcome. Anything to help my bird loving, pet loving friends.

Oh my gosh that is awful.I will say some prayers for Simon.

Ooh poor Simon, I just saw this... I unfortunately can't help I have no experience with this, but I'll keep him in my thoughts poor birdie, sending hugs, hope he gets better real soon!

Simon is in my thoughts and prayers tonight. Sorry to read about this. Im rootint that Simon will pull through.

slic, i'm sorry to hear simon is so ill. how stressful this must be for the whole family. i'll be keeping him in my thoughts until we get word of his prognosis.

as far as metals, i think that you can tell if something is SS by trying to get a magnet on it. magnets won't stick to SS. here's a good source about metals for birds, if you haven't already found it.

click here

good luck to you and simon.

kris

Poor Simon.I'm so sorry-I pray he will make a full recovery. I will pray for him.Hugs....

Keeping Simon and your family in my thoughts and prayers. I'll be thinking positive. Hang in there. I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you. God bless.

Thanks for the prayers and support...keep em coming. My last talk the vet he was said to be "acutely ill" So I'm afraid he's not going to make it thru the night. Can't sleep either...just pacing the floors wondering how he is doing and praying he's still hanging in. You guys are awesome...can't thank you enough for the prayers, nice words, and encouragment..plus the links. I'm really thinking now that this house we just moved into has lead in the pipes, because my husband and I have also been rather ill the past couple of weeks. We haven't found a place that has the water testing kit yet, but will look again tomorrow. Until then, we have bottled water for us and the fids.

Sending special prayers for Simon..

I am so sorry Simon is ill....he is in my prayers.

I want to add and this is for everyone.... Feeding your birds Pumpkin, Fresh or canned and Sweet potatoes can help some, if not at least slow it and help aid the ridding process of heavy metal poisoning. Pumpkin and Sweet potatoes are high high fiber foods that will bind things that are in the crop, and gut and help get them out, if they are not suppose to be there. This advise came from my Vet. It won't stop them from getting it, but can be a life saver. When I had x rays done on Booger they came back with spotties in gut, crop and gizzard. I was instructed to feed pumpkin, remove all chains from toys that are in the cage and see the vet again in a month. In just a month the follow up x ray showed nothing. This prevented Booger from having to go through the horrible process of having Chelation therapy I don't mean to sound blunt as I know you don't know what caused this, and it could have been anything. Heavy metal poisoning doesn't just happen over night, it developes slowly over weeks, and sometimes months and even years.

Let's say a bird plays with a certain toy all the time and it's a new toy. Let's also say the bird gets sick 1 month after getting the toy. Well since he played with it all the time, and had it in his mouth as much as possible he developed it a little quicker then our next fellow.

Let's say Mommy thought it would be a great idea to give her Goffin Cockatoo, old Car keys to play with since he was facinated with the sounds. He didn't play with them much, not even every day. Once and a while he would go over to them and jingle them and be done. He used them to get Mommy's attention. It took 3 years before they knew the Cockatoo was even sick and a necropsy to find out what was wrong since the keys had been there for as long as the bird had almost. (Keys carry more metal for poisoning - Lead, Zinc, and one more I can't think right now) The chains only carried the one I can't think of right now, but I am thinking Nickel.

I hope this helps everyone understand something about metal poisoning. It's not the whole story but that is why I inserted a link.

For the person going through this right now, Please accept my sincerest compassion.

ok i just tried the magnet thing on stuff i know is stainless steel and it still stuck to it not as stongly as some of the other metal items in our house but it did still stick so what does this mean

it is one of those stainless steel dishes


also i am soo sorry to hear about simon i hope he gets better soon

Im just reading this! Oh My Im so sorry well were
praying for yout little buddy! Bless you and him
I know you are beside yourself! Stay calm and pray for him!!

I'm so sorry about Simon being so ill. I know how scared you must be and probably won't be getting much sleep tonight. I said a prayer for him immediately.

I had no idea about the pumpkin thing but had heard sweet potatoes bind to the metal well. Also carrot juice is an awesome chelator. Another thing is peanut butter. I was told a couple years ago that if you give your bird peanut butter every once in a while it will help clear out the metals he may have ingested, but it's nice to know about the other more healthier things. I know my grey Tobias absolutely loves fresh cooked pie pumpkin.

I just had an incident a few weeks ago where my quaker impaled himself through his mouth with a quick link so have removed them all and am now using those plastic zip ties you can get at the dollar store. This may be an option for you if Simon is chewing on his quick links.

Prayers will continue

Sorry to hear about Simon.
Our thoughts and hugs are there for you.

Sorry, I dont have any more to add to the cause/reason search.

Tricia

Saying a prayer for you and Simon.

Well, prayers must be working. I haven't spoken with the vet because he was already in an appointment at 8, but the techs said that he seems a bit better this morning, has had his meds, and thank god he made it thru the night. The vet is going to call me as soon as he can, and I will know more then. I have been sitting here waiting for it to be 8:00 (when they open) since 6:00 am...lol...and I can't even tell you how long it's been since I was up at 6:00 on a weekend!!

well i've not tried the magnet thing myself, to be honest, only read about it on numerous bird sites. it's a quick test to see if something could be considered safe - if you get a strong magnetic response, that's a red flag? i dunno, sorry.

i'm thrilled to hear simon is still kicking. definitely keeping all of you in my thoughts, and definitely gonna give my boys some extra special loving today.

i just thought of something: call your local health department and see if they have lead testing kits, or if you could get them to test your water. the health dept i work for has kits for testing things for lead, and will do water testing of some sort. worth a shot, right?

kris

Kris,
Thanks for that suggestion. My hubby went to 3 different diy stores last night looking for a kit like that and could not find one. Home Depot said they were out of stock...both locations he went to, but I'd not thought of the health dept. If we don't find one this weekend I will def. try that. In the meantime, we have switched Pogo to bottled water, and pray that he won't get sick as well.

Anxiously waiting for good news. I can relate to waiting for the vet clinic to open.
You can buy spring water in gallon bottles very cheaply @ Walmart $.80. I give that to my bird. I have well water, and it makes me nervous to give it to my bird. I also have a distiller (not a distillery , but that would be cool)in my basement that goes to my fridge, so my icewater and cubes don't taste ishy. I use that sometimes too.

Praying hard for Simon.

Nancy

Checking in on Simon today. Glad to hear he was doing better this morning. I'm continuing my prayers for him

Checking in on Simon today. Glad to hear he was doing better this morning. I'm continuing my prayers for him

Sending hugs for you and Simon and I do hope that he will be healthy again soon.

After reading all that I took all the metals from Dracek cage and decided to give him bottled water only (we live in an old house and I have no idea what the pipes are made of). Better safe than sorry

Any more news ????
Fingers still crossed.

Tricia

Checking in to see how the little guy is holding up.. (HUGS) and prayers still coming your way from me..

I'm so glad he made it through the night! I hope he continues to improve!

Thanks everyone! Sorry I am just now posting another update...today was my mom's 91st bday so I've been there today, and then we had to take some baby pigeons to the wildlife center...lol...got some really funny pics I'll post a bit later. Anyway, the vet called me about 1:00 and said that Simon was holding his own but pretty much the same as he was yesterday, but he did say that it usually takes between 24 and 48 hours to see an improvement. He is keeping him there for the rest of the weekend, and said that he goes in on Sunday to check the animals in the hospital so he will call me after he sees him tomorrow. He actually does NOT think that it's the water because he said that it was a sudden accute thing, and that the water would have taken much longer to build up in his system if there was a problem with it...so I'm back to square 1 trying to figure out what the heck he got into. I honestly have no idea because he's not like my caique, who can't be left alone for 10 seconds when out of his cage. He RARELY comes off his playtop onto the floor, and he is pretty wary of anything new, so I just cannot imagine what he ate to cause this. Needless to say, I'm watching Pogo like a hawk to make sure he's ok, and hasn't gotten into the same thing Simon did, but he's his normal crazy self.

I can't tell you all how much your prayers and thoughts mean to me...this has not been easy at all!

Hang in there! We'll keep the prayers comin'!

Well, I am reading along and praying with all the rest. I'll be back often for updates and continue prayers til you little guy is out of the woods!
HUGS

I was just reading this and my heart go's out to you and Simon. Hugs and prayers to you both.

Any news about Simon. I am so hoping that he pulls out of this. Am thinking about you.
Did you get your Care Credit? Probably everyone on this board should know about it. You can use it for your own doctor and dentist bills also, if they take it.
Nancy

just checking to see if you had talked with the vet yet today. continued good thoughts coming your way.

kris

Still praying for Simon to pull through ..I hope he is improving (hugs)..

Just checking in for an update on Simon.
Any news ????

Tricia

The vet called me about 2 hours ago and said that Simon seems a bit better today. They had been having to feed him by putting the syringe into his crop and filling it, but today he ate from the syringe and they didn't have to force him. He also said that he seems a bit more alert today. The vet said he was "cautiously hopeful for a full recovery" but also that he's not out of the woods yet. They actually won't even know for 100% sure that it is metal poisoning until tomorrow or Tuesday, when they get the lab results from Baton Rouge. He said to call him in the morning, and he will be able to tell me if Simon can come home tomorrow or not. FINGERS CROSSED!!! I miss the little guy SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! It's just way too quiet around here without him. I must have been dreaming this morning because I could have sworn that I heard him chirping at about 6:00 am this morning. Woke up out of a dead sleep almost in a panic!! Pogo (caique) makes a few sounds, but he is nothing like Simon, and I sure miss the "hello" I get whenever I walk into the kitchen or living room. Since we moved, I had not gotten around to setting up his outside cage, mainly because I really don't have a good covered area for it, but today I went to a garage sale, and found a canopy thing that is perfect for outside my back door, so I've set it up today, cleaned his outside cage really good, and it's all there waiting for him! He will be so excited because I know he's missed being outdoors some during the day. That's where he does all his best practice talking!!

Thanks again for all your prayers and good wishes...it's helped SO much!

YEAHHHHH SIMON! You show 'em, big guy!

Jen

Didn`t they do Xrays ..??? if bits of metal are inside you can see them like little speckles...
My vet also crop feed JJ large amounts of peanut butter this gets the metal to stick to it and can be a good way to draw it from the body..(it gets stuck in the gullet because its heavy and continues to poison them slowly need to be removed...
He also have daily injections for 10 days which your vet should be doing if its metal poisoning...
Good luck ..and if he is on antibiotics he should also be on an anti fungal (Nylstat) to prevent a yeast infection which can occur when fids are on anitbiotics...
Glad he is showing some improvement...

I'm so happy to hear that Simon is a bit better---I haven't been posting, but reading and praying for the little guy...and my prayers continue for little Simon..

Come On Simon--- you can do it........

Oh, forgot to answer your question Nancy. I have not done the online app yet because I'm still not sure how much it's going to be. So far we are up to almost 600.00, and I almost went ahead and did it for that amount, but not knowing if he will be coming home tomorrow or might have to stay several more days just thought I'd wait and do it for the full amount so we can still have a Christmas..lol!

Awe, I'm glad to hear Simon is continuing to do better. That's really a good sign. You had me in tears talking about him and how you got his canopy and cage ready for when he gets back. I think it's easy for us all to picture ourselves in your situation and I hope you know we do really care about Simon.
Continued prayers comming his way!