We brought Oboe home from the hospital last night. There hadn’t been any improvement since Friday, but no deterioration either. Poor little guy. Life’s tough right now. But so is Oboe; he’s a feisty little bird. (Although you wouldn’t know it to look at him right now. His personality has been seriously deflated.)
He was all fed and medicated when we picked him up, so he went straight to bed when we got home. I put a heating pad in his house, and I moved everything down so he could access it from the floor – food dish, water dish, perches, toys, his little Timothy’s Coffee cardboard box house. But he hopped in and climbed to the highest place in his cage, because that’s where birds feel most secure.
Speaking of feeling secure, Duncan was called away on a business trip for a few days. There was a mousing emergency at GC’s house. The timing was excellent, since I’m sure Oboe would rather not see Duncan’s big face while he’s in such a vulnerable state.
He can’t fly, his breathing is laboured, he’s weak, and he has no appetite so he has to be hand fed. And by hand fed, I mean practically force-fed with a syringe. He hates it. He doesn’t want to eat and he doesn’t want to take his meds. I don’t like forcing him to submit, but he’ll die if I don’t, so I do. It’s still pretty touch-and-go. If he loses more than 10% of his body weight, we’re in serious trouble. He’s lost exactly 10% since this happened – he’s down to 50 grams from 55.
But this afternoon I decided to take him out for a cuddle and see if I could coax him to eat some of the food in his dish. (I make them all breakfast every morning, and I served Oboe as usual, even though he’s being hand-fed.) I took his bowl out of his cage and discovered he’d been eating! He’d eaten a few sunflower seeds, and part of an almond, and maybe some walnut crumbs. He didn’t eat his apple, zucchini, birdie bread, carrot or kale, but I was thrilled that he’d eaten something.
Simon the Grey is happy to have Oboe home again. This morning I was cuddling Oboe on the couch and Simon flew over to check him out. They kissed, and then Simon put his head down, which is how he asks Oboe to groom him. Oboe didn’t have the energy to groom him (it’s a big job, since Simon is so much bigger), but he did lay his head on Simon’s head for a few moments. It was very touching.
In other news, my cholesterol is way too high, GC and I are making a quilt together, and Rosie’s head over heels in love with my boyfriend.
Oboe owes you a card and flowers come Mothers day!!
Ohh that Simon loves his little pesky friend made me cry! I’m sending him love!
I think that things sound like they are on the mend. I agree with Mudmama…and Sassy.
Maybe there is something in this Bird love thing…
This is such good news. I never thought of birds as being affectionate. I will admit to an unreasonable fear of them, maybe it’s because they can fly around my head. I have no idea where it comes from.
I just started taking a concentrated fish oil (Lovaza) for my sky high cholesterol. It’s been interesting.
I’ve had to give medication using a syringe to my cockatiels and a technique that works for me might make Oboe a little less stressed. I’ve found that my birds will back up and open their beak to protest when they see the syringe so what I’ve done is put my hand behind them so they can’t back up farther, and when they open their beak to protest, I squirt what’s in the syringe into them. They just look a little surprised when it happens. You need to be quick and have a bit of hand – eye coordination, but it sure beats having to grab them to hand feed or medicate them.
I’m so glad to read that Oboe is back at home. Wishing him a speedy recovery!