Abstract
Dear Sir/Madam:
On February 3, 1985, I purchased a 7 week old yellow nape Amazon from a very reputable pet store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although I have owned a Blue and gold macaw, an African grey, a Double yellow head, and a cockatoo, I've never owned or raised a baby bird.
I proudly took my "baby" home, named her Cleopatra, and gave her the care as I would have a child. I followed all the instructions of the pet store, heating only the formula that I would be using at one feeding and keeping the remainder refrigerated, changing the paper in the aquarium morning and night, feeding her twice a day at the exact same time each day, keeping her isolated from my other birds, and washing my hands before and after handling. I took more pictures of her than I did my own daughter, planning to make a scrapbook of her "childhood." I took her to a veterinarian in Milwaukee for a checkup, found her to have a bacterial infection and she was given an injection daily for five days. The infection was cleared up on March 30, 1985 with Cleopatra weighing 424.7 grams.
As the weeks went on, she got bigger, grew her feathers, and became a major part of my life. She was the center of my attention. We'd play for hours; we'd ''snuggle'' and take naps together. I would put a satin sheet on the couch, so in the afternoon sometimes she could take a nap in style! She'd climb two flights of stairs, just so she could be with me. I loved her so very much ....
The only problem I ever had with her was trying to get her to eat on her own. All the suggestions the pet store gave me, such as putting seed in a dish in her cage, soaked monkey chow in another dish, handfeeding her bits of food, just didn't work. She would only eat from her bottle, only when I fed her. At this point in time, she was 17 weeks old. I called my regular vet for other suggestions. He was out sick and the receptionist referred me to another vet at another clinic. I telephoned him on April 16, 1985 and explained the situation. He told me that I was overfeeding her for her age, that I had obviously spoiled her rotten and if I didn't give her an incentive to eat on her own, she never would, and I'd have serious problems with her the rest of my life. He told me to immediately start feeding her once a day until she was full, and the "rest of the time she's on her own'.' He also advised me to leave Lafeber pellets in her cage, which I did. He said I was to "ignore her cries of hunger'.' After the first seven days, I was then to only feed her until she was half full, once a day, and by the end of that time she should be fully weaned. He assured me she wouldn't die of starvation, when I expressed a concern eluding to such.
On April 22nd, I called him again because she refused to even nibble at the pellets left in her cage, and took her in to be checked. He weighed her (334 grams), said she was a "little underweight, not bad'.' This is the ONLY thing that was done. (He did not know what her previous weight was on 3/30, and at the time neither did I.) At that time I also informed him that she slept alot (which she never did before), that she drank an excessive amount of water (approximately one half dish per day), and that she had regurgitated her food, a small amount, on two occasions. He told me she was spoiled and felt "there was nothing wrong with her'.' I reiterated to him again that this bird meant as much to me as my daughter did, and I wanted nothing to happen to her. I told him if he felt there was the slightest, remotest, possible chance that there was something wrong with her, test her, x-ray her, take blood tests, whatever it takes. He insisted she was ''spoiled;' and gave me a different formula to give her. (The formula was 3 parts Lefeber pellets, 1 part monkey chow, 1 part honey, and water to mix.)
The following day, April 23rd, I called him again because her stool looked like' 'black tar'.' He didn't feel it was a problem and thought there would be improvement by Friday. He said if there wasn't, to call back. On Thursday, April 25th, I called my regular clinic again, found my regular vet had returned, and took Cleopatra in.
She weighed 308.4 grams, and they kept her there at the hospital. The doctor ran tests, found a bacterial infection, and treated her with Amikacin. Improvement was only seen in the gram negative infection after switching to trimethoprim/sulfa. He ran blood tests, did gram stains approximately twice a day, x-rayed her, and tube fed her five times per day. He came in on his day off; he came in at 10:30 p.m. to feed her-he tried so hard. She continued to regurgitate her food and lose weight. I would go and visit her at night, taking her out of the incubator, holding her, talking to her, petting her. I'd stay there for hours, trying to breathe life into her little, frail body. She had to live, she just had to. I needed her so much. She would seem to get a little better, and then take a turn for the worse. Everyone at the clinic was hoping for her, everyone prayed for her.
On May 3, 1985, weighing 284 grams, at 8:30 a.m. she died. A post mortem exam was done and the cause of death was listed as starvation and kidney Jailure. Her right kidney was enlarged twice the normal size and her left kidney three times the normal size. A pathologist's report showed her kidneys were so grossly enlarged due to the bacterial infection, not a congenital defect. The rest of the vital organs were normal, as were her air sacs and crop.
Although she had an infection, which she responded to when finally treated for, could she have fought it off, had she not been suffering from malnutrition? Did she not want to eat on her own because she was "spoiled" or sick? Why did the second vet not know from looking at her and feeling her breastbone (which was protruding) that she was severely underweight? What is the correct procedure for weaning a baby, so the result isn't death and starvation? Should Cleopatra have been checked before even beginning the weaning process? What can I do now? I would sincerely appreciate an answer to these questions, your opinion and/or any advice that you or your readers could possibly offer, either publicly or by private response.
The death of my little pride and joy still tears at the very core of my soul. The reason she died gnaws at my guts.
Thanking you, sincerely, in advance
for your attention and cooperation.
Respectfully, Janice L. Giles
Mt. Prospect, Illinois