08/04/2026
Little bit of a tougher read today but worth it in the end!
Regarding elderly birds and their complications- we often end up with many, many senior parrots because people have gotten too old to handle them, family is unable to take the birds after their owners pass away or become incapable, and then the birds end up with us. Many of these birds have complex health issues, may even be dying, and I'm sure most rescues across the US face the same concern. There are some birds we only have for a couple months before they pass away! Early this year we took in a surrender of the most lovely little Quaker. We knew she was so old but did not know her age exactly. She was with us for less than a month before she passed away peacefully in her sleep. The day before, I took her outside and we spent a lot of time sitting in the grass and I sung songs to her. Casey can agree when I say we feel every single loss and cry for each bird, no matter how long they've been with us.
Some of you may remember Sunshine, our ancient Scarlet Macaw (63-68 years old). He arrived with us at the end of 2023 just around Christmas. He was one of the worst looking birds that I've ever seen in my life... A horrific beak deformity, rail thin, suffering from malnutrition, missing half a wing, femur break, nearly blind, it just goes on. He's been one of the most complicated birds but so incredibly resilient. By all means we have had birds that required more intensive ongoing care- Sunshine required more up front.
Fast forward 3 years, our wonderful Casey found Sunshine in an unusual state on Thursday morning, his head flopped to one side and left foot balled into a fist. I was already on my way in and after examining him for quite a while, it turned out he had nystagmus as well and was definitely presenting with neurological impairment. Dr Snyder at Whitehaven was able to see him within only a few hours of calling! He remained stable through the day, she prescribed meds, and did Bloodwork which didn't look awful. There's certainly an inflammatory process happening and we will need to do some follow ups and weigh the risk of further diagnostics (sedated scans) to determine what precisely is occuring. The most likely cause, as I understand, is a stroke. It was my first thought having seen many strokes in different species, but they all present differently. There are some Bloodwork markers that may indicate a vascular event.
Our bill was about $300 this time, and thanks to DDAF is fully covered by our grant from 2025.
For now, we are mostly focused on keeping Sunshine calm, comfortable, and well fed/hydrated. There is something very unsettling about the feeling that you can't do very much but wait, watch, and trust that the bird in front of you has been fighting for a long time and will continue to do so. It's so easy to want to hold control of every single situation but rescue will prove time and time again that really... There is no control to be had over any of these birds. They are wild animals (not domesticated) and we can do every single thing medically and physically to make them free and comfortable, but their healing is up to them. And trust me, they ARE some tough little critters :) we are blessed to work with them every day, bring those we can to a healthier state, and have a good support system like you all. Thanks for sticking by us, always.
