Thanks to the Santa Ana winds, we’ve been having some really warm days lately. Temperatures all week in the low to mid-90’s F. Jen decided to put the water dish out on Thursday afternoon so our cockatiels could take baths. Afterward, she noticed that one of birds, her name is Little One, had an unusual growth on her upper chest. I called our avian vet and made an appointment for Friday. We weren’t sure what to expect, as none of our birds had ever had an illness like this before.
On Friday afternoon, we drove to the vet’s office, bird carrier and cockatiel in tow. The vet gave Little One the standard exam and also checked out the growth. He said that the growth is most likely some kind of tumor. He was unsure as to whether the tumor is malignant or benign. He said we could go straight to surgery, and have the tumor removed. Or he could do a needle aspiration of the tumor, to try and learn more about it. Little One is 16 years old. She’s pretty old for a cockatiel. We decided to not go for surgery right away, as the risk is high for her due to her age. The vet performed a needle aspiration and drew some blood, putting her under with some mild sedation. She rebounded from that just fine, but unfortunately, the vet wants her to come in next week for another aspiration, as he feels it’d be better for her to be tested after 12 hours of fasting. This means that we won’t know anything further about the tumor until late next week. Furthermore, the vet said that the aspiration test could come up inconclusive.
Little One on Jen’s shoulder, at the vet’s office.
Fortunately, the tumor doesn’t seem to be bothering the bird. She’s acting normal, eating normal, isn’t in pain, etc. But it’s still a bit nerve-racking, having to wait almost a week before we may know anything. One thing’s for sure, Little One is a fighter, and she’ll get through this the best she can.
