Eric & Twillinger

* Here is  photo I took of "Eric". He looks cute but he is a major trouble-maker.

Five months ago when I went to the dentist, I came back with not only a tooth-brush but a budgie (parakeet)

The hygienist had this budgie as a pet but since she had a new baby she  no longer had the time to give to the bird so he ended up with me.
 I figured since Smitty had recently passed away Twillinger would be happy to have a"new friend".
 Eric" had been caged up his whole life so this new found freedom of having out-of-cage time was new and exciting for him.
He grew stronger and unfortunately, more aggressive.
 He started to beat up his chubby cage-mate Twillinger.
Eric also delighted in buzzing and challenging the male cockatiels as well. He would relentlessly get in both Linus and Patches faces aggravating the crap out of them. I would hear squabbling and screaming. They would chase him away but he would come right back at them.
I ended up having to take Twillinger to the vet. (oh yes, another expense) She had something going on. The vet suspected she had broken egg in her abdomen due to possibly Eric's aggressive advances. She is on medicine and rest by herself, but he seeks her out to bully her around. He even managed to squeeze through the bars of a cage to get at her. I heard her scream and promptly kicked him out.
Honestly you would never believe such a tiny little bird could be so much trouble!

frankenpigeon part 3

Well I just picked up all the meds we will try on Craow Dum in a last ditch effort. I had to go to three different places to get the meds since some of them were special ordered and compounded.
1) Metacam 100ml
.01ml given twice a day for three days and once a day for 14 days .
This is a standard anti-inflammatory liquid "aspirin' like med that I picked up at the vet office.
2) flucanozole 10mg/ml
.3ml twice a day for 30 days
This is an anti-fungal med that I had to get at CVS. This stuff was wicked expensive.
3) tinidazole 100mg/ml 3 ml
.08ml twice a day for 30 days
This is an specialized anti-protozoa med similar to metronnidazole that is commonly used but stronger.
I had to special order this one as well as the other meds following this at a specialty compounding drug store.
4)clindamycin 100mg/ml 5 ml
.15ml twice a day for 30 days
Potent anti-bacterial geared for bone infection
5) levofloxacin 50mg/ml 2.5ml
.06ml twice a day for 30 days
Another strong anti-biotic. This was hard to find. this one is also unstable which means it degrades quickly so you can't store it for more than a week.
I just gave Craow Dum her first round of meds. She did OK so long as I went very slowly using the syringe from the compounding company. This caused a flood of snot to come out of her nose. I am guessing this is a good thing.
We shall see if this works as suggested from a lady who appeared to have the same issue with her pigeon.(as I wrote about on the past Frankenpigeon posts) I have been back and forth with corresponding to her about details. She suspected that her pigeon when she found him had circovirus although she never had him tested because all the treatment she had used on him did not work until she tried this 5 bang combination.
We shall see

crap TV

God, this season's TV shows really SUCK.
I saw an ad for a new show called "Animal Practice". I thought this would be a hit since it centered on a vet office rather than your usual cop or hospital dramas.Well, it turned out it's suppose to be a "comedy' with a resident monkey as the main character.
The show is a major disappointment.
It's not funny nor imaginative. When a monkey is the main star of the show then you know it's going to be stupid as hell.
I couldn't even sit through one of the shows because it was so lame.
It seems like most of the other shows are singing and dancing contests.
 It makes me cringe to think that so many people feel their" big dream" is to be 'a performer". It's a sad state of American values.
A few other shows center around so called  'cute' or precocious babies. BOOOOOOORRRRRRING!
I couldn't even stand to look at the commercial of the show "Ben & Kate".
Dude, go to a dentist and get your teeth fixed and buy some decent clothes other than those ugly ass plaid shirts while you are at it.
The so called comedies are stupid with 90% of their jokes involving sex stuff. No imagination with cheap shot jokes.
Last season, there was a really cool show on called "Terranova". It was a sci-fi drama involving dinosaurs and a new world. Hey, at least the guys were good looking and the girls were tough. That show ended unfortunately.It was fun, cool and imaginative.
So far, the only decent shows on your standard channels is "Shark tank" and "Grimm"".
"Grimm" is weird but imaginative.
"Shark Tank" is at least educational in what can make or break a business venture.
I'll watch some cable shows at my parent's house that is on the Discovery channel or on Animal Planet.
Those shows are worth watching.

All of politics is a bloodsport

I can't help while watching political ads and debates envisioning a scene from the movie "Bloodsport' or from "the Hunger Games" where two strangers are thrown into a arena to fight each other to the death-mostly for public entertainment .
 It's nasty.
And it's not mud slinging anymore it has stepped up to major shit slinging.
"Good Morning America" personality George Stephanopolis coined this phase 'all of politics is a blood sport".
And he ought to know.
He used to work for former governor (and former presidential contender) Micheal Dukakis. I can remember George as young guy following Governor Dukakis around like a Jack Russell when I interned at the State Houseas an aide in the 80's.
A few days ago, I turned on the vice presidential debate to watch.
 I didn't know much about Paul Ryan or too much about Joe Biden either , except for a few of his verbal gaffes . Regardless, I wanted to keep an open mind to see what each of them had to say.
Oh my God.
 I was cringing as I watched Joe Biden.
CRINGING.......
He reminded me of a creepy uncle or"family friend".
 You know the kind when you are 13 years old that rubs your back and thinks it is "all in good fun" to snap your bra strap? Ick
Shiver...
He is a f*cking creep.
With that obnoxious condescending smirk and those snotty dismissive remarks.
And this jerk is a heart-beat from the presidency!?!?
I tried listening to what he said but all that came out of his mouth was  bullsh*t and and excuses.
I watch the Brown and Warren senate debates as well. Warren is definitely fighting against the wrong guy.
Scott Brown, in my opinion, is what a politician should be.
 I label myself as a "Scott Brown Republican" because he is open minded and weighs issues out.
If Warren is so keen, as she pretends to be, for  "the little guy" then she should go up against Kerry instead.
OK folks, put on your rain-coats because it is only October and we have one more month of shit flinging.

Oh No! Another Mattie adventure!

*I found this photo on the internet. It looks just like that naughty little Jack Russell I walk!

The rain had stopped so I was looking forward to a nice long leisurely walk with Mattie.
I waited til she did her first poop before I called my cousin on my cell phone so I could pick the poop up and deposit it in the proper receptacle without a problem.
Famous last words.
No soon as I called my cousin, Mattie squatted down to drop another one. As I struggled to cradle the phone to my ear  to avoid dropping it and, at the same time, pick up the fresh  turd with a bagged hand the little brat  started to pull on her leash. This caused me to drop my phone and for the turd to swing out the bag.
Honestly, I think she does this on purpose.
Once I regained control in order to get the poop bagged up and to finish my conversation with my cousin Mattie started to yank again.
As I was chatting, I looked around to try to figure out what was making her tug so fiercely.
I saw nothing out of the ordinary.
And then, YAAAAANK! She got free of her collar and took off up the street.
I ended my conversation with my cousin with  hurried, "oh shit! I gotta go.Mattie got out of her collar!"
Since my cousin has dogs I knew she would understand my urgency to get off the phone.
As I bolted after her, I slipped in something mushy.
 I just about landed on my fanny.
 Looking down at what could be the slippery mess I realized I had stepped on a dead mouse.
 It's guts exploded all over my pant leg on impact."Oh Shiiiiiiiiit! gaaag! Grooosssssss!"
Mattie turned around and ran back over to me delighting in the "new' smells on my leg now.
She looked up me smiling pleased with the day's adventure wagging her tail as if to say, "sooo where's my treat?"
Oh that Mattie!

Frankenpigeon Part 2

* These photos above are from a person in Romania that shared with me of her pigeon.
Her pigeon had a chronic sinus infection similar to Craow Dum with a deformed beak.
She told me the meds used used and in what combination. She used it for over a months time.The bird is recovering now.
"Hope" always makes me desperate.
And I am desperate right now.
If there is any fragment of hope to save my pigeon I will pursue it.
I looked over my vet records to see what was given. The meds are similar but still not the same. These ones are stronger. The antibiotic meds she used are levofloxacin (similar to baytril) with clindamycin as well as an antiprotozoa tinidazole (similar to metronidazole) plus antifungal fluconazole. From experience, similar meds react differently to each subject.( I personally react to Zomig rather than to Amerge which is similar.)
I emailed my vet with this new information as well as another vet for a second opinion.
sigh...

Frankenpigeon

After diving yesterday, I did my usual evening chores of cleaning up the bird's cages/perches/dishes, feeding them as well as washing the pigeon's face/nose of debris.
Sadly, each day I can visibly see the lump on his head over her eye expanding. She can barely close his eye. She looks just awful.
As the bit of bone left from his corroded beak is getting more and more mushy. As I was cleaning her face of booger I noticed a spot on her head pulled away from the feathers. It was a white crater similar to a canker sore you would get in your mouth. I cleaned it off with saline solution.I would assume it must be painful.
You are probably wondering why I just don't take this poor wretched creature to the vet for 'the final visit".
It is because she doesn't seemed to be bothered by it.
She has a great appetite. Her poop is a picture perfect nugget. She follows me around like a dog and seeks me out for a cuddle.
My husband and I discussed the matter of what to do.
It is heart-breaking to see this kind little sweetie looking so hideous, ravaged by this incurable disease. I've contacted my vet as well as a pigeon vet in Australia, and other pigeon fanciers on their thoughts and ideas.
It seems to come down to the same conclusion.
Keep her clean and comfortable. When the time comes when she isn't eating and seems to be in pain then I will have to make a decision on what to do to ease her suffering.

This really sucks.

dive #878 October 7 2012

Dive #878 October 7 2012
It is remarkable how the weather, wind, light and temperature changes right after Labor day.
 A few weekend dives had been cancelled due to lousy weather conditions. Although today was predicted to be cold ( in the upper 40s) at least it would be dry.
We had Fred, Chris and Pete running the show. Alan H, and two new guys, Dennis and Bob, getting their end of season dives in.
Since the wind was blowing out from the north we headed south. We ended up tucked in behind Kettle Island.
 I jumped in for my "end of season" dive. As Pete would say, the water was "a bit brisk".
 I got a temp reading of 47F at 40 feet. Pete got a reading of about 45F at 50 feet.
The viz was a decent 25-30 feet with a bit of comb jellies and "whale snot" to make it interesting. I found it to be a bit dark due to overcast skies.
I tried staying under the boat but a current pushed me out a bit. I saw a few large lobsters and schools of small cunners.
The cold water felt good on my head but my hands were completely numb so I bowed out of the second dive at Egg rock.
I was shivering.
I traded a "John Wayne" sandwich for a nice juicy red apple with Alan. The green apples I brought with me were inedible. They are really really sour so I was pleased with my trade. I thought I would be hungry enough being on the boat all day that I would eat it regardless. (My sister, however, prefers these green apples over any other kind)
. Nope, I took a few bites of one and they were just  too sour and tough.  I'll just stick to cooking those sour green apples instead.(My husband brings them home from work so I have a huge pile of them.)
We made it back to dock without any incident..
I have to say, it was a decent day .
I hate to see the season end.

the wild pigeons of Salisbury beach part 83

My Husband cracks me up.
For my birthday he bought me a 3 disk set of DVDs on pigeons. It shows the history of pigeons in religion, how they were used in war-time, racing pigeon stories, a pigeon museum in Germany and all kinds of quirky oddities relating to pigeons.He also bought me a book on pigeons as well.
We are both pigeon crazy.
Last week I took Craow Dum to the vet for any and all last ditch efforts to possibly do something in regards to the bump on her head that is growing. My vet consulted with pigeon vets in Georgia for advice on this case-especially what to do about the rotting beak and bulging sinus's.
We did a mucus swab and blood test for the circovirus.
Circovirus in pigeons is basically "pigeon AIDS". It attacks the immune system and rots the beak. Baby and juvenile pigeons contract this from God knows where.Secondary infections move in and they can't fight it. They  generally die within a month. There is no cure.
The vet called me this morning with the results.
She tested positive for the virus.
In some way, I am relieve with hearing the results. At least now, I know I've done everything possible  and nothing is over looked.
The vet was amazed Craow Dum had lived this long and we now knows why all the antibiotics used couldn't knock out the bacterial infection.
This virus is exclusive to pigeons so my other birds are safe.
Oddly, the pigeon doesn't seem all that bothered.She is happy eating, pooping and sleeping on my lap.
She even watched the senate debate on TV last night with me..
She sneezed a big blob of snot on the TV screen when Elizabeth Warren ranted on.
I am guessing Craow Dum has more of a Republican leaning.  :-O