My terminal African Grey has heavy breathing. Is he suffering and ready for euthanasia?

Although rare a respiratory crisis is possible which is very distressing for both patient and owner. Given the severity of his numerous conditions and his symptoms during sleep I would agree that yes, euthanasia is a valid consideration at this stage.

Unfortunately, there are no OTC medications that can safely be given to Little Gray. His symptoms may indicate a respiratory infection which will need antibiotics. These are by prescription only. See your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian for an exam and definitive diagnosis. In the meantime, keep him warm and as stress free as possible until he sees the vet. You can supplement fluids with unflavored PediaLyte to treat or prevent minor dehydration.

Hi there sorry to hear Lil man has troubles breathing. the course of action will depend on the degree of heart failure and how he responds to medications. I would speak to your vet regarding his quality of life. As per my own experience I can tell you that it is terrible to have troubles breathing, so if Lil man is making no progress, I agree it would be kinder to let him go. It is a difficult decision and needs to be taken considerately, but we need to put Lil man's best interest first. Sending you positive thoughts.

This is such a difficult decision to make, and unfortunately without knowing all of the details of Coco’s case and being able to examine her in person it’s hard to know if it might be time to consider euthanasia. If your vet feels it’s likely that the symptoms are not related to something potentially treatable like an infection, nasal foreign body or tooth root abscess then it may not be worth the anesthetic risk to try to get more information by scoping. It sounds like she is having trouble breathing, and if her ability to rest comfortably and perform normal daily activities is inhibited by this then it may be time to consider euthanasia. I also think this is something you should discuss with your vet - they know you and Coco best and might be able to provide further guidance.

An exam with your veterinarian or an experience avian vet would be recommended. The combination of symptoms may indicate developing respiratory infection, aspiration pneumonia or other infection. At the very least, Kito will get a clean bill of health and you will get peace of mind.

Poor Xica! I'm so sorry that she's sick, and that you're in the position of having to consider what is best for her right now. This is always a difficult situation. Her x-rays do appear to show very severe pleural effusion. As I'm sure your veterinarian has probably discussed with you, pleural effusion of the type that you have described (bloody fluid) is almost always caused by one of two things: congestive heart failure, or cancer. The amount of fluid in her chest makes it hard to get a good look at the size and shape of her heart, or to determine if there are any obvious tumors in her chest, so it's hard to say which of these possibilities is more likely without additional testing. But unfortunately, even with aggressive treatment, neither of them have a good long-term prognosis. Knowing this, if I were in your position, I believe I would probably decide to let her go rather than pursuing hospitalization, chest tube placement, etc. - these are invasive, uncomfortable procedures that are unlikely to make a significant difference in the outcome for her, because of the severity of her underlying disease. That being said, the decision of when to consider euthanasia is a very personal choice, and one that is different for every pet owner. If you feel that you need to do everything possible, and want to pursue advanced diagnostics to try and get a more specific answer as to what's wrong, there is nothing wrong with this at all - but if you were my client, I would try to gently caution you that her underlying condition will almost certainly be fatal regardless of what you do. I hope you're able to find peace in your decision, whatever it might be.

It is such a hard decision to make! I work for a home euthanasia service, so I face this question with my clients all the time. I recommend looking at Pete's quality of life in order to make this decision. When a cat stops eating, is very lethargic, has trouble breathing, or just wants to sleep all the time, that is a sign their quality of life has decreased to a point where letting them go should be considered. I'm sorry you are facing this, but I hope this helps.