Why couldn't the vet save my budgie from a tumor? Coping with loss.

Thanks for your question, and I am sorry that you are losing birds in your collection. With the multiple losses that you are experiencing, I would suspect that there is an infectious process occurring (such as a bacterial infection, parasites, etc). You can attempt to provide supportive care through ensuring the cages are very clean, a proper diet, and adequate ventilation, but this may not be enough to prevent additional losses. There are services that allow for clients to submit their animals that have passed away for a necropsy (essentially an autopsy for animals). This may be an option for you. These are often associated with universities that have veterinary schools. They have instructions for handling and shipping online oftentimes, or you can call for instructions as well. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks for your question, and I am so sorry about your loss. It is never easy to lose a member of the family. From the photos that you sent, it looks like your budgie was very sick. In the photo of her before she passed away, she appears very fluffed and sitting low on your head. These both are indicators that a bird doesn’t feel well. Since they are prey animals, they are very good at hiding their illness, even from their family members like you. The blood in the droppings could have originated from numerous areas in her body. These include her intestinal tract, her urinary tract, and her reproductive tract. With an issue in any of these areas, she could have had problems that were severe enough that they could have led to her death. I am so sorry again for your loss - she was a very cute bird.

Unfortunately, without a post mortem examination, the cause of death cannot be confirmed. It is likely the bird was seriously ill or injured more that was apparent at the initial exam. Birds are quite adept at concealing illness or injury until it is almost too late to treat effectively. I am sorry for your loss and commend you for attempting to save this bird.

I'm sorry to hear about Puff's passing. Unfortunately, without an necropsy (animal autopsy) it would be hard to know why he passed away. Birds are very good at hiding illness until they're VERY sick, so it may be that there wasn't anything else you could have done. If you're having trouble coping with Puff's passing, checking out some resources such as the Rainbow Bridge where you can talk with other pet owners and even create an online memorial may help in your time of loss.

Thanks for reaching out and am sorry about Felix. Neurologic problems can arise for metabolic disorders (kidneys, liver, pancreas, heart), infectious agents (bacterial, viral, fungal), toxicities: just to name a few. Without a necropsy, it would be impossible to give you a diagnosis. Maybe having the other budgie tested for some infectious diseases, might be appropriate. Good luck.

I'm sorry to hear Bluey passed away. It is possible something underlying may have caused it, such as a stroke or seizure, and there was nothing you could have done differently to prevent it. Underlying illnesses, disease and more may have also caused him to become injured or ill and pass away. It sounds as if Bluey was in very loving hands until the end, and was very well cared for by you.

I'm sorry to hear that Blue passed away. Unfortunately, the symptoms you mentioned are very vague signs of illness and can be caused by a number of things including infections, illness, malnutrition, respiratory diseases, injury and more. Without a necropsy (animal autopsy) to determine the cause of death, it would be impossible to tell what happened. If you have any other birds, thoroughly cleaning the cage and moving any sick birds to an isolated hospital cage can help prevent the spread of illness to other birds in your home. If you are having trouble coping with Blue's passing, checking out resources such as The Rainbow Bridge may help give you some peace of mind during your time of loss.