Griffin had his 29th hatchday celebration in April. He is not really considered all that old for an African grey parrot, whose lifespan in captivity seems to be about 40-60 years—although my Dutch veterinarian colleague had one in his practice that lived to 99 (authenticated by the bird being passed down from one family member to another)!
Nevertheless, Griffin has been suffering from a “geriatric condition”—arthritis—for several years. The levels of pain seem to come and go, and we do whatever is possible to keep him happy and comfortable. We don’t know what worsens his condition; however, we suspect that sometimes when he feels particularly spry, he’ll overdo things—for example, climbing around his cage more than usual—which may trigger a painful episode.
Recently, Griffin had the worst flare-up ever since the condition was diagnosed. It was soon after his annual check-up, so the first thing we did was to call our vet to see if anything new had shown up on his standard tests. She suggested putting him on an anti-inflammatory drug and to call back if it didn’t provide some relief in 24 hrs. When that didn’t work, we took him in for X-rays and further tests, to ensure that it was arthritis and not something else.
“Birdie Bed Rest”
The diagnosis was indeed arthritis, but there was also the possibility of some nerve issues, so he was put on a different medication. which causes him to take several naps each day! He was prescribed a busy regimen of treatments—including “birdie bed rest.” The latter basically means that he now has to sleep in his backpack carrier, so that there is no chance of him falling off a perch overnight and injuring himself. He actually looks pretty happy there! (See figure).
Griffin also gets two sessions a day with his Assisi Loop (a ring that produces a targeted pulsed electromagnetic field that helps speed healing for inflammatory and neurological conditions); laser therapy once a day, which also reduces inflammation and speeds healing; and ice pack therapy twice a day, again, to reduce inflammation and pain. We’ve also padded his perches with vet wrap or moleskin, and the railing around his cage with a bird-safe felt. In between treatments, he gets lots of tickles and attention!
Needless to say, Athena is not particularly thrilled with the state of the lab…we barely have time for her experimental trials and, although we try to give her as much attention and tickling as Griffin and lots of new toys, it is clear that Griffin is the center of interest these days. She can be quite vociferous!
Thankfully, Griffin is doing much better now, but he is clearly not yet back to normal. He has regained some use of the sore leg and foot, even scratching his head himself now. And he’ll put some pressure on the sore limb from time to time when on my hand, a perch, or a flat surface. One of the experiments we were doing with him before the flare-up requires that he shift his position on either a perch or the desk between choices in a single trial; we try to do one trial each day to track his ability to move. However, no luck on that so far…
We’ve been told that early detection of arthritis is important, because the condition is easier to treat before inflammation takes a strong hold. Birds, however, are so good about hiding pain that early detection of a flare-up is no simple matter. Nevertheless, keep an eye out and notice if your bird is consistently favoring one foot (e.g., fails to perch or grip tightly), if the feet are warmer than usual, or if the bird lists a bit to one side…all are symptoms, so get your bird checked out ASAP!