Last Updated on by Catherine Tobsing
Debbie C. is concerned about her 30 + year old Amazon and asks,
What do you recommend to give to a 30+-year-old Amazon parrot for fatty liver disease?
Thank you
Debbie
Dear Debbie
Fatty Liver disease is also known as nonalcoholic cirrhosis or hepatic steatosis.
It is a common ailment of amazons as they can tend to be sedentary especially if they are clipped or simply don’t fly. It is sometimes reversible with exercise and diet change.
Here is a list of tips to help a pet bird having fatty liver disease possibly recover.
- Encourage your bird to move around more, let its wings grow back in if clipped.
- Try to get it to follow you around if walking on the floor, up and down the stairs.
- Add more pellets and less seed.
- Provide cut-up or thawed frozen veggies a bit of apple, etc for breakfast.
- Don’t give a heaping dish of seed mix all day and night.
- Instead, start with a 1/4 cup in a bowl along with a dish of pellets.
- Do not replace the seed mix with more until it is gone. If the bird tosses the contents instead of eating them do not replace right away. Wait an hour or more.
- Consider mixes without sunflower seeds as the birds like them a little too much. Save as treats only.
- Before bed, remove the seed mix, leaving only pellets in the cage overnight.
- Weigh your bird weekly.
- Locate Milk Thistle drops and dose daily. they are very helpful for the liver.
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1 May 2022I have been there with a couple of Amazons ( I work with parrot rescue and take special needs birds). Milk thistle is the best option, for all parrots. If you can get the capsules ( any drug store or Walmart) just open them and sprinkle a little bit on whatever they like most ( healthy food only). Also drop sunflower seeds and peanuts. Safflower and host of other nuts are all readily available. A lot of seed mixes do not include sunflower for just this reason. Exercise is also important, not just for this malady but also for general well-being. Amazons can tend to be couch potatoes, but love to shred paper, cardboard, rope toys. All these can be done inexpensively. Makes the cage or play area messy, but easily cleaned each night with broom or vacuum. I live with five special needs birds. These changes will also help stave off heart disease another major problem for parrots as they age.
mitchrezman
2 Aug 2022Respectfully – much like humans, diet and exercise may help avoid fatty liver disease