There are so many parrots with liver problems. My Cosmo is one of them.
What is the liver and what does it do?
The liver is a dark red organ that’s function is to aid digestion by processing carbohydrates (like starches and sugars) to maintain proper blood sugar levels. It also breaks down proteins and filters toxins.
The liver is near the heart and lungs in a bird.
Fatty Liver Disease
More technically called Hepatic Lipidosis (hepatic = liver, lipidosis = a fat accumulating disorder), Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) happens when fat clogs the liver, impeding it’s function. The liver can swell with fat to an abnormally large size, squeezing the heart and lungs. When the function of the liver is compromised by excess fat, it doesn’t work to rid the body of excess sugar, protein or toxins. Those build up in a bird’s body and can cause many symptoms, including obesity, nasty feather quality, plucking, dry skin, diarrhea and/or bright green droppings, beak and nail overgrowth and/or dark discoloration, difficulty breathing and clotting problems. Some can develop central nervous system issues such as balance problems and seizures. Many birds may not show symptoms, but eventually hit a toxic overload or pressure on their heart and suddenly die.
Causes of FLD are an imbalanced, nutritionally deficient or high fat diet, overfeeding, thyroid disease or diabetes (rare), toxin exposure or heredity.
LIver Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is permanent scarring of the liver, leaving it small and unable to work properly. Cirrhosis is the end condition of something that previously happened to the liver to damage it (maybe infection, or toxin) that leaves it scarred. To absolutely diagnose cirrhosis, your vet may do a biopsy.
Diagnosing and Treatment
Your vet can run a CBC (complete blood count) with special tests for liver functions. It will be a measure of how the bird’s body is processing sugars and proteins, and detecting markers that indicate damage. Radiographs (x-rays) to take a picture of the liver can be very helpful before and during treatment, to measure the size of the liver.
Your vet can prescribe medications that will help your bird’s body get rid of sugars, proteins and toxins. The medications can be sweet and yummy, making it easy to give to a bird. Milk thistle is often talked about as a detoxifier, but I stress not to use it unless your vet tells you to. It should not be used as a “preventative” because it can become a crutch to a healthy liver and actually do damage in the long term.
The diet for a bird that has a compromised liver needs to be watched carefully. Your vet can be the best judge of what your bird should be eating, based on blood tests. I feel that an organic diet is important, as the liver doesn’t need to deal with pesticides that could be found on conventional vegetables and fruits. Of course, no salt or processed foods. It is good to restrict starches and sugar (stingy on the fruit, too). Some vegetables are high in natural sugar, such as carrots and peas, so I limit these. Choose brown rice over white rice and blueberries over apples and grapes. You may have to cut down on protein, and restrict nuts to just an occasional walnut and almond. A conversion from seed to sprouts and pellets may be necessary. Sprouted grains and seeds are lower in fat, carbohydrates and calories. Foods to choose are ones that are high in anti-oxidants, beta carotene, choline, biotin, Vitamin C, E and the B vitamins, and sulfur. These include cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, dark leafies, red pepper, lentils, brown rice and occasional pieces of salmon and egg.
Exercise is very important to a “liver” bird. Ramp up slowly to a routine that helps a bird to gain muscle and lose weight. Flying, wing flapping, climbing, laddering, and stair climbing are great. Encourage a bird to forage for food rather than just placing it in front of him.
The liver is a very special organ in that it can regrow healthy cells if not too much tissue has been scarred. With medication, correct diet and exercise, you can help your bird live a longer, healthier life.
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My Cosmo is a bird with liver problems. He has liver cirrhosis. We didn’t know until he was very sick years ago. He may have eaten something that was bad, perhaps something with aflatoxin that scarred his liver. There is no specific event I can remember or identify. Perhaps he’s got a genetic problem. We have been dealing with his liver problems for years. We are very clean with our birds and watch what they eat. Cosmo loves pellets and eats mainly Harrison’s High Potency, along with Good Stuff sprout mix, and chopped vegetables (which he is picky about). He only gets one almond a day. He is on daily medication, regular testing and a restricted diet. His liver grew quite a bit (as seen on radiographs), but he never seems to be out of the woods. Cosmo also has recurring giardia and gram neg infections that seem to ramp up quickly. It could be the stress of liver problems leaves his immune system stressed. He’s been fully feathered, fully plucked and fully feathered again. He’s had problems since he was a youngster and his file at the vet’s office is thick. I am very in tune to his subtle changes in mood and pack him off to visit the doc at any change. Cosmo recently had four grumpy days in a row that had me drive across town to visit his doctor. When asked what symptoms he had, I said, “Grumpy and a little edgy.” That’s all. On exam, Cosmo looked good, but after tests came back, he had more medicine to take. I guess grumpy and edgy can really be symptoms.
