Hi Clara,
I’m sorry this has happened to your Cockatoo. It sounds like he suffered a serious crop burn. I am not going to lecture, but this is why unweaned birds should not be sold, and why it is very important to thoroughly stir formula and check the temperature in several spots. That being said, a burn is complicated no matter where it is. But in an area that cannot be treated topically, a burn can be hard to heal. Multiple surgeries are not out of the ordinary, and you can only hope that if he survives this, he will have enough crop remaining to live a normal life. This is not to scare you, but it sounds like maybe the severity of this injury has not been fully explained. If you have ever suffered even a minor burn, you know it can be much worse several days afterwards. A sunburn for example gets worse before it starts to get better. Once you noticed the hole, the burn would have happened several days to a week before that. The skin ends up blistering inside, and then starts dying, and then you see a hole. The Vet has to remove as much tissue as he feels is damaged, without removing too much. Crop tissue isn’t going to grow back. The remaining tissue can eventually stretch some, but once any has been removed, the bird has lost some of his normal capacity for food. Meanwhile, the skin may still be blistering or decaying inside. With each feeding, if the food is too warm, it can cause more damage. You can’t feed the formula too warm, but it has to be warm enough to digest. And the crop is compromised because of the damage to the tissue. With burns that are bad enough to result in a hole, many birds do not survive. You need to be feeding small amounts more often, so as not to put stress on the crop. Usually the bird will be on some antibiotics. Basically it isn’t an issue with the stitches, it is a case where this must have been a very bad burn and the skin is still affected and dying. It is likely that this trauma will cause issues with his development and growth because his digestive system is compromised. You might want to ask your Vet about adding EmerAid to the formula. This is a critical care formula that is easy to digest, with concentrated nutrition, so that the bird’s energy can be directed towards healing and not digesting. As for his adult life, it will depend on how much crop tissue remains. He may need a special diet or feedings, or limited amounts per feeding. As he gets older, he should adjust. For now the important thing is good supportive care from you, and following the advice from your vets. It’s always better to stay positive and hope for the best outcome because you never know how it will turn out until he has healed, and he needs you to be supportive and positive.
Here is the link you can give your Vets in case they are not familiar with EmerAid, however most Vet do use the product.
EmerAid System for Exotic Animal Critical Care
Take care,
Brenda
