Ask Lafeber

Question:

July 17, 2026

SUBJECT: URGENT: Multiple budgies with severe respiratory distress, tail bobbing, facial discharge (Location: UP, India)Hello, I need urgent emergency help. I have [insert total number, e.g., 4] budgies in Uttar Pradesh, India, and all of them are showing severe respiratory symptoms. I cannot take them to a physical avian vet due to strict parental and financial constraints. I need to know what exact medications (antibiotics/antifungals/parasiticides) I can buy at a local Indian human/animal pharmacy, along with the exact safe dosages for budgies.


Current Symptoms:Breathing: Very heavy breathing, severe tail bobbing with every breath, lethargy, and sleeping all day.Posture: Some are completely exhausted and sitting on the bottom of the cage.Appetite: Still eating, but appetite has visibly decreased.Facial Discharge: One budgie has a highly concerning dried, red, and yellowish fluid crusted around its mouth, cere (nostrils), and eyes.Sounds: I can hear [mention if you hear clicking, wheezing, sneezing, or if they are silent].Environmental Conditions:Location: Uttar Pradesh, India (the weather is currently very hot, around [insert current temperature in °C] degrees).Fumes: No mosquito coils, vaporizers, or Teflon are being used near them.I am currently trying to keep them stable by placing food/water on the cage floor, isolating the worst one, and gently clearing the dried nasal crust with warm water. Please tell me what generic medications (like Doxycycline, Enrofloxacin, etc.) I should ask for at the pharmacy and how to safely dose them in their water or orally. They are fading fast. Thank you.


Answer:

Thanks for reaching out to Ask Lafeber. I’m so very sorry about your birds.  However, I can only give you advise on keeping them as stable as possible.  We are not a veterinary hospital, and we are unable to give you medical advice or prescribe medications. It would be considered practicing medicine without a license since I am not a veterinarian. Getting them to an avian veterinarian as soon as you can will what’s best for them, but I understand the financial restraints in doing so.

Placing the food and water on the bottom of the cage is perfect because they do not have to exert any energy to eat or drink.   I would also suggest providing them with a heat source to help keep them warm. When a bird sits with its feathers fluffed up, it’s an indication they are also cold and using what little energy they have left to stay warm. There are a few things you can do.  If you have a heating pad, you can either place it on the top or under the bottom of the cage.  If you place it on the top, make sure the cord is not accessible to the birds so they cannot chew on it.  I would then put a thick towel on top of the to help keep the warmth in the cage.  Since most of your birds are sitting on the bottom of the cage, I suggest putting the heat source under one half of the cage so if it gets too warm for them, they can move away from it.  Also cover the cage with thick towels to help keep the warmth inside the cage.  When birds are struggling as your birds are, it’s best to remove the perches, so they are not tempted to climb to the top.  Again, they will expend too much energy.
Again, I’m very sorry this is all the help we can provide. We wish the best for your birds.
Debbie
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