Ear infections / shattered thighbone

My Question:
I’m sort of at my wit’s end on this problem. Can you help? I have a parrot (Patagonian Conure) who has frequent ear infections and sinusitis. The last time he had a problem, my avian vet instructed me to flush his nares with water once a day. I stopped doing this after his symptoms subsided because he hates it so. A couple weeks ago he started showing symptoms of another ear infection coming on. So I decided to flush his nares. I was holding him in the crook of my left arm while filling a syringe with water with my right hand, and he jumped right out of my grasp onto my ceramic tile floor. (He’s never flown because he broke a wing several years ago & it healed without anyone being aware of it. He’s a rescued bird I’ve adopted. So he drops like a rock.) He shattered his thighbone, and that evening received a splint at the emergency clinic. (We’re now on our 3rd splint, since he kept pulling them off, but that’s not why I’ve written you…)

The vet suggested I put him in a steamy/humidified setting for 5 to 10 minutes a day to give him moisture. I need any suggestions you can offer as to how I can go about making some sort of ‘incubator’ or enclosed space with moisture for this purpose. He’s only 12 so I anticipate this to be a regimen we will use for the rest of his life. This bird has been on baytril now for going on 3 weeks and still his ear orifice is red, swollen, and he is frequently popping his ears and scratching at his face on the affected side. His ear received triple antibiotic in the canal twice a day and it just recently has stopped draining. But I’m really worried about him. He has almost no choanal papillae and I’m thinking he’s had ear and sinus problems all his life that were unchecked. I really want to relieve his discomfort. The lady who runs the place where I adopted him from (Safe Haven Avian Placement Services, Pinellas County, FL.) has been counseling me on ways to work with him to meet his needs. But she is very busy running her rescue organization and just recently had to take a paying job in order to make ends meet. I’m asking this forum for suggestions, hoping to relieve the burden on her. Any suggestions you have will be greatly appreciated; it has been a burden on me, too, since I have 17 other parrots. These infections are happening way too frequently and I feel as though I’m doing something wrong, or not doing enough, to keep this little guy healthy.

I can offer you some generalities to consider when you speak with your regular attending veterinarian about your concerns with this bird. First, what you describe as recurrent ear infections - do we know that this is the case, or is the inflammation being seen caused by non-infectious factors? You are right to be suspicious that if “standard” treatments including antibacterials are not making progress, a more accurate diagnosis is likely indicated. There are a number of nutritional concerns, particularly malnutrition, that can set the stage for some of these recurring problems, for starters. I’d suggest you ask your veterinarian about pursuing a bit more of an accurate diagnosis here, including a review of the nutritional and metabolic status of your bird. Deficits in these arenas certainly can set the stage for problematic and non-resolving otitis externa.

The fractured “thighbone” - assuming that this is a femur; these are rarely stabilized adequately with splinting methods in parrots, viewing the specifics of their anatomy. The fact that your bird consistently is chewing off the splint makes me wonder if it is in pain, discomfortable or if the splint is not serving its intended goal of stabilization. I’d suggest that you ask your veterinarian about things such as analgesia (pain relief), options for better stabilization of the fracture site, and progressive evaluations of the nature of healing to best serve the needs of your bird.