I've had my canary for a long time now. He is about 10 years

Ask Your Pet Question. Pet Experts Answer You ASAP.

(Not a Pet Question?)

I've had my canary for a long time now. He is about 10 years old. A few days ago, he has been (for lack of a better phrase) peeing blood. I know he is going to die soon; my only concern is that his death be peaceful and painless. Is there anything I can do to stop him from bleeding like this?

Optional Information:
Age: 10; Male; Breed: Canary

Already Tried:
I am feeding him green salad leaves with high percentage of iron in the hopes of strengthening his production of blood. (I assume if it works in humans, there's no reason why it won't work on a canary.)

Customer (name blocked for privacy)

Status: Closed Value: $10

What kind of "salad leaves" are you giving him? What else is he eating besides that? Have there been any changes in the rest of his normal behaviors? Like sitting at the bottom of the cage instead of perching, stopped singing, any changes at all? Are you positive you have a male? This extra information will help me to give you my best possible answer and advice. Thanks, Patricia

If I've helped, please click the ACCEPT. Even if a deposit was made, I won't get paid until you accept. A bonus is always appreciated and leaving feedback benefits us both.

Reply to Patricia's Post: I have been clipping bunches of a salad mixture from a normal grocery store to his cage. The mixture contains baby lettuce (red and green romaine), red and green oak leaf, red and green chard, tango, lollorosa, and arugula. I picked it because the leaves are very colorful, and that usually means that they are richer in iron.

We have also been feeding him a super food supplement from The Missing Link (Omega 3 Basic Avian Formula). I do not have any information about his every day food, I do not have the package with me. We usually get just the ordinary canary bird seed from the store.

Any other changes in his behavior have been pretty gradual. He does not seem sick or cold most of the time, although he does rest longer now on his perch and is less active. He is still perching, he seems to have a normal appetite. He has gradually stopped singing, but I always assumed it was because he was getting older. It's been a while since he's stopped singing, but the bleeding has only happened twice since early yesterday morning.

I am not positive I have a male. He was given to me from a friend who breeds canaries, so I have gone with her opinion as to the gender. I also assume he is a male because when he was younger, he was very competetive as far as singing.

Please let me know if there are any other details I can provide you.

Thank you,

Bethany

Thanks for the extra information. I think I would back off a bit on the greens. With the exception of Romaine, lettuce doesn't have a lot of nutritional value and can make the droppings pretty watery. You might try some Spinach, Kale and Turnip greens instead. I still would not give him so many that he fills up on them to the exclusion of the rest of his diet. I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that I don't think your bird is actually "peeing" blood. There are not a lot of things, short of a serious injury and internal bleeding, that would cause that. If your bird had a serious internal injury, I'm pretty sure you would be seeing a lot more, obvious signs. One of the systemic things that could cause his dropping to appear as if there is a little blood is Hemochromatosis, a.k.a. iron storage disease. But, it's rare in birds and even more rare in a Canary. That doesn't mean it's impossible. I only mention it because if he has been receiving too much iron for some time, it's something to consider. I ask about the gender because the very first thing that came to mind was the possibility of egg binding. It would not be unheard of for a bird that age to finally lay it's first egg or eggs. Egg binding most often is caused by a lack of calcium in the diet. Not enough calcium leads to soft shelled eggs and lessening of the contractions needed to expel the egg. If it should be that, you will see the bird get more uncomfortable, stop sitting on perches, begin staying on the floor of the cage, and if it goes too far, will begin to lose balance. There may be visuals such as an obvious bulge near the vent area. If you want to check for that, handle the bird extremely carefully because should that be the problem, and should the egg rupture inside, that's a life threatening emergency. Of course I can't say for sure you have an egg bound bird but I can say for sure that if you do, there will be a little blood passed. Another thing to look for is any kind of injury anywhere near the vent area. If a bird should take a hard tumble, especially those with longer tail feathers, they can easily cause a split in the skin right near the vent. When they go down, they literally stub their stiff tail feathers, splitting the skin. Unless you are positive what you are seeing is in the droppings, you can check elsewhere for an injury that might have bled a little and/or check for a broken blood feather. Anything that may have dropped some blood into the droppings. What a bird eats can, at times, drastically affect the way the droppings look, especially the color. Almost anything with red in it can make it look like bloody stool. Some of the colors that are in some commercial pellets, strawberries, blueberries, and pomegranates, just to mention a few, can make the next days droppings look like there has been a blood bath in the cage. I'm not a vet and obviously I cannot give you a diagnosis. Even a vet couldn't and wouldn't without seeing the bird in person, but I've tried to share with you all the possibilities that would come to mind if it were my bird. You can try backing off on the lettuce and cutting back on the amount of "red" foods and keep an eye on the droppings. I'd suggest lining the bottom tray with plain white paper towels for a few days as that will let you see exactly what the droppings look like without any interference. Also keep an eye out for any more behavior changes, especially the abandoning of the perches in favor of stitting on the floor. That is a definite sign to be getting to a vet. Of course, if you feel the need for your own peace of mind, don't delay at all. Just go ahead and get him an appointment. If it's been a while since he has seen a qualified avian vet, considering his age and that he has given you reason to be concerned, then a check up is in order anyway. I hope this information will help you but if you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Best of luck to you and I hope your "little old man" will soon be back to his chipper self. Patricia

If I've helped, please click the ACCEPT. Even if a deposit was made, I won't get paid until you accept. A bonus is always appreciated and leaving feedback benefits us both.

Reply to Patricia's Post: Hi Patricia!

Thanks so much for your help. I wanted to add that he has not been eating any new red foods, but he also has not bled since Tuesday. He may have stubbed his tail feathers, but I don't see any obvious signs of injury. If he was in fact peeing blood, would it be mixed in more with his feces? I saw pretty large splatters of only blood with nothing mixed in.

If he does have hemochromatosis, how should we manage it? Would simply laying off iron-rich foods do the trick, even though he has only been eating the leaves since he started bleeding?

Is there a way I can tell if I should change his name from Spike to Spikella? What characteristics would a female canary have?

And if it was internal bleeding, what would I need to do? Is there any possibility that the bleeding could be one of the more disturbing symptoms of old age?

I think those are all the questions I have. If the question about his gender counts as a new question, please disregard that. I do not believe (s)he is egg bound, since I do not see any bulge.

In any case, your answer was helpful and I do plan to accept it. I just want to make sure I am not confused about any of it before I lose contact with you.

Thank you again!
Bethany

Bethany, no problem with the extra questions. I'm here to help you as best I can. I do not consider my self an expert on Canaries so the gender information may not be as complete as someone might be able to provide if they specialized in this type of bird. Mostly what I know about trying to sex a Canary is best used when they are very young. I'm going to give you a paste of a portion of information I have about determining gender. My list of ways to try to make a visual determination is much longer. Unfortunately, all but these two things require that they still be baby chicks and/or having other birds of known gender to which you can make comparisions.

From the time the chicks are three days old a vein on each side of the belly traveling down towards the vent and coming to a vee just in front of the vent can be seen on the young male. This vain cannot be seen on the female. Even though this vein exists throughout the life of the male, it is best to observe it prior to the bird becoming feathered.
The eye of the male will be directly even with the beak. The eye of the female is placed above the beak causing a rounder appearing head.

Now back to the original issue. You said "I saw pretty large splatters of only blood with nothing mixed in." This further convinces me the source of the blood was external, not internal. That description is pretty accurate of a broken blood feather. This is the time of year for molting to be going on and the presence of blood feathers is always a possibility. It's probably too late now but you would have seen at least one dropped feather that appeared to be broken off rather than having it's tapered base still intact and most likley there would have been some blood on the feather, especially near that broken end. If I'm right, you got very lucky. Most of the time a broken blood feather turns out to be an emergency if the owner is not already aware of how to recognize it, and how to deal with it immediately. Usually the broken end remains embedded, becoming a siphon through which the bird can quickly bleed to death. Almost always, the stub must be removed to get the bleeding to stop. There are times however, when a bird seems to take care of it by themselves, or they also get lucky and the stub comes out by itself. Here is a link to some general information on blood feathers you may find helpful, if not now, then in the future.

Click here: Blood Feathers F.A.Q.

If he has actually been passing blood, indeed, you would see it mixed with the other portions of his droppings. If he had actually passed the blood alone and no droppings, again, he would have to be so seriously injured internally that we would most likely be having this conversation, post mortem. I think the odds of the hemochromatosis are so very slim, you don't have to worry about it if you will take my earlier suggestions about the diet changes. Alrighty, I think I covered it all but if not, again, don't hesitate to keep asking until you are clear and at ease with it. Also, you don't have to worry about losing contact with me. If you should have any questions in the future and feel I can help, all you need to do is, in the title of your question, put it to my attention. Best of luck and I hope you have your little guy with you for many more years to come. Patricia

If I've helped, please click the ACCEPT. Even if a deposit was made, I won't get paid until you accept. A bonus is always appreciated and leaving feedback benefits us both.

Think you can answer this question?
Login or Become an Expert

DISCLAIMER: You acknowledge that any information you may obtain from individuals you contact through use of the JustAnswer service comes from those individuals, not from JustAnswer, and that JustAnswer is not in any way responsible for any of the information these third parties may supply. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty and no representations are made regarding the qualification of an Expert. Responses and comments on JustAnswer are for general information and are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (such as medical, legal, investment or accounting) and do not establish a professional-client relationship. JustAnswer is not intended or designed to address EMERGENCY QUESTIONS which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals. Please carefully read the Terms of Service.

JustAnswer > Pet Health

I've had my canary for a long time now. He is

Related Answers