Nikki - the much loved Lovebird

Nikki a much-loved 8 year old lovebird was first seen by Dr. Deborah Monks for an infection of the joint of her jaw and a broken beak tip. Although she was extremely bright and alert, Nikki had lost a significant amount of weight and was very uncoordinated. She was admitted into hospital for blood testing and supportive feeding. Nikki began to improve in hospital and was using her beak more. Nikki was sent home a few days later and her owners were shown how to hand-feed her via a crop tube so that she didn’t lose any further weight.

Nikki began to put on weight at home, however her beak was growing abnormally and she was still having problems eating on her own. Nikki’s owners brought her back to BBEVS where she was given a brief anaesthetic and her abnormal beak re-shaped. Nikki’s devoted owners brought her back regularly for a beak trim but early in January 2008 it was decided Nikki needed a prothesis to fix the problem.

The prosthesis was placed over her upper beak to guide the beak growth and to re-align the beak back into its normal position. The operation went smoothly and now it was a case of wait and see!

In the following months, Nikki’s beak began to re-align itself and she was steadily gaining weight, thanks to her owner’s dedicated feeding regime. Upon removal of the prosthesis two months later, Nikki’s beak looked great and she even began eating on her own at home!! She was bright and alert, and doing very well at home. Her weight was good as well.

Tragically, despite all her owner’s efforts, Nikki’s condition rapidly deteriorated a few weeks later due to an unrelated illness. She was rushed back to BBEVS where she was treated aggressively, but she sadly passed away the day after her admission. Nikki was well-loved by her owners and will be sadly missed by all who knew her.