That's good! Like you said, better safe than sorry. The only problem I have with avian vets and canaries is that some of them don't really have a whole lot of experience with them. Not their fault, mind you, it's only that lots of people would take an expensive parrot to a doctor but not a cheap little canary plus they die so quickly after getting sick that, by the time the owners notice, it's too late so the vets don't get to see too many of them and, as they cannot draw blood for testing, all they can do is guess.... which is, unfortunately, what most of us do anyway. A couple of canaries I bred died not too long ago because the vets misdiagnosed one and gave the wrong antibiotic and dosage to another. But, of course, this is neither here nor there.

The vet will most likely prescribe either Baytril and/or Amphotericin B to cover both a bacterial and a fungal infection but please make sure he listens to his breathing and, if he doesn't, please do it yourself by placing his chest right on your ear. If you hear something like a clicking (it doesn't have to be even like a clock) or a crackling sound (kind of like logs in the fire), it's air sac mites and he will need Scatt or Ivermectin instead of those two medicines. But don't put it in the the water, just apply a drop on the skin, exactly on the carotid artery (if you blow on the feathers on the side of his neck, you will see it right away because there is no feather tract on it and, as the skin is so thin to be almost transparent and the artery is so thick and dark, it stands out quite clearly -sometimes it's easier to wet the feathers because this way they stick together and allow you a better view). This treatment needs to be repeated once a week for three consecutive weeks.

Let me know how he does.

Jessalyn, how is Beau Peep doing?

Hi Karen! Thanks for asking. I meant to post that he is just fine. He just had a bout of hoarseness. Guess he sang to much and stripped a gear! ha!