Update: my mom spent 600$ on me (actually, my bird), so I suppose I AM worth it... lol
My bird is going to live. I’m glad I came home even if the house is even messier now than it was a month ago. But instead of panicking about that, I was panicking (that spelling looks wrong..?) about my cockatiel.
My mom told me she wasn’t perfectly right, when she didn’t think my bird was ill. I live two hours away from my bird and my dog had just grown a tumor the size of my fist that night (well, overnight) so I immediately was scared that Dove (the bird’s name, there is a story behind it I might tell later but it’s like 3:30am right now) was also getting something. This summer has been insane, so many things going on (not all bad things). But yeah, I get home, take her outside to let my friend F see her, and she poops on me, which is normal, but it was mostly blood and obviously I stopped everything I was doing to give her a good look.
My mom wasn’t home yet so I called her and told her that I was freaking out. I wanted a solution immediately, like how I am in my posts — looking for steps to take. My mom seemed to feel personally responsible somehow though? Not sure, but she was repeating over and over that Dove hadn’t been that ill earlier. Which, like, yes, I believe you. It’s not like I’m expecting you to know all bird symptoms either. Seriously, birds won’t even tell you if they aren’t well unless it’s already really, really bad.
I was upset though, because I felt this wasn’t a sudden thing, but I also wasn’t calling to blame her. (I don’t know for sure if she felt that way either. I was in the middle of panicking so I could have been misinterpreting, from not getting the answers I needed.)
But I told her that I couldn’t find an emergency vet in the area who was bird certified (bertified, you could say), and as expected she told me that there wasn’t much I could do about that. But I could go upstairs to find the Internet code and password so I could look more effectively. Which helped. But then Dove’s regular doctor called back and said that an automated system had informed her that Dove needed help, and said if we could work on it before midnight then she’d help me. So we were there from 11:30pm to 1:30am. No regrets except that I really hope my mom can get some rest tonight. I mean, there’s a wedding tomorrow. We need rest. But I needed a healthy bird
But yeah, my mom took me to a vet, spent 600$ while insisting that I couldn’t/shouldn’t because I need food money, and then she said that if I can’t get Nestle’s (dog’s) surgery fully funded, then I should let her pay the rest.
So it’s a good thing that 42$ dinner was 13$, because otherwise I would have felt even more horrible. I wish things didn’t cost money, but I wasn’t even asking about prices tonight for Dove when I thought I was paying. I just wanted her (the doctor) to do whatever was needed.
My poor baby has a minor respiratory infection, a GI tract infection, a vitamin D deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, osteoporosis (severe), calcium deficiency (also severe), and for some unknown reason has fibers in her poop. Seems (to the vet) that she was trying to eat fibers to get her poo to be less runny. I removed anything weird from around the cage to be sure. Put down white towels so I can better observe her poo.
Am a bit stressed now because someone will need to give her medicine every day. And I live in a dorm at the moment even though I am not a student because I am working for the University. I think I will ask about having my bird in my dorm temporarily — there is no hiding a cockatiel. They are megaphone birds
Otherwise it will finally be time to move out into a rented place. I’m going to ask my work for a full time not-temporary job and see what happens. Because as much as I want to see this house clean... it might be easier if I have somewhere to escape to.
But also I think I got accepted into grad school. Creative writing. If that’s true? I can legally be put on longer grace periods for my student loan payments, which would allow me to save much, much more. Maybe enough to buy a car so I can go hungry less.
My mom said she’d get me a car too, but I don’t want to hold her to that. Cars are not cheap, either.
But yeah, it’s late and there’s a wedding tomorrow. EMDR Sunday. But the city is putting on a fireworks display tomorrow night AND I’m in town to see it! So that’s awesome