08/29/2026
We finally have some answers about . And, unfortunately, they aren't the answers we were hoping for. 💔
Since Flutter came home, we’ve known something wasn’t right.
He trembles. He’s unsteady on his feet. He sometimes loses his balance and falls. He moves very carefully because, heartbreakingly, he seems to understand that his own body doesn’t always cooperate with him.
Our avian veterinarian has now confirmed that Flutter has significant neurological abnormalities affecting his coordination.
After an extensive diagnostic workup, imaging also revealed that part of his stomach, called the proventriculus, is moderately enlarged. And a specialized test looking for antibodies associated with inflammation of the nervous system came back strongly positive.
That test alone cannot diagnose PDD. But when we put it together with his neurological symptoms, his enlarged proventriculus, and the fact that extensive testing has not found another explanation, our veterinarian now has a high suspicion that Flutter is suffering from PDD/avian ganglioneuritis.
PDD is a fatal, progressive inflammatory disease of the nervous system. In some birds it primarily damages the nerves controlling digestion. In others, it affects the nerves controlling coordination and movement. Some birds experience both.
There is no cure.
And yes, writing those words about this sweet, precious little boy is absolutely gutting me. 🥺
We cannot definitively diagnose PDD in Flutter while he is alive without an invasive biopsy, and there are still pieces of his testing that leave a very small amount room for another explanation.
But there is enough evidence pointing in this direction that we have to take it very seriously.
That does NOT mean we are giving up on this sweet boy.
His bloodwork looks good. He is currently maintaining his weight. His muscle mass and overall body condition are good. He IS able to eat, climb and perch. He is bright, aware, interactive, opinionated, and still deeply suspicious that vegetables are part of an elaborate assassination plot.
Most importantly, Flutter still has quality of life.
There are treatments that may reduce the inflammation affecting his nervous system and potentially improve or stabilize his symptoms. He has already begun treatment, and we will be watching him very closely to see how he responds.
⏳️ We don't know what his timeline looks like.
Some birds with this disease decline horrifyingly quickly, within days to weeks of symptoms appearing. Others can remain stable or respond to treatment and still have a good quality of life for months to years. Right now, there is simply no responsible way for anyone to put a clock on him.
So we aren’t going to.
We are going to treat the bird standing in front of us today.
A wobbly, stubborn, ridiculously silly, vegetable-suspicious cockatoo who is facing a really hard road ahead.
Whatever this road turns out to be, Flutter will not walk it alone.
Even if, occasionally, he walks it a little sideways. 😏
We will treat him. We will adapt his world around whatever his body needs. We will make falling safer. We will make climbing easier. We will monitor his weight, his digestion, his neurological symptoms and, above everything else, his happiness.
We will fight for every good day he wants to have.
And if someday his body tells us that the fight has become harder than the joy, we will love him enough to listen.
But that day is not today.
Today, Flutter is safe.
Today, Flutter is loved beyond measure.
Today, Flutter is still busy living his life.
So that's what we're going to do, too. One good day at a time. 🥹💜
