Just got back from the vet with Dib, there's a lot to think about that I'll discuss here.
That is a significant weight loss for sure! You mentioned some of the other birds. How many have lost weight? Did it seem they all started to drop weight at the same time? I'd mention the others to the vet. Is your set up such that you can tell who's poop it is? Perhaps you could weigh the pellets at the same time each day, or twice a day. With my previous budgie Vern, I'd take a picture of the bottom of the cage a couple times a day. A side by side photo comparison helped me since it can be hard to remember clearly what the amount and appearance of the poops from one day to the next. I've actually brought poop samples (about 3-4) with the date and time written on little ziplock bags I also took pictures of him to compare how he looked. Are your other birds acting different than they normally do?
I have to add that your attentiveness, and that your providing the medical care they need is wonderful! I know it's no easy task to administer meds for days in a row! You are setting an amazing example of what a good birdy parent should be!
My thoughts will be with you and your flock 💞!
All of them have lost some weight, although Dib and obviously Zim are the most egregious. The other two differentiate maybe 3g or 4g at most from what I can tell from my recordings (I do weigh them at all kinds of different times of the day, I'm not sure exactly how big of an impact that has.) With my boys, it's hard to tell who's poop is whose since they live in the same cage, but with my girl Archie and Zim its easier since they're separate. I should start taking pictures, I know with at least Dib they sometimes don't look as healthy as they should because of his liver disease. Also none of them (besides Zim) are acting different at all, the only visible concern is the weight.
And thank you Karen, these birds are basically my grandkids, seeing them go through this has made these past few months the hardest of my whole life, but I'll do whatever it takes to help them.
So the vet said Dib's definitely a bit skinnier but not to the point where she's as concerned as she is with Zim. She trimmed his beak and did a crop and vent swab to test to see if it's anything infectious besides the possible AGY. Otherwise she said it could just be the result of his liver condition worsening or his age.
As for Zim, she showed a great amount of concern when I told her about her lame leg and lack of appetite and told me she was now suspicious of a kidney tumor being the cause of all of this. I don't really know what to think anymore with all these tentative diagnoses being thrown at my babies, I would get imaging done to confirm but with the state she's in there could be a great chance of her not surviving it. The vet says that the best thing right now is to try to manage her quality of life at least until the AGY results come in, then we may have to consider helping her pass soon. I've been giving her head scritches for several minutes on end since I got back, its the least I can do at the moment to help her feel a little bit of comfort.
I'm also going to start trying to see if they'll drink water with some Braggs ACV in it, is the recommended dose for that 1 to 100mg of water in budgies?
