My parakeet has a purple bump on its chest. Is it an emergency?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be the site of an infection. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have your bird evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello. I wonder if what you are seeing is a crop full of food or air. The crop is on the right side of he neck and can become very distended normally after a meal, or after a bird has been vocalizing if they take in air. If there is a motility disorder of the crop, this may become abnormally distended and require medications. If it is truly a mass of the skin, muscle, or thyroid, then it would depend on the diagnosis whether any medical therapies would be appropriate over surgery. A biopsy would be a good place to start, though blood work and radiographs may also be indicated. A veterinarian experienced with birds should be able to do an exam and any diagnostics tests needed in order to suggest the most appropriate treatment.

Hi Alexa, From the picture, I suspect Kuka has a ruptured air sac (lung) and air is leaking under the skin. In some cases, they can resolve but Kuka may need to have the air removed with a needle. At this time, as long as she is eating, drinking, and breathing well, try not to worry. If you notice the bulge growing larger, Kuka develops respiratory distress or stops eating please reach out to us and we will do our best to help. Otherwise, I would plan to get her to a veterinarian Monday.

This kind of lump/growth needs to be ideally assessed by your veterinarian to have a definitive and specific answer. Usually there are two ways your vet can do that a part from examining it directly during physical examination. A biopsy can be taken under local or general anesthetic, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle can be aspirated (this technique is called FNA= fine needle aspiration). Differentials include skin cysts, infections, benign or more sinister type of tumors. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Without a physical exam and diagnostics, it is impossible to determine if the lump is cause for concern. Ideally, he should be physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian. The veterinarian may recommend blood work, x-rays and/or a fine needle aspirate to collect samples for pathology. This may provide a definitive diagnosis. In the meantime, make sure Dodger continues to eat, drink and defecate normally. Keep him warm, dry and as stress free as possible until he sees the doctor.

Thank you for your question, and thank you for the photo - I can see what you are talking about with the lump. It looks to me to be at the commissure (corner) of the mouth. The lump looks to be a bit crusty. There are a few things that this could be - there may be material stuck to the area or a tissue growth. The material may be food, or it could be exudate (material that is produced from infectious organisms such as bacterial infection). It would be less likely to be a growth based on Cody's age, but there still is a possibility that it could be a benign or malignant mass. I would recommend trying to clean the area to see if anything comes off of it, and if it does, please look at the skin underneath to see if it is intact or if there is any kind of blood or injury underneath. If there is injury or if the material does not come off, then I would recommend taking Cody to a veterinarian. They can perform an examination and make recommendations based on what is found. If they suspect it is an infection, they may recommend performing blood work or starting on a course of antibiotics. If it is a mass, they may recommend taking a sample of it to evaluate under the microscope. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

He does look a bit puffy, but it's hard to tell just from a few photos. Birds with full crops can sometimes have a "balloon" like appearance on their chest below their neck, that will gradually decrease as they digest food, and then fill up again as they eat, but it's usually not very visible in adult birds. However, as with any new pet, a general wellness exam with your vet is best to establish care, check for any issues, and treat them if needed. If Naoko seems in distress or ill at all, seeking care sooner is a good idea.