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Struggling with a New Year diet?

Well, spare a thought for Cindy the Cockatoo, who has been banned from eating her favourite food altogether.

Cindy, a nine-year-old grey and pink Australian Galah cockatoo, loves nothing more than a bag of cheese and onion crisps, or a cheeky chip, nibbled from owner Brian Lambert's hand.

But the beloved family pet, from Kimblesworth, near Chester-le-Street, has now been sworn off her favourite fatty snacks - as well as the potentially dangerous seeds her owners had thought were a healthy choice.

With the bird seeming "depressed and ill", Brian took Cindy to visit Gilmoor Vets in Gilesgate, Durham, as she was suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.

Tests showed Cindy had dangerously high liver enzymes and cholesterol, which pointed to a diagnosis of fatty liver – a common illness in parrots.

X-rays and blood tests revealed she was suffering from gut or liver problems, which led to a discussion about her diet. As well as eating a sunflower seed-based diet, which is high in fat, Brian revealed Cindy can’t resist crisps and chips.

(Image: VetPartners)

Gilmoor Vets Clinical Director Deborah Stafford has now recommended a new diet for Cindy and is warning bird owners about the danger of feeding too many sunflower seeds and other treats.

She said: "Birds like Cindy are sunflower seed junkies as they are incredibly tasty and appealing, but can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

"We are carefully changing Cindy’s diet to a complete balanced diet in pellet form and her health is really improving. She is much better now and even the colour of her feathers has improved with the right diet.”

Owner Brian, who has owned Cindy for four years, said: "She loves cheese and onion crisps and chips as an occasional treat, but we are trying to cut everything out.

"She is feeling so much better now we have changed her diet. Like many bird owners, we didn’t realise sunflower seeds were high in fat as they’re a healthy treat for humans."