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By Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice)
Originally published in BirdsUSA 2007 issueOne of the most frustrating situations I encounter as an avian veterinarian is seeing a bird suffer from a preventable disease. This is especially frustrating if the bird is young or just recently acquired. Too often, bird owners invest a great deal of time and money purchasing a new bird but then never take it to the vet to ensure its health. Birds, perhaps even more so than cats and dogs, need regular veterinary examinations... Read the full article at :
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk/2008-december/what-to-expect-from-vet.aspx
FeathersNFuz
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Fully Fledged
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this is a really good article, thanks!
wishedforabird :)
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Feather Fanatic
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| this was a good article. It gives a short ans sweet discription of what to expect from your vet...something that the new parrot may not know and is too over welmed to ask for.
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Fledgling
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Thanks for the article! I must admit I am terrified to bring my bird to the vet! I've had him 9 days & afraid the trip & exam will cause him a lot of stress. (Probably more me than the bird, huh?) I was going to wait until his wings needed clipping again. Do you think that's ok?? Will this little adventure cause set backs in his trust of me?
Trish =)
Trish
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Feather Fanatic
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There may be setbacks in training/taming when taking a bird to the vet, however it's often better to take a bird to an a-vet to ensure that they are healthy when you first bring them home (especially if where-ever you bought the bird there is a health guarantee). This can help ensure a healthy start for the both of you!
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Feather Fanatic
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I've taken a lot of birds to the vet over the years, and yes, it is stressful. But life is full of stress and if the stress of a proper vet visit is too much for your bird to handle, then your bird REALLY NEEDED to see the vet.
I see this as similar to taking my kids to the Dr when they were tiny. The visits for shots were traumatic but the risk of catching and spreading disease was much more so. They got over it, they learned that the Dr was an OK guy or gal. Animals do the same.
I understand that not every one has the money to do this, and it is not fair to ask a vet to give of their valuable time to give this for free, but I have often taken my animals to the vet just to check out the place and the people and get a treat. This helped to make it so that Willow and Toodles were not so stressed and it really worked for every one of the dogs I have had over the years.
Animals, like kids, pick up on what you, the parront/parent, give off in energy. If you are stressed they will be, too. I normally like the vets and doctors ( and their staff) I have taken my animals and kids to and I think they liked me. So I have given off good vibes and my kids and animals have picked up on that. when my kids were younger, they always trouped into the vet to. so they would also give off good vibes. Of course, my kids were REALLY good there or they would not get to go.
In fact, with all my dogs, I have been able to say " do you want to go see your friends", and they have rushed to the door and rushed into the office to get the attention ( and treats) from their buddies. ( even though with Rocky it means suffering the indignity of getting your anal glands pinched out every 3 months) This line is ONLY used when we see the vet, so I know I am not hoodwinking my critters.
So to make a long story short, an annual vet visit, and one every time your bird is being odd in some way will be less stress than going to the vet only when you finally see something wrong. And it is life saving too many times to not just get over it and go.
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Good Psittacine
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| In my experience there is more to an Avian Vet than just knowledge. The Avian Vets with birds of their own seem to be better with the birds. With my first Vet (no birds) all of the bird handling was done by the assistants. As a result there was a certain lack of trust by my birds, however, the care was excellent. With my new Vet (owns Blue Throat Macaw) he is hands on and the birds are charmed by him. This new Vet has the full trust of my birds and there is no stress. His care is even better and he educates you and his assistants with each visit. My expectations are now higher.
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Feather Fanatic
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| OH! Parrotz, I agree!!! Vet time is picking the vet's brain time. If I have a vet or Dr that will not share what they know with me, I don't go back there.
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