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THE VALUABLE VET
One of the most important things you can do for your bird
is to establish a good
rapport with a certified avian vet immediately upon bringing
your avian friend into
your home. The reason for this is simple: You don't want
to wait until there is a
problem with their health to have the doctor see the bird.
It is extremely valuable
for your vet to have recorded data on an annual basis
to compare with if ever a
problem does come up.
The Well Birdie Check...
The "WELL BIRDIE CHECK" should be done within
2 weeks of bringing the bird into
your home. During this check the vet should do the following:
1. Check the weight of the bird in grams
2. Do a physical examination, which should include examining
the nares, vent, oral
cavity and ears of the bird.
3. A CBC (complete blood count) should be obtained.
4. Gram stains of oral cavity and fecal droppings.
5. Testing for Chlamydophilia, Polyoma and Psittacine
Beak and Feather disease.
5. Vaccinations as deemed necessary.
6. Other suggested tests, depending on the birds age,
species and health condition.
7. Discuss any behavioral/hormonal concerns or changes
that you might have noticed.
8. Microchipping should be done, especially if the bird
does not have a leg band. It is
also our suggestion that any legband the bird has be removed.
There are several very important reasons why leg bands
aren't the best form of
identification. First, leg bands have a tendency of getting
caught on toys, ropes, etc
and have been known to cause serious injury--even death
in some cases. Second,
after continued wear, the pounding of the band on the
birds digital flexor tendon can
lead to tendonitis and loss of flexor function. Third,
many birds object to something
on their leg which leads to chewing on it causing behavioral
problems such as
featherpicking. Fourth, over time the numbers on the band
wear off and are illegible
making their identification useless. Fifth, if the bird
is lost or stolen the first thing the
new owner will do is to "remove" the leg band
making identification proof impossible.
Tatooing, another form of bird identification, is permanent
but not unique or able to
be registered.
Microchipping a bird just makes sense...it is a piece
of silicon with a unique 12-digit
alphanumberic code that is read by a reader that emits
an electronic signal and
sends the code back to the display. The tiny implant is
planted into the birds chest
musculature while it is fully awake. This form of identification
has been being used
for years with no known side effects.
The Annual Vet Check...
The Annual check should essentially repeat the above items
(with exception of the
testing for the 3 diseases, microchipping and the vaccinations)
to have a comparison
of the birds health for future referencing. Don't count
on "My bird doesn't look sick...".
Most humans "appear" well and then suddenly
succumb to heart attacks, seizures,
cancer and other incurable diseases. Birds, being wild
animals are able to hide their
symptoms of disease better than humans or even dogs and
cats. It is imparative to
have this yearly checkup to catch any problem before it
becomes fatal.
How to Choose a Good Vet...
Choosing a good avian vet is very important for your bird-
and for your own peace
of mind. We recommend the follow...
1. The vet should be a member of AAV as that promotes
advanced avian medicine.
Beyond this...
2. Ask for references from local pet stores and clubs.
3. Call the clinic to see how many "bird" visits
they have per month. IF they have
only a few occasionally then it is very difficult for
the veterinarian to stay current on
avian medicine.
4. Set up an appointment for you and your bird to meet
the vet to see if you and
your bird both have a good "rapport" with the
vet. This is very important. Don't wait
until something happens to get to know him.
Something no one wants to think about...
The importance of having a Necropsy done.
A necropsy is the examination of an animal after death.
When one of our beloved
pets die it is a great loss, but sometimes the reason
for the death can give insight,
closure and often save the life of other pets or even
humans in the home. A necropsy
is a full internal and external examination of all the
birds organs which will tell us the
cause of death.
To gather the most valuable information from a necropsy
please do the following
immediately after the bird is found:
1. Place the birds body in a Ziplock bag.
2. Place just a few drops of water in the bag.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible and seal.
4. Refrigerate (do not freeze) the body.
5. Bring the body to the vets office within 24 hours of
death. If later a necropsy can
still be done however some organs might not be of diagnostic
value.
Remember, doing a necropsy will help you not only discover
why the bird died but
can give insight, which could save future animals or people
from illness or death.
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considering making a $2 donation to benefit
the birds at Wings of Love Bird Haven by clicking the
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