I decided on this topic because it is almost time for my birds Spree & Ringo to have their annual Veterinarian visits. It made me realize that many people probably don’t know that exotic pets should have annual exams just like your dog or cat. At my birds annual exams my pet’s Vet checks the birds eyes, beak, weight, she checks inside their beak, checks the ears, Keel bone, feet, fecal, she exams the preen gland for those who have one, she checks their respiration, heart rate, checks their wings, feather condition, a full body exam & notes any changes. They ask if I have any concerns, if I have noticed any changes in eating, any respiratory issues, we discuss any diet changes or any weight changes or any concerns my Vet may have after her exam.
Spree is a female White-face Cockatiel & she is about 7 years old. I adopted her as an adult, we think a young adult, but with birds it is hard to know for sure how old if don’t have a history & she was from a shelter when I fostered pets. This will be her first Vet appointment since her cage mate passed away. Previously she wasn’t gaining weight when she lived alone & I didn’t want to put her with Jonah because I don’t want to encourage breeding or egg laying. Last Vet visit we thought Spree may have a liver issue, so she has been on Milk Thistle since so I want to see if things look better. She is such a beautiful bird, but being a white-face which is humans messing with color mutations they can have weaker immune systems & a short lifespan.
Ringo is a senior Yellow-nape Amazon, his age is unknown, but he shows signs of being older, he moves slower, slight arthritis in his feet. He was surgically sexed before I got him & I was told Dr Scott McDonald (world renown for sexing exotic animals) thought to be a senior at that time. Ringo will be going into the Vet at the same time as Spree for his annual exam. Separate Exams & not out of carriers at the same time for safety reasons. The Vet will do the same exam for him as she does for my Cockatiel, but Amazons don’t have a preen gland. Ringo is a great eater of fresh foods so he usually has great papillae (shows he is not Vitamin A deficient). Being Vitamin A deficient can lead to a whole lot of issues. I wrote a blog post about it, #59 & #83 is about supplements for birds.
I recommend birds have annual exams, but I will be honest I haven’t taken Lazarus to the Vet because he is such a frightened bird & honestly I’m afraid it might kill him, he is about 23 years old & I rescued him because when I saw his photo I almost cried. His owner had died & the person left behind hadn’t cleaned his cage in 6 months. I say I rescued him from near death, hence his name Lazarus. My canary Elijah doesn’t go to the Vet either, but my Vet says doing an exam on a Canary would be hard & very stressful. Please know if either showed signs of illness or would get injured they would go see the Vet.
My regular Vet has extra training but she is not an Avian Vet, if my birds need medicine she needs to order it so if any illness or injury would occur I have an Avian Specialist (actually I’m blessed to have several including ER Vet clinic for exotics less than 1 1/2 hours away).
I recommend if you have birds that you get established with an Avian Vet in your area. One of the best ways to find one is the search vets on Association of Avian Veterinarians Find a Vet directory in the US & International. If you have friends with birds ask them or if you are blessed & Dr Scott McDonald visits your area & you can get an appointment with him. It is always smart to have a relationship with a Vet before any emergency occurs & they have no history on your pet. They can review records & note any changes which can help with diagnosing issues.
So much info is looked at when you take your bird to a Vet. This information can help you to help your bird to live a longer life & be healthy & happy. I have written other blog posts about birds & you can find the post numbers on my Table of Content page on my main page under the Show tab. Then you go back to the main page & scroll till you find the # post you are looking for. My posts are usually 4-8 min reads.
If you are enjoying my blog, please help me to get the word out there so others can find it. You can do this by liking posts, commenting on something you liked or learned, sharing the link, subscribing, & visiting often. My goal is to reach as many pet parents as I can. I don’t make $ from this site, it costs me yearly to keep it going, but I am passionate about pets. I want to see more pets Thrive & not just survive. If you have a question or a topic idea feel free to email me echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com
Thank you, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 