Well Bird visits..

[ramoth]

How often should I be taking Azul (BCC) to the vet for check ups> yearly or more? We just had our 1st anniversary together May 5 and the last time was a few days after we found him. Is there a recommended schedule for "well birdy" visits?
Thanks!

 

[Katy]

I think best practices are annual. However there are many people who prefer not to do them and wait til the think something is wrong. My vet offers a package of yearly testing. Physicals, evaluations and trio bugs of all minces. It saves about 200 to do it this way, if you prefer to take no chances.

 

[Mizzely]

Some people do every 6 months, some yearly, some every other year, and some don't do them at all. Koopa has been here one year, and Jingo has been here about 18 months, so I don't really know yet what my plan will be. For Gizmo, every year to check her because she is older and so I want to be sure she is okay as she ages

 

[Peacelovepets]

I personally plan to do yearly visits. It is up to you, what you can afford, and what you are comfortable with, though.

 

[rockybird]

My vet suggested every other yr., as they were so healthy at the last visit. This means chem panel, glucose and wbc, etc. However, they go to the vet every couple months for grooming and he always looks at them and weighs them then also.

 

[Tangle Elf]

For a healthy bird I think annual with CBC, crop and vent swabs is best, adding chem panels for older birds.

 

[sthiele]

I don't do check ups for my flock. The way I see it, a good portion of the people taking their bird to the vet have a sick bird, thus increasing the chances my healthy bird could pick something up that is airborne. I'm comfortable enough with knowing how my birds should be acting to know when something is off, and that's when they go in.

 

[CeciliaZ]

I like to take mine at least every other year...and with my tiels the vets' that I have used don't routinely do bloodwork unless there is a problem. They always do a gram stain.

 

[karen256]

Yearly is usually recommended but some people take their birds in less often, either for money reasons or for fear of exposure to a sick bird in the waiting room.

I take my birds almost every year, but bloodwork is done only every other year.

One thing that is a good idea, especially if you do not take your bird to the vet annually, is to weigh him regularly. An inexpensive postal scale that can be set to weigh in grams is fine. Weight loss tends to be the first sign of illness, showing up before a bird will act sick. Just weigh him at the same time of day (ideally in the morning after the big morning poop but before eating). Birds eat a lot in proportion to their weight, so you will see a lot of normal weight fluctuation throughout the day but if you consistently weigh him at the same time of day a couple times a week, it is a very good way to help monitor health.

 

[Katy]

Totally concur with the above. If you are uncomfortable taking them into the vet, weigh them as suggested above and be alert to any change 8-10% of normal body weight. Then call your avian vet right away.

 

[ramoth]

I don't have an issue with the cost we already have one of those accounts we can use for us or animals! Just wondered what others thought. Since I'm such a novice I prolly will make a vet appointment in the near future. I liked them made me feel comfortable about taking Zuzu. And they have Saturday appointments so that's a plus!


Shhh I should be working!!

 

[ramoth]

Well just a side note .. went to the vet's last Saturday (5/25) and all is good. We had them do blood work and everything came back great. He's gained weight since we found him but he isn't fat ( i was worried there) He does have a slight yeast infection but it's so slight a round of meds should do the trick. Re-check on 6/8. Had his nails clipped so the daggers are gone (my shoulder thanks the Dr.) and though we really didn't want to but for safety reasons we had his wings clipped. During the summer our doors open and close A LOT I just know if either of us went out he would have tried to follow! So untill I get him better trained and birdy proof the back door a clipped Zuzu was better than NO Zuzu.. So other than him being a mad at us right now everything is great in Zuzu World. Thanks for the input!

 

[Rabbit]

My local avian vet is fantastic with contact, and will warn people if a bird had been found to have a highly contagious condition has been in recently, and will ask if you would like to reschedule for another day. He schedules a week or two in advance, and is always available for health questions. However, not many people own, or rather, take thier birds to the vet very often in my area, so we are rather safe in that regard. I take my guys in every year for thier gram stains, physicals and the like, but thats just because I like to have very clear records in case anything begins to go wrong, and it makes sure that my vet of choice knows my guys' personal needs well.

Youll find the plan that suits your schedule and wallet soon enough.

 

[ramoth]

It was pricy but I knew it would be! A while back we got one of those credit cards for health care only, we both have bad teeth and got that to supplement crummy insurance. Turns out we can use it for our pets too! YEAH! So that was a big relief. Once this yeast infection is gone I think once a year unless something unforeseen happens will be the norm for us. I'm really happy with this vet. Everyone was really nice and they even remembered how we found Zuzu. The vet we see is an avian specialist, one of two at this practice,she asked questions and answered all of mine. She owns the practice and not only is she an avian vet she treats fish!! Ron says he saw an article in one if our fish magazines by her on treating koi! Can you imagine trying to bring a 3ft fish to the vet? She makes "pond" calls thank goodness. Lol.


Shhh I should be working!!

 

[Katster]

Good question. I was wondering the same lately.

Koopa has been here one year, and Jingo has been here about 18 months, so I don't really know yet what my plan will be.

We are in the same boat of not deciding/not knowing what our plan would be .

Dante came to us early 2011. Us not know much about parrot care, we thought that as long as he looked and acted healthy, vet isnt needed --- up until I found this forum AA and learned that birds can hide their illness. We took him to his first vet check (with CBC and a couple other testing) in Feb 2012. Test results came back clear. We didn't take him to a similar vet chack in Feb this year. Not sure yet. When we think more about it, We think the yearly (or a little over a year) check up will give us a piece of mind, so we think we are gonna visit the vet someday soon with Dante. Lets see.

 

[Sianno]

My tiel goes to the vet every month or every other for his nails to be trimmed, sometimes more often (he occasionally breaks blood feathers and I can NOT deal with that alone!) While she's trimming the nails, we talk about the standard "how's he doing?" "noticed weight changes?" etc. Once a year she does a few other tests, but not blood. She said she'll save that for when I notice a problem or if she sees something with the tests. She said he has enough issues with the vets office, she doesn't want to add more trauma.