What's in a vet?

[maimaie]

I've been thinking about vet/vet issues a lot lately.... and they are on my mind again. We live in a small-ish town, but we are fortunate enough to have an avian vet. We are moving to an even smaller town in another state and (you guessed it) NO avian vets. In fact the CLOSEST vet is actually a two hour drive back to where we are living now, further more there isn't a single ABVP-avian vet ANYWHERE in the state of Georgia!!!

If you live in Georgia what do you do?? I know that Sodacat mentioned not having an AV in her state or any state that borders her state. In these instances I suppose the best option is to familiarize yourself with "home remedies" and have a connection to an awesome forum (got one down!) But what do you do when your animals need a medication? What happens in the event of an emergency where the poor baby is in pain or needs a simple antibiotic??? I feel like I am constantly explaining to people "Luca is fragile" when they see we have no non-stick pans or when my BF sister comes to visit and her suitcase REAKS of nail polish (I made her put it back in the car). I know that when it comes to me and BF that Luca is safe, but because I share my life with him there has to be compromise. (I don't mean compromise on Luca's safety, I might have found the one person on earth that cares more for animals than I do! I mean compromise like his family visiting and having friends over, etc.)

So here are my concerns:

How do I keep Luca safe when surrounded by people that just don't realize or know any better? I feel like this is a silly question. The obvious answer is to be a diligent owner and caregiver to my feathered baby, but this isn't always easy or straightforward (can you tell I am a worrier ). (Example: How do I prevent visitors from bringing dangerous things into the house?)

How do I know that the vet care that he is receiving is sufficient?

What is the difference in a DVM that will treat birds, a DVM that has bird interests, a DVM that has experience with birds, and a DVM, ABVP-avian??? Which of these is an "avian vet" and which is a "certified avian vet"? Are these two terms synonymous??

From what I can tell the first two types of vets are the same, maybe they are knowledgable enough and maybe not, but I'm not sure I am knowledgable enough about avian medicine to judge if I think they are knowledgable enough! I am much more comfortable with a vet that has "bird experience" but once again, how do I know this is sufficient?

Finally what does it mean to be ABVP-avian? Is this just a test that you study for and take to become certified? I don't mean to be little it as "just a test" but I have no other way to ask the question. Is there extra training involved or are we simply talking about taking a test?

 

[tozie12]

i dont know the answer to most of your questions. but i can tell you a few things i've learned from my experiences.

#1 certified avian vet is not synonymous with perfect parrot vet. the first vet that i took my skittles to was on the website as avian certified. he was the most awful medical professional i've ever seen.... in any field. but then i took them to a local vet who was simply a small animal vet with avian experience. she was caring and acceptable for an emergency where time is of the essence. i now travel over an hour (one way) to take them to a vet school. they are more expensive than most avian vets. but they are closer, have cutting edge technology and i trust them.

#2 you can only do what you can do. you are not all knowing all powerful. you can watch the environment for dangers. keep all the most deadly (teflon) toxins out of the house. but sometimes crap happens. then you learn, you deal, you do the best you can. you cant spend all day every day in fear. it will make you crazy and eventually wear on you. i'm not saying just wing it. by all means, be as careful as you can. but be sure you enjoy your lil one and do your best.

#3 tho they are fragile, in some respects, they are also resilient. i know, sound contradictory. and i guess it kinda is. do i own teflon pans? nope not a one. does my new coffee maker have a teflon heat plate? yup. not cause i wanted it, cause that is what is available. i apply caution. dont leave it on when i'm not home. dont put the parrot cage RIGHT NEXT TO the coffee maker. i found a GREAT coffee cup warmer for my table. ya know to keep my coffee from getting cold when i'm up chasing parrots all over the room. it has a teflon heat plate. i didnt buy it. why? because it would be RIGHT IN THE ROOM with my parrots.

give that lil one lots of love, do the best you can, use due caution where you can, and hope bad luck doesnt visit your home. what more could you possibly do? you're only human.

of course as always, remember this is just my opinion.

 

[Hankmacaw]

It's the vet - not the alphabet after their name. The very best vet I have ever taken my birds to was a dog/cat vet who had a lot of bird experience. She didn't have more knowledge than my current avian vet, but she knew what she didn't know and was quick to get on the phone and get an expert involved. Because she didn't have a bunch of false pride she saved my Hank by getting him to the right vet.

BTW - the two very worst vets I have every had to deal with were CAVs/ABVP. One was even a Diplomate - the highest of the high certification. What horrors they were.

I drive 1 1/2 hour each way to my current vet, who I've been with for 13 years.

I recommend that you try out (interview) the vet near you with bird experience. If he is acceptable use that vet with the understanding that he will call in experts if there is something he is not comfortable with.

[h=1]Why Choose an ABVP Specialist?[/h]

Chances are your animal's doctor might never tell you, but you'd want to know: your veterinarian is one of a very small group of doctors who have earned the title Specialist from the ABVP. In fact, your veterinarian is one of 900 ABVP Specialists in the United States and abroad.
What does that mean? It means your veterinarian made a choice to undergo a long and difficult process of additional studies and examination to become a board certified specialist recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). This process takes a minimum of three years to complete and the motivation behind it is, very simply, excellence. ​

 

[maimaie]

Thank you both for the helpful and thoughtful comments! You have made me feel much better about our upcoming move.

 

[Ziggymon]

I drive two hours each way to my avian vet, who is a bird certified avian vet, and in whom I have a great deal of trust. The avian vet I had in St. Louis is not a board certified vet, but he has specialized in birds for a long time, and is very good. I will be using him again when I move back to St. Louis, although for some things, I will most probably drive back up to my current vet - he's at the U of I, and for some things, there's an advantage in going to a vet school - a greater tendency toward cutting edge knowledge and technology.

I have learned, through experience, not to trust a vet who is too sure of him/herself. There is nothing more valuable in a vet than someone who knows the limitations of his/her own knowledge and who will make phone calls and/or referrals to experts. Ego is the enemy of good veterinary practice.