Clouds' first well bird appt with avian vet

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Cloud turned 8 years old in April and has never been to a vet for being sick or for a wellbird checkup. The vet was recommended by several members of the exotic bird club I just joined. I plan on having him DNA sexed (and checked for any alien DNA genes). What other tests do they routinely do and is there anything that I should request if not part of the typical checkup?

Also, on the side of paranoia . . . I've read alot on the forums about quarantining birds and washing up and changing your clothes if your handled other birds. I'm sure most of the birds the vet sees may be sick and I don't think she will change her clothes before she handles Cloud. If I was bringing in a sick bird, he would probably go home with meds, which might prevent passing on the other birds illnesses.
But if I bring in a bird that isn't sick and most likely not going home with meds, could I be exposing him to diseases of the previously seen birds by the vet? Am I overthinking this?

[Birdlover]

For my birds' wellness exams, typically we do a full blood panel with bile acids. Sometimes we'll do further tests if there is any concern (Cultures, xrays, etc).

Yes there is always the chance you could be exposed to other avian illnesses. Vets know this too and Im sure they take as many precautions as they can. I feel the benefit of a good wellness exam outweighs the risk at the vet's office. Our birds are so good at hiding anything that could be wrong with them and these wellness checks are a great tool to monitor their health. The other thing I like is that we have a baseline for my birds and what is normal for them, so if anything does come up we would know how "off" those values are.

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Do I have to bring in a poop sample with me?

[Larry, Baby and Me]

He will poop when he is there. Just have a paper towel handy.

Checks and tests my vet usually performs:

Eyes
Ears
Nares
Throat
Vent
Preen gland
Feather condition (stress bars and overall appearance)

Gram smear (poop test)
Avian CBC (Complete Blood Count)
Avian Chemistries
Avian Bile Acids

You should transport him in a portable carrier.

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Thanks, Jill and Larry.

The travel cage Cloud odered was delivered today. It came from Flying South, Inc. We did a test run in trying to get him in it. It took about an hour to finally get him in. I had to towel him to get him to do it. I'll try every day til his appt next Thursday.

Thanks, again.

[Birdlover]

That is a very good point. I always take my birds in a travel carrier too, with a towel to cover the front. Other pet owners dont always have the best control of their animals, so we have to be sure we protect our birds from them.

Just last week I was at the vet with Lancelot (who is very phobic as it is) and a lady with her dog asks me "Can he sniff?" Um, how about no! :irk:

[Larry, Baby and Me]

I have considered doing it by the book...

Place the carrier near her cage for a week or more for her to get used to seeing it.

Then place the carrier in an open place and have her get used to seeing it while she is out of her cage.

Then put little treats on top of the carrier for her to munch on.

Finally put treats and favorite toys inside the carrier for her to get.

And then you will have a bird that willingly goes in and out of her carrier on command.

Yeah - Right... I keep the carrier out of site in a closet. I bring it out and place it in my office - out of Baby's sight. I go into the living room (bird room) take Baby out of her cage. Drape her baby blanket over her. Wrap her up so she does not squirm out. Take her to the carrier and stuff her in it - blanket and all.

And off to the vet we go.

End of task.

I tried it by the book - she kept eating the carrier. :susp:

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Here is the cage Cloud ordered for himself.

http://www.flyingsouth.com/

[Larry, Baby and Me]

That's not a carrier - that's a penthouse... very nice.

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

I think I have a high maintence bird. It beats the shoe box with holes punched in it, that I originally planned on using.

[Larry, Baby and Me]

I tried that --- Baby ate the shoebox.

:rofl::yahoo::fngrdnc::alien:

[Dot]

Y:susp:

Yeah - Right... I keep the carrier out of site in a closet. I bring it out and place it in my office - out of Baby's sight. I go into the living room (bird room) take Baby out of her cage. Drape her baby blanket over her. Wrap her up so she does not squirm out. Take her to the carrier and stuff her in it - blanket and all.

Even if I get the cage out the night before while they are sleeping, they still know. The only one I have a problem with is the RFM. I have this huge dog kennel that even the Scarlet steps into willingly, but the RFM is having no part of it. She has to be toweled.

Dot

[Dot]

Express your concerns to your vet and ask if you can have the first appointment of the day.

I don't wait in the waiting room if there are other birds. I just walk past them and go to the vet's office.

Two weeks ago I was taking the Scarlet in for nails and a nare flush and the BFA for nails. When I got to the vet's there was a sign on the door that said, "Dot, don't bring Tommie and Fergie inside."

When I got home I saw that they had tried to call me twice. They had a sick bird there and didn't even want me to come in.

Dot

P.S. Have I mentioned that I love my vet?

[FoxersArtist]

Wow, is that purple thing the mothership? Maybe you should have the vet test that as well. Seriously, I hope all goes well at the vet. ;)
-Anna

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Your vet certainly sounds like a keeper. My past experience with vets have taught me that you really don't know how good they are til you have an emergency.

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Anna, if it is, Cloud wanted nothing to do with it.

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Clouds' scale came today. Once I got him to stop dancing, I got a reading of 327.8 grams.

[michelle]

Whew-hoo! I love the picture of Cloud modeling the scale!
I will be anxious to hear if alien DNA is found! ;)
The Adventure Pack is awesome. I have one of the "old" ones. I think it's a little smaller. But, for my guys, it's all I need. And, it's a "must have" if I am taking all three in at once! (Two hands... three cages... yup... somebody has got to go on the back!)
I keep a shelf in my bird room with three travel cages on it. (Every now and then, Gillie or Django decide they want to sleep in one. I started out using them as sleep cages. Masti was never keen on the sleep cage idea.)
I did bribe... er... train them to go into their carriers by saying the word "Fire." They know they are going to get an almond if they do that! LOL!
Here's a video of Django learning this trick a few months ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFBZenhmZQo
(It's okay to think I am absolutely crazy for teaching them this! My mother thinks I'm crazy, and she's a professional dog trainer. :D)

[iti hoa's mom]

Nice carrier Diane. I am sure you have a good time. Great to take them places and they have built in covers.

A suggestion for emergencies for those of us with multiple birds and needing a quick escape...have pillow cases. Stuff them in, easy to carry and makes for an ok housing in an emergency. I keep a stack by the garage door. There is always a crate set up in my van or folded in the back.

Back packs are great. With dogs and birds both I have a back pack each...a doggie one and a birdie one. Each has food, some sort of dish, grooming items, first aide kits etc. Sure is easy when you travel. (have taken both dogs, birds, grandkids from Houston to Chicago). When staying overnight at a motel it is easy to bring in the things I need with a back pack. the grandkids were able to help as back packs were easy for them to carry.

Peggy

[Patty, Linus and Co.]

Do I have to bring in a poop sample with me?

Birds are high-volume poopers (as you well know!!). You can count on them producing several while you are there...

Patty

[Diane, Clouds assignment]

Cloud had his first wellbird vet appointment today. Still had to towel him to get him into the carrier. When we got there, I put him on the stainless steel exam table. He thought it was a disco floor and started hopping and spinning around, and then he would look at his reflection in the table. When the Dr came in, he walked over and stepped up. As she checked him over he kept asking, "What are you doing?" He cracks me up. No screams when she took blood. She'll notify me when the bloodwork is in (about 7 to 10 days). I'm having him checked for alian DNA. When the exam was done, he stepped right into the cage for me. She said he was a very good bird. (I didn't tell her he's not always this cooperative).

And yes, I did take pictures. Here's the link to his gallery. The last two pics are from today. Click on the pics to enlarge.

http://www.pbase.com/dizpost/cloud

[TikiTalks]

- cracks up -

[Dot]

How precious. I thought only Her Highness, Fergie, turned off the light. She has only done it one time though.