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Post by rebeccaandfinn on Aug 12, 2018 22:27:59 GMT -5
Hi everyone! This is my first post, I have a 6 year old Quaker named Finn (officially Finnigan, but that is reserved for when he is being naughty).
Something I have been thinking about a lot recently is whether he should be getting regular vet check-ups.
I have taken Finn to the vet exactly twice. Once, when I got him as a baby. And once about two years ago when I was considering boarding him for a week - at this point I also got bloodwork done because I thought it would be good to have a baseline of his healthy values in case anything happens in the future. When he was seen by a vet they said he was very healthy, and nothing lifestyle/dietwise has changed since then. I monitor his droppings, and would notice if he ever got even a little less feisty. I am thinking of getting a scale to better monitor his weight. Finn is my only bird and has no contact with other birds.
I've seen sources say that "wellness" checks are recommended every 6 months. Do you take your birds to the vet regularly, or only if you have a concern? I can't decide if the benefits of regular check ups outweigh the stress the vet visit would put on him.
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Post by biteybird on Aug 13, 2018 6:58:57 GMT -5
Hi there! I may not be a great 'Parront' but we don't take Bonnie to the vet unless we think something's amiss. We didn't take her after we got her from the breeder (4 years ago), as we weren't informed enough to do so - I joined this Forum a while later and it's been invaluable for information and support. So, to answer your question, no, we don't take her for regular check-ups. Cheers & welcome to the Forum!  |
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Post by dinucci on Aug 15, 2018 5:21:53 GMT -5
I dunno. .I did take buddy shortly after we got him which wasn't a bad idea really cause I was able to meet with the vet and get to know her and the services she provides..and to get a basic idea about how good she is ya know what I mean? So I was really comfortable with her after that 1st visit. She checked him out thoroughly, then we talked about vaccines. She wasn't pushy at all,rather it was my doing that I ended up getting him his poly shot and followup booster in addition to another one I can't think of off the top of my head ! But these shots are required at most vets if you ever want to board there.
I did a blood workup as well like you and think that it was a good idea. From there,it was determined he was clear of any other problems..and he got his wings trimmed a little as well and she did a stellar job..he was able to fly easily,but kept him from flying too high.
Since he's had other problems,now going thru a full molt,his 1st real one,but aggressively plucking. Luckily that's under control now and his follow up visit was yesterday. Don't wanna look back in my checkbook,but peace of mind has its price!
If he stays healthy,I don't see a need to take him back..maybe once every 2 years.
You're doing a great job staying on top of things with him. It's a continuing ed sort of thing caring for birds,which is why were all here right? Ohh and for the funny stories too ! Good to have ya here !
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Post by cnyguy on Aug 15, 2018 20:11:31 GMT -5
I used to take George the YCA to the vet twice a year, mainly because he had a corkscrew toenail that needed to be trimmed by an expert. I haven't done that with either Ralph or Scooter. Once a year or so has been often enough, unless any signs of trouble show up, then it's off to the vet right away.
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Post by biteybird on Aug 16, 2018 5:30:42 GMT -5
I neglected to mention that one of the reasons we didn't take Bonnie was because we didn't have many Avian vets available in our vicinity (I think there are not as many specialist bird vets around Australia as in the US).
But we did take her to one Avian vet twice in Melbourne (Burwood) - who pronounced her healthy but "stocky", haha - to get a hormone implant, due to her aggressiveness/hormonal behaviour.
Then when we moved to Darwin last year we discovered there are no Avian vets there, however, there is an animal rescue place that deals with birds. So we took Bonnie there when her next hormone implant was due and they were very good (although they had not done a hormone implant on a quaker before and had to read up on it and find out where to order the implant to be delivered there).
So I guess we have taken her to the Vet, but not initially when she was a baby, only for very specific reasons.
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Post by pidgesmum on Dec 7, 2018 18:36:02 GMT -5
I've only taken Pidge to vet once, when he was sick. It is too expensive to make it a regular thing.
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