Animal Abuse? Should I Call Someone?

[aquariusrising]

I talked about this just a tiny bit in another thread but basically I got my first Green Cheek Conure a couple days ago after saving my money and waiting for YEARS to settle into a home (husband is in the military).

I couldn't find a bird rescue in my area that had any Green Cheeks and after checking back for 8 months I gave in and went looking on Craigslist. I didn't love the idea but I was determined to avoid the two pet stores we have for my own reasons.

I found a little girl conure, they said she was 7, I asked them some questions, and everything seemed great. I met them half way and ended up paying 300 plus their gas. I know some breeders sell them for 200, but because I was unable to find one in my area and the pet stores here sell them for 400+, I thought it was a good decision. She was after all already tame and everything..

So on the hour home drive with her I started to notice she was making a strange noise. I looked online when I got home and found that while this could mean some bad things, there were also other possibilities but still I could not stop stressing about it. I text the family I got her from and he told me she made the noise when she was content, but unable to accept that (after realizing the cage she came home in smelled strongly of cig smoke) I ended up calling an emergency vet the next night when the sound become more frequent.

The vet told me it didn't sound like an emergency yet and to come in if any of these list of symptoms she gave me started to happen. We agreed that my bird should still come get checked when I got my next paycheck. While I do have savings for vet emergencies, we are living from paycheck to paycheck and with the cost of the bird I would still have to wait a month to take her in, which was my plan all along but now I don't think it can wait. I really didn't have to money to do both in the same month.

Today, she is making the noise more frequently, and pumping her tail when she does, which was on my list of this is now an emergency things. I called the emergency vet again and they said the fee is 50, plus 150 for after hour visit.

I texted the family who have stayed in contact with me the last few days and let them know what was going on, they IMMEDIATLY blocked my number. I never mentioned the cig smell, I didn't want to accuse anyone until we knew what was going on. I had hoped that worse case scenario they hadn't been smoking in front of the bird for years and maybe had done so in the car on the way to meet me. The fact that they blocked my number so fast is a really bad sign in my opinion.

To make things worse there IS a bird store just another hour down from where I met him. I couldn't find it on maps OR google, but found it on a forum last night. They have tame 8 week old green cheeks for 200.

So I have now payed 330 for a sick bird, don't know how I am going to get her to the vet today but will find away, who knows how much her treatment will cost and I could have just had a healthy baby from the get go for 200.

Don't get me wrong, I do NOT regret getting this bird. I am glad she is out of that home and am glad she has come to a home that will do their best to get her healthy. I just feel stressed and heartbroken. I have wanted a GCC my whole life and thought this would be a happy time.

I hadn't considered reporting anything until they blocked my number, to me it just screamed guilty..

What should I do? I don't think I am going to hold up very well if this bird doesn't make it. I have gone through so much the past few years and things just never look up anymore.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

From what I know of birds, panting and tail throbbing are signs of distress. It could be that your bird is adjusting to being in a 'smoke free' environment but it could also be any number of things.

As for the blocking number - that is 'flag-raising' for me. When I got Skittles, he was doing some things that frightened me. Whenever he would rest quietly, his left wing would 'spasm'. The vet was concerned it might be epilepsy, so when I brought him in for his first check-up she ran a full blood panel to see. Everything came back normal. But the vet could not explain why he was doing that.

So I contacted the pet store and they suggested I contact the breeder. Which I did, and she called me back and explained it to me. He was doing that because he was 'content' and relaxed. I began to observe him more whenever he did it and that's exactly the state he was in when it happens.

Point is, the breeder, pet store, seller whoever it is - if they are worth anything - they'll help you. Not block you.

As for reporting - that's a judgment call. I'm not sure what could be done. But, if they are selling them via ad, if it were me -I'd want to be warned ahead of time. I'd at least post a reply on the forum. Though, I would probably contact anyone who showed interest immediately via PM to alert them so they don't go in blindly and the seller is not aware of me contacting them.

I hate to say this, but there are some very evil people out there with pets and kids in their control and it's sad. I can say this though, I'm thankful that bird is out of that house and with you now.

 

[LeaKP]

Perhaps another thought would be to wait to see what the vet says. If the vet has a diagnosis that coincides with abuse, that may be a green light to report them.

I hope your baby recovers fully and this is soon behind you!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Perhaps another thought would be to wait to see what the vet says. If the vet has a diagnosis that coincides with abuse, that may be a green light to report them.

I hope your baby recovers fully and this is soon behind you!

Good point. Then they'd have the vet to corroborate.

 

[Allee]

Sadly, you're really taking a chance when you buy a bird from a stranger, there's no way to know for sure how old the bird is or anything about the history or health. Unfortunately, a lot of the birds listed are in desperate need of homes and healthcare and many of them have behavioral issues as well. I'm not saying re-homing is not a wonderful thing, I personally think it is, but it's often very costly for the adoptive family.

It's hard to prove animal abuse or neglect, even more so when the animal is a bird. I may be wrong but I don't think there's much if anything you can do at this point other than offer the GCC the best life you can possibly give him. The rewards are well worth the effort.

 

[Kalel]

I'm sad to agree with Allee, but I think she is right It would be tough to prove this bird was intentionally abused in the home of the previous owner. Although I know none of us on this forum would ever smoke in the presence of their bird-I get nervous when I can smell someones cologne or perfume when them enter my house-I'm sure there are many pet owners out there that do smoke in front of their birds (and other pets). Not that I don't agree that it's abusive to do so...I agree with you 110%...I just wonder what can be done by calling the authorities. Best of luck nursing your little girl back to good health. Let's hope she's just coughing up the nasty stuff and adjusting to a smoke free environment!

 

[SoCalWendy]

Oh wow! I look forward to your update. Hope it is nothing serious.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Sadly, being a smoker is not considered 'animal abuse' when you are a bird owner. It's just irresponsible.

The way I see it - if it helps your peace of mind to report it than do it. But don't hold your breath.

My bike was stolen last year and I reported it. I didn't get my bike back, but I know I at least did what I could. Had it been a car, the police likely would have taken it more seriously. But around here, bikes are considered expendable.

To many people out there (who do not own or are familiar with birds), they see a bird or a cat as a 'bike' and a dog or horse as a 'car'. Analogy of course. But all animals are equal in the eyes of those who love them.

 

[SilverSage]

In my experience, almost no one would get even a slap on the wrist for smoking near a bird, after all they are allowed to smoke near children. Also they didn't seem to break any laws, just be terrible people. If you didn't get any paperwork indicating the health of the bird, then reporting it will just waste your time and energy. Blasting them on local Facebook pet pages might actually prevent people from trusting them again thoug, but I lpersonally don't like to get into that kind of public spat. For now do what you can for the bird. Avoid going in as an emergency visit if possible, that emergency fee is outrageous. Look into care credit, or other payment plans. Even if you have to drive a couple of hours, finding a vet who is willing to work with you says a lot about the vet caring more about the animal than the money. Be upfront about your finances. I once had a vet do around $1000 of vet work on my dog and charge me $250 because I brought her in, in tears (they were real) saying how upset I was that the dog chose that week to get sick. The week before I could have paid much more, but my car broke down and I had just replaced the alternator. I was so upset, I would have chosen the dog over the car, but the car broke first and I didn't know the dog would get sick. I told them I only had $250, and that in all honesty I didn't even have that but that's what I could get. The vet comped most of the work and took a payment plan of $5/month. I was able to pay the whole thing the next month, but if I lived near that vet I would go back to her because she cared about my dog not about her pay check.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

@Silversage Here in Maine, there are parts of the state where you can get fined for smoking in a car with a minor child in it.

If someone wants to smoke, they have that right - but it's just common sense not to smoke around birds, babies etc.

I can't help but picture that poor bird coughing up cigarette smoke and it breaks my heart.

 

[SilverSage]

Knowing that gives me hope. I never heard of such a law.

 

[aquariusrising]

Thank you for all of your replies. I love this forum so far, I really feel like other people care about my bird and its really comforting.

Skitty's Daddy, I have been extremely emotional about this whole thing today which is probably why I keep tearing up when I read your posts (but in a good way, I feel like you really understand). Everyone else too, I really appreciate it.

I still hope nothing is wrong and that this will be easily explained as something else less serious when I go into the vet. I am going to hate myself if I can't afford to get this bird healthy. I feel like I should have saved more before getting a bird for emergencies, I just didn't expect an immediate one at all and I will not forgive myself if she doesn't recover. I will do whatever I can. I have already listed tons of my collectables on ebay. I realized today that none of my material items mean a thing to me anymore now that one of my babies needs medical care, even if I have only had her for a few days.

I hadn't considered reporting them until they blocked my number. I should just say the heck with them but it hit me hard to realize they don't even care about this baby. I know if I ever had to rehome an animal i'd want to stay in touch until I made sure the animal was settled in and everything was okay.

My text to them just said that the bird might be sick and I was going to take her in to the vet but was wondering if they had any ideas of what might be making her cough and if I sent them a list of things birds can't have if they would please just let me know if they gave her any of had any smoke or perfumes around her. I assumed it was smoke but didn't dare accuse them, you know?

I explained to them that I was going to do whatever I could to get her healthy but that it might save some time if they could just tell me a few things about what they have fed the bird and so on. I will post the actual text when I find my phone. I honestly was as nice about it as possible, I assume they best of people at first and thought maybe they had just been ignorant about the harm second hand smoke could do. I just wanted them to work with me a bit to maybe give me some info for the vet. I haven't had her long enough to know everything the vet might like to know..

 

[Doublete]

Honestly... You have her now. Don't worry about them.
There is absolutely ZERO chance of animal cruelty because you can't prove anything.

So just forget about it, be irritated but move on.

Take care of her and get her healthy. It's all you CAN do now.

 

[getwozzy]

Unfortunately, I doubt there's anything you can do as far as reporting them for animal abuse.

However, I would take her to the vet as soon as you can (without getting charged an emergency fee) because if they were smoking around her she could have a respiratory issue as well as a nicotine addiction. As Silversage said- be up front with your vet about your finances. When I had to take two of my birds in and was tight on money, they made sure we were still able to do the necessary tests on both birds without going over budget.

 

[Taw5106]

Hi there and welcome. In April I took Venus to the vet because we could hear her breathing in addition to seeing her chest rise and fall as well as her tail moving when breathing. If you look up my posts on Venus, you'll see our progression since April, the latest update today.

My vet is leaning towards Venus being on an all seed diet before I brought her home which in turn created a vitamin A deficiency which in turn has affected her respiratory system.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/56546-bald-spot-back.html
This link has more info related to today. My experience with the vet is an exam, X-ray of head and chest to look at the air sacs. Venus' were cloudy so he started her on a regimen .53 u baytrl a day for 14 days. Also diet to be changed to get vitamin A rich foods in her to boost her. For the tests and treatment so far I've spent $700'since April.

Definitely get her into a vet and they can get you on the right track.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I had that exact problem with Peaches about 10 years ago. She was getting respiratory infections on a regular basis and I couldn't figure it out. Not even the vet I was seeing at the time.

So I went to a new vet and he told me it was because of a Vit A deficiency. I didn't believe him at first because I fed her 'premium' seeds, pellets and even table food. But the vet told me the seeds and 'commercial' pellets are mostly filler and artificial ingredients and colors.

The vet put Peaches on anti-biotics and recommended converting her to Harrisons. I didn't believe him, I though he was trying to 'push me' into a product they sell there. But after a week, she wasn't getting any better. So I reluctantly tried the Harrisons, which she took right too. I discontinued the anti-biotics just prior to the conversion at drs. request. Three days after the conversion she was all better and hasn't had an infection since. It amazed me that a food product could do what an antibiotic couldn't.

 

[SilverSage]

We do care about your bird, and about you. You are getting a rough start to life as a parront, but it sounds like your little angel truly needed you. Hang in there. I think we all feel guilty when we can't drop big bucks on our birdies without asking about cost, but the fact of the matter is that anything you can do for her is a heck of a lot more than the last people bothered to do, so she is better off with you even if your finances run short. Just imagine the damage it would have done her to stay with them any longer! It seems to me that adoption is always more expensive than buying long term, but so so so worth it.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

True that, Silversage.

As much as we'd like to move mountains for those we love, there's only so much we can do. But the very fact that you care so much about your parrot's health is an invaluable asset. That bird is so lucky to have you. Remember that.

I'm on a limited income myself, and my vet knows. Any vet worth their money will work with you IMO. They may only be able to do so much - but I've found with my vet, that they will help as much as they can - even if just over the phone or email. But there is only so much they can do - due to ethical and legal reasons.

 

[PetoftheDay]

You and she will be in my prayers! I hope it is nothing serious, and with love care no smoke and good nutrition, she'll recover in time!

 

[kristyp333]

This may be nothing & I've never owned a conure but these symptoms in parrots could be a serious respiratory condition please keep a close eye on her.