Avian vet exam question

[Timneh]

How many days does it take to get back the results from the avian vet for blood and fecal?
Going on 4 days and have not heard anything yet.

 

[SailBoat]

How many days does it take to get back the results from the avian vet for blood and fecal?
Going on 4 days and have not heard anything yet.

Fecal (gram stain) is normally the same day if not while you are still at the Clinic. Can take longer if they are searching for a specific reading.

This time of year can greatly extend times unless the tests are sent to the Lab at extra cost 'Express' service. Normally you would hear back by this time. That said, remember that on-line shopping has overloaded the carriers and that has slowed transit time to the Lab.

 

[Timneh]

That's unfortunate, this gives us more concerns about this shelter, we are now discouraged with the disinformation and suspect they are not telling us other things about this macaw.

They first told us they got him 6 months ago, then it was 10 months.

They first told us he has no illness, then after 2 visits they told us he is on their health watch list because he is losing weight steady of the months and plumage deteriorating and because we are concerned will take him in for test on Monday, haven't heard anything yet. I noticed the poop in his cage has a sour smell to it, but in the 2 hours we are holding and visiting with him (in a separate room) he did not poop once?

They first told us he is a very gentle and very sweet bird but he looks and acts stressed and scared the times we met him, and the shelter says he likes us the most compared to the others who visit him.

They first told us he does not chews the cage bars yet I noticed his cage (the cage he come with) has a lot of scratched off paint and a bar notch under his beak from sliding his beak back and forth. He is always hanging on the inside sides up high holding on with his beak and claws.

They first told us the previous owner had to downsize then we find out he wanted to get rid of him because he is not playful.

There is more things but I forgot.

My wife now wants to withdraw the adoption and wait till next year and get a hand fed pure breed baby macaw and raise it ourselves, I am also now leaning this way.
27 years ago I hand fed and weaned a baby greenwing from breeder judy Marzack IL. myself and had her for 10 years, then got divorced and had to re-home her. Never had any health or behavioral issues with her in that 10 years even through a bad marriage and divorce, and living with 3 drama daughters and a big dog.
This rescue must have been abused or severely neglected, breaks my heart because I do like him.

 

[Oliver17]

Can I ask what the rescue name is? I adopted Oliver from a rescue also. I know they are not always sure on the history of the birds they get in. I also know when I took Oliver to the vet’ blood work and fecal were done while I waited. If you need a good vet let me know
Best of luck

 

[Timneh]

I won't disclose their name after my negative comments but how would you feel if the shelter disinformation kept piling up. Some here will say I am over reacting and to be more patient. Maybe for some here it's no big deal to have to treat a sick macaw (who knows) and to train an old macaw and to correct an old macaws psychological issues, but for my wife and I it's discouraging because it was not what we expected or were told.

 

[SailBoat]

Please understand that record keeping is not always a top priority at a rescue and that staff is not always kept up to date!

Also, Rescues commonly get reduced cost from Avian Vets and that means that everything is on a slow pace to keep costs down. If the Vet didn't seem overly concern to rush the Blood Screen, likely was not seeing any concerning issues during the exam.

What you are saying is fairly common condition for a Parrot at a rescue. If you think about it, why would the Parrot not be overly stressed, not being in great feather, etc...

MAC's Chew On Cages! And, Thank God For That Fact! A Stressed Parrot will chew on a cage.

Please understand that I work with 'yesterday's trash' and what you are defining is the best place I have ever started with an Amazon.

The Most Important Thing Is Always: Did The Parrot Come To You! Did The Parrot Choose You! If so, you will be far ahead of any other issues that other people have when they get the Parrot that They Wanted!!!

I'm not defending the Rescue, I'm Defending the MAC!

Why didn't you include this information as part of you're opening of this Thread!?! It would have made addressing your true questions much easier.

 

[Timneh]

Please understand that record keeping is not always a top priority at a rescue and that staff is not always kept up to date!

Also, Rescues commonly get reduced cost from Avian Vets and that means that everything is on a slow pace to keep costs down. If the Vet didn't seem overly concern to rush the Blood Screen, likely was not seeing any concerning issues during the exam.

What you are saying is fairly common condition for a Parrot at a rescue. If you think about it, why would the Parrot not be overly stressed, not being in great feather, etc...

MAC's Chew On Cages! And, Thank God For That Fact! A Stressed Parrot will chew on a cage.

Please understand that I work with 'yesterday's trash' and what you are defining is the best place I have ever started with an Amazon.

The Most Important Thing Is Always: Did The Parrot Come To You! Did The Parrot Choose You! If so, you will be far ahead of any other issues that other people have when they get the Parrot that They Wanted!!!

I'm not defending the Rescue, I'm Defending the MAC!

Why didn't you include this information as part of you're opening of this Thread!?! It would have made addressing your true questions much easier.

Because the shelter was supposed to contact us about the results not the clinic.
I understand what your saying, thank you.

 

[Scott]

Seems you'll have to decide, based on all available information, whether the prospective mac is healthy or not vs your level of attachment. That you like him and have a desire to adopt from a rescue is paramount. If there are medical conditions, can they be readily mitigated or are they lifelong? Only then can you assess your level of commitment to this bird.

 

[Timneh]

Seems you'll have to decide, based on all available information, whether the prospective mac is healthy or not vs your level of attachment. That you like him and have a desire to adopt from a rescue is paramount. If there are medical conditions, can they be readily mitigated or are they lifelong? Only then can you assess your level of commitment to this bird.

Yes that's how I feel about it, and honestly the commitment level at this point is low because we only visit him a few times and have not signed any adoption papers.

My biggest fear is 6 months after we adopt him it all gets much worse and we can not take it anymore and have to bring him back to the shelter which would be worse for the macaw. Even now, I've been stressed all week since we visit him last weekend.

 

[SailBoat]

Seems you'll have to decide, based on all available information, whether the prospective mac is healthy or not vs your level of attachment. That you like him and have a desire to adopt from a rescue is paramount. If there are medical conditions, can they be readily mitigated or are they lifelong? Only then can you assess your level of commitment to this bird.

Yes that's how I feel about it, and honestly the commitment level at this point is low because we only visit him a few times and have not signed any adoption papers.

My biggest fear is 6 months after we adopt him it all gets much worse and we can not take it anymore and have to bring him back to the shelter which would be worse for the macaw. Even now, I've been stressed all week since we visit him last weekend.

Not to pick about here, but you need to rethink your emotions and what is driving what!

Sometimes, for any number of good or bad reasons 'we cannot choose!' As a result, we look for outside influences that we can place blame on and shift the emotion (fear) onto them!

- It is understandable to have fear that undertaking a task can be greater then we can handle and that failure would only deepen the pain for the MAC. I get that, I really do!

- It is understandable that choosing a path that you have traveled before is more comfortable, even more so, since you have had success on that path.

- There is no hard and fast rule in this area! No one here judges whether one path is better than another.

- Stress Kills!!! Fear is the source of the vast majority of Stress. Fear is an emotion that 'we' create! It is commonly formed from our Hardwired: Flight or Fight Reaction, which demands a choice! And demands that choice NOW!

As soon as you understand the source of your Stress, you will begin to feel it weaken as it cannot survive exposure!

Based on what you have now provide over the course of this Thread, you have in fact answered your underlying question! Which is: Your (proper) fear in this new path has you questioning rehome a Parrot! The choice you are moving toward is to follow a path that you have in the past!

That is a fully acceptable path to everyone here and proper for you at this point in time!

Find a Breeder that you can fully Trust!!! Only bring the new Parrot home once it is FULLY weaned and on solid food for several weeks! Assure that the Breeder will socialize your Parrot, as this will only easy the transition for your baby!

Enjoy!

 

[Timneh]

Sailboat thank you for that,
You must have been a psychologist.
:04:

 

[SailBoat]

Sailboat thank you for that,
You must have been a psychologist.
:04:

. No! Just bitten a great deal by Amazons for being to stupid to get it! Nothing like a sharp motivator to bring clarity of mind!

 

[Teddscau]

I understand what you're saying. I've adopted birds from two different shelters (both were well over an hour from me), and neither gave me very much information about the birds I was adopting (Rumi, Lara, and Pollo from the Toronto Humane Society; Ria and Tiki from the Kitchener Humane Society). They either didn't have the information in question, or they purposefully withheld it from me (the Kitchener Humane Society refused to give me Ria and Tiki's medical files for some BS reason).

Most rescues and shelters want to give these birds a good home, but at the same time, I find their knowledge of avian health and medicine is incredibly poor and they hire the cheapest vets they can find. This was the case with Ria and Tiki. The vet treated Ria for an infection and said they were all better and could be adopted out. However, as soon as I got them set up in their quarantine cage, I could tell they were near death's door. Extremely emaciated, atrophied muscles, suffering from chronic infections, malnourished, and wearing what appeared to be leg bands made out of a soda can... It wasn't pretty. However, I'll have had them a year this March, and I don't regret adopting them. They would've died if I hadn't adopted them, as few people would've noticed they were sick. They are extremely sweet, smart, cute...I just love them! They're still sick and they probably will be for the rest of their lives and will require specialized care, but this is why I adopt rather than buy from a breeder. Sure I could by a young bird from a breeder, but I refuse to do so until every homeless, abused, or neglected bird has a loving home.

When you adopt a bird, you're adopting a bird who, odds are, is no longer loved and has lost everything. This bird has been abandoned by humans who should've loved them unconditionally. I know a lot of people have no other choice but to give up their birds due to tragic circumstances, but the majority of homeless birds are just "status symbols" who've been thrown away like trash. Millions of sweet, loving, healthy animals are euthanized each year in the US because nobody wants them. In places where they have a high intake and low adoption rate, many injured or sick animals are left to suffer untreated in their enclosure before their adoption window closes and they're euthanized, their enclosure sterilized, and the cycle repeats again thousands of times. The difference with birds is that they aren't typically euthanized unless they're dying, so instead they're unfortunately left to rot in crowded conditions until they're adopted.

Man, sounds like I'm guilting into getting you to adopt. That's not my intention. I'm just trying to give you an insight into the seemingly dishonest and uncaring attitude from the shelter. They've seen thousands, if not millions of perfectly sweet animals being dumped on their doorstep and forgotten. As the days pass, many of these birds who were once happy and healthy become withdrawn and become unhealthy, and with each passing day, more and more birds arrive at the shelter, unwanted. After a while, I'm sure the staff become jaded, knowing that no matter what they do, they'll run out of room at the shelter and have to turn away animals. What happens to these animals after telling their guardians that there's no room for them? Who knows. No kill shelters are great, but in large cities, this means unwanted animals have to be turned away, and who knows what their guardians will resort to. Will they find them a good home? Will they just abandon them? Or will something worse happen?

Fudge, maybe I am guilting you into adopting. Fudge, I'm seriously not doing this on purpose! Obviously, you shouldn't go around adopting animals out of guilt (not going to lie, that's what I do), but if you and the macaw have a real connection, try to forget about the sketchy information. You'll probably be in for a few surprises after adopting him, but ask yourself which is worse: living with the fact that you didn't adopt him because he might be sick, or adopting him and he IS sick? If he is sick, are you able to still love him even if you have to devote more time and money into making him happy and healthy?

 

[Kentuckienne]

My two cents is that if you adopt this parrot, you will wind up rehoming him. The only way to adopt a parrot is with the mindset that this is forever, period. Think about it this way: would you support someone who wanted to have a human child with the condition that they could give it up if it turned out to have medical or attitude problems?

Divorce happens. Job changes happen, falling in love with someone allergic to parrots happens, all kinds of things happen. You already owned a macaw that you loved, and gave it up because of a life change. Where is that parrot now? Is it still happy in that second home? Or is it another unadoptable shelter bird? How can you 100% guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again?

It’s tempting to “own” a parrot, and they are intelligent and engaging companions. But this comes at a cost. Like it or not, human desire for pet parrots leads to poaching, smuggling, and the deaths of many wild parrots for each one that makes it into captivity. Even buying a bird from a domestic breeder fuels this horror, because it reinforces the idea that a parrot is an attractive pet. Wonderful handfed babies will continue to enter the chain, make it through puberty and live out their lives with their original human, or more likely be rehomed because of a life change, divorce, or other issue with the human’s life. Then they will work their way through that path, but the human can just get a fresh bird and start over. One person can put many birds into misery, one at a time, even with good intentions.

That’s my personal take on it...that no one should take in a parrot without a total, 100% commitment to keeping that bird forever.

 

[Timneh]

My two cents is that if you adopt this parrot, you will wind up rehoming him. The only way to adopt a parrot is with the mindset that this is forever, period. Think about it this way: would you support someone who wanted to have a human child with the condition that they could give it up if it turned out to have medical or attitude problems?

Divorce happens. Job changes happen, falling in love with someone allergic to parrots happens, all kinds of things happen. You already owned a macaw that you loved, and gave it up because of a life change. Where is that parrot now? Is it still happy in that second home? Or is it another unadoptable shelter bird? How can you 100% guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again?

It’s tempting to “own” a parrot, and they are intelligent and engaging companions. But this comes at a cost. Like it or not, human desire for pet parrots leads to poaching, smuggling, and the deaths of many wild parrots for each one that makes it into captivity. Even buying a bird from a domestic breeder fuels this horror, because it reinforces the idea that a parrot is an attractive pet. Wonderful handfed babies will continue to enter the chain, make it through puberty and live out their lives with their original human, or more likely be rehomed because of a life change, divorce, or other issue with the human’s life. Then they will work their way through that path, but the human can just get a fresh bird and start over. One person can put many birds into misery, one at a time, even with good intentions.

That’s my personal take on it...that no one should take in a parrot without a total, 100% commitment to keeping that bird forever.

That's right Kent, that's why we withdrew the adoption, I'm not at 100% with the possible situation right now, sorry.
Did you ever think it's better to rehome a parrot for it's best interest?
I believe rehoming can be the opposite what you say and actually be a blessing for the bird. As long as the new home is a better home and better situation, as long as the bird is happy and thriving and choose the new owners and they promise to do the same and all this verified the best that we can do, so then why not rehome.
Some bird animal hoarders are soooo committed to their flock that they don't see the truth, that their flock is unhappy and just surviving and not thriving and that both the parrot and parrot owner is deteriorating.
Maybe instead of dumping their parrots at a dirty shelter why dont they work hard finding a better home for him where he will thrive. I know many that find homes for their pets and would never ask for a rehoming fee. Just give the bird and the cage and even offer something extra. The new owners will feel then even more committed with your generosity and love for their new charge.
The people who need or want to rehome their animals must be committed in finding a better home situation than their own, no matter what and no matter the cost. In the past that's what I did and it worked out very well for my parrot, the new owners and myself.
I'm for breeding pure bred parrots (not hybrids), and I am for responsible rehoming. I am against dropping off my pets at a rescue shelter and I am against someone keeping a large parrot in a forever bad situation. Don't be selfish. :57:

 

[Timneh]

I understand what you're saying. I've adopted birds from two different shelters (both were well over an hour from me), and neither gave me very much information about the birds I was adopting (Rumi, Lara, and Pollo from the Toronto Humane Society; Ria and Tiki from the Kitchener Humane Society). They either didn't have the information in question, or they purposefully withheld it from me (the Kitchener Humane Society refused to give me Ria and Tiki's medical files for some BS reason).

Most rescues and shelters want to give these birds a good home, but at the same time, I find their knowledge of avian health and medicine is incredibly poor and they hire the cheapest vets they can find. This was the case with Ria and Tiki. The vet treated Ria for an infection and said they were all better and could be adopted out. However, as soon as I got them set up in their quarantine cage, I could tell they were near death's door. Extremely emaciated, atrophied muscles, suffering from chronic infections, malnourished, and wearing what appeared to be leg bands made out of a soda can... It wasn't pretty. However, I'll have had them a year this March, and I don't regret adopting them. They would've died if I hadn't adopted them, as few people would've noticed they were sick. They are extremely sweet, smart, cute...I just love them! They're still sick and they probably will be for the rest of their lives and will require specialized care, but this is why I adopt rather than buy from a breeder. Sure I could by a young bird from a breeder, but I refuse to do so until every homeless, abused, or neglected bird has a loving home.

When you adopt a bird, you're adopting a bird who, odds are, is no longer loved and has lost everything. This bird has been abandoned by humans who should've loved them unconditionally. I know a lot of people have no other choice but to give up their birds due to tragic circumstances, but the majority of homeless birds are just "status symbols" who've been thrown away like trash. Millions of sweet, loving, healthy animals are euthanized each year in the US because nobody wants them. In places where they have a high intake and low adoption rate, many injured or sick animals are left to suffer untreated in their enclosure before their adoption window closes and they're euthanized, their enclosure sterilized, and the cycle repeats again thousands of times. The difference with birds is that they aren't typically euthanized unless they're dying, so instead they're unfortunately left to rot in crowded conditions until they're adopted.

Man, sounds like I'm guilting into getting you to adopt. That's not my intention. I'm just trying to give you an insight into the seemingly dishonest and uncaring attitude from the shelter. They've seen thousands, if not millions of perfectly sweet animals being dumped on their doorstep and forgotten. As the days pass, many of these birds who were once happy and healthy become withdrawn and become unhealthy, and with each passing day, more and more birds arrive at the shelter, unwanted. After a while, I'm sure the staff become jaded, knowing that no matter what they do, they'll run out of room at the shelter and have to turn away animals. What happens to these animals after telling their guardians that there's no room for them? Who knows. No kill shelters are great, but in large cities, this means unwanted animals have to be turned away, and who knows what their guardians will resort to. Will they find them a good home? Will they just abandon them? Or will something worse happen?

Fudge, maybe I am guilting you into adopting. Fudge, I'm seriously not doing this on purpose! Obviously, you shouldn't go around adopting animals out of guilt (not going to lie, that's what I do), but if you and the macaw have a real connection, try to forget about the sketchy information. You'll probably be in for a few surprises after adopting him, but ask yourself which is worse: living with the fact that you didn't adopt him because he might be sick, or adopting him and he IS sick? If he is sick, are you able to still love him even if you have to devote more time and money into making him happy and healthy?

Of course, any animal that is my responsibility I would take care of and love and devote myself to them, especially if it was ill. The parrots at the shelter are not my responsibility, I have no say in their keeping.

 

[Inger]

Remember if you get a baby, you need to take their life span into consideration and make plans for them to potentially outlive you. I’m not in the least suggesting you not do it - Bumble came from a breeder and it was absolutely the right choice for me - just want to make sure you’re thinking about all of the things. [emoji2]

 

[Kentuckienne]

Timneh, I tried to delete my post. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I was having a bad evening. Local rescue had just picked up a bird, horrible story, and I was hating the whole companion parrot idea right then. It seems there are so many stories that end badly or every one that goes well ... and the ones going well just haven’t ended yet. I can take the best care I can of our parrot, but have no control over what happens when I’m gone or incapacitated. A will or trust or agreement with someone really doesn’t guarantee a good result. The just seem so vulnerable to me ... many captive parrots never leave the cage, the ones that do don’t fly, the ones that do can’t get outside, the ones that do don’t survive our environment. So the parrot has no power to change things.

I ageee that sometimes rehoming a parrot is best. If a bird just hates you or hates the situation, keeping it is just making it miserable. If a parrot is in an unsafe situation, or if the human really won’t be able to care for it, rehoming seems safer than the alternative. And life DOES change. I’m not going to argue that if a parrot owner meets that one person out of a million, and that person happens to be allergic or phobic or the parrot hates them...it’s hard to say anything. Humans live. Long time, so the chances of some kind of enormous, parrot-rehoming class change is high.

That’s why I think it’s good to really, really think about it. Think about the worst thing that could happen ... can you deal with it in the parrots best interest? What if the parrot gets sick, or you get sick, or worse? People might say, well nothing’s guaranteed, if you think like that no one would keep parrots as pets.

Exactly.

That’s just my opinion and I’m sure it’s not the final truth. There are tons of unwanted parrots in rescues or elsewhere, and they need homes. Maybe it would be best if humans just cared for the parrots we already hold captive, and didn’t breed any more of them. You see how tempting, how wonderful the babies are. And yet, each one of the horrible rescue situations started out with an adorable baby parrot. Much suffering would be avoided if we didn’t keep these un-domesticated animals in cages. But that’s spitting into the wind. So what’s the most loving path of action?

I actually think you are doing the right thing by NOT adopting a parrot you aren’t sure about. Maybe you could help find a home for him elsewhere? But maybe you are doing the right thing by looking for a bird that needs a home. Maybe this just isn’t the right one. Don’t feel guilty...you can’t save them all. Maybe the one who needs you is out there, waiting. Maybe you can get an agreement for free vet treatment if you foster a bird. Gofundme can be a good source for that, too. Follow your heart, trust the whispers from your inner voice, and wait for the right one.

There is a great book called “The Second Hand Parrot”. The author explains lots of parrot behaviors, how to find a parrot to adopt, how to care for it and help it recover from a bad past, and how to decide when a parrot has problems you might not want to take in. Good luck to you.

 

[Kiwibird]

Sometimes the individual just doesn't "click" with the family and it's right not to push a bad feeling. This bird doesn't sound like it was right for you and you are right not to take it in and rehome again down the line after some trust has been built. We investigated probably around 10-15 rehome/rescue birds from various sources we did not end up adopting because they didn't seem right for us or our situation. Not that any of those birds were undeserving of a caring, loving home but we simply weren't that home for those birds. It took a long time and a lot of dedication in our search to find the right bird to adopt. There was something about Kiwi that felt instantly "right" and despite the fact he needed a lot of work in the beginning, the feeling he was meant to be made the whole process easier and bearable. He was special and we knew he belonged with us from the moment we saw him. He still has his flaws due to his past, but I couldn't love a bird more than I love my Kiwi. He's grown into a wonderful, lovable companion I wouldn't trade for any other bird in the world. The fact he's come so far and the knowledge we earned his trust is one of the best feelings anyone can have.

I wouldn't give up on the idea of a rescue bird yet just because one individual wasn't right for you. The right bird is out there, and you'll know them when you meet them! If you can be patient in your search, the right bird will come up for adoption at some point and will be forever grateful for a good home. If the bird is right, it'll make any training or initial issues easier to deal with. There is nothing that compares to a rescue bird who's known what it is to be mistreated and abandoned after you've *earned* their trust and they finally feel safe and loved

 

[3ssilliw]

I have a 10 year old sun jay conure name Herbee. She laid 8 eggs in December. I told her to a Vet after the 4th one concerned she might be egg bound and also wanted them to give her the Lupron shot. They said wait until she passed the egg, then come back for shot. Then unable to get appointment and they said out of Lupron, get implant. Over the course of 2 weeks laid another 3 eggs. Finally found another vet, she had another egg inside, but they gave her the Lupron shot. Her behavior changed after the last egg and I knew she was not well. Took her back and they di xray and blood work. Xray showed enlarged liver and infection with some fluid build up which vet attributed to her chronic egg laying episode this time. the most she had ever laid before was 5, she started laying 5 years ago after hurricane Sandy. Blood work showed high white blood cell count and low protein. Given an antibiotic and med for pain and inflammation. She is not eating or drink normally, but my main concern is I have not seen any feces in her droppings last 4 days. She is also squeaking almost all the time and making a shivering movement as well. The vet did not say she has liver disease but I fear she does. I am also concerned there might be some sort of blockage, which is why no feces, just urine and urirates. I've also given her baby food which she is eating a little last 2 days, per recommendation by vet. Also feeding her fruit, scrambled eggs. She weighed .141 grams before laying her last egg. Today weigh is only .107. I am super concerned and no other recommendations from vet as to what to do now. I love my conure and would be devastated if I lost her. Can anyone help with advice/recommendations at this point? Oh, also, told vet her had been eating some of rope in her cage and her bedding and lots of her calcium block while in egg laying mode. Vet just said she had heard of that before. I did see some of that in her feces before. Not doing it anymore but wonder is they could be cause of blockage/infection. Please help with any advice/comments. Thanks.