immediate help needed

[Sebastian]

I am new to this and need help please.

I have inherited a blue n gold macaw he is 15 yrs old we have had him now three years and is very special to us. We took him to a bird farm to have beaks and nails trimmed and they have dislocated his leg. They told us it was the birds fault and they are not going to do anything to help us we drove 2 hours to a avian vet and they are now keeping him and waiting on someone to make a decision on what to do for him they are charging me over 500.00 a day to take care of him and telling us they don't know when something will be done they say they have to get a team together to do a catscan of the leg and either pop it into place or do surgery to fix the leg. We now have over 2,000 invested and nothing has been done yet exrays show nothing is broken blood work shows he is in perfect health but no one there wants to do anything more. We have looked for other avian vets and are being told he is in the best place there is. We want our bird helped. Has anyone else had similar experience or can someone suggest a course of action thank you

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forum, Sebastian.

IMO your bird is most definitely NOT in competent hands at the moment. A good avian vet would have done what's necessary by now. There is no team required to fix a broken/dislocated leg.

If I were you I'd get him out of there ASAP, as they seem to be milking your wallet. Where are you located? Perhaps someone on the forum can help you find a COMPETENT A-vet.

 

[Sebastian]

He is currently in Windcrest vet hospital in Wilmington Delaware , we are waiting for answers from doctors at the University of PA veterinarian hospital.

 

[JerseyWendy]

He is currently in Windcrest vet hospital in Wilmington Delaware , we are waiting for answers from doctors at the University of PA veterinarian hospital.

You can take him to Dr. Karen L. Rosenthal, D.V.M., MS, Avian Director, Special Species Medicine Clinical Studies - Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania. She has a STELLAR reputation. School of Veterinary Medicine Philadelphia, PA, 19104 - Tel. 215-898-4680

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

I agree with Wendy, GET HIM OUT OF THERE IMMEDIATELY

Milking it? That would be putting it mildly. If they have to pull a team together just to do a CAT scan, what would they be claiming to have to do if the bird had even more serious issues? Sorry, but your baby does not deserve to be 'treated' this way and you need to get him to someone who knows what they are doing.

Sounds like a case like they want to expand their business and see you as their pot of gold to add onto the building while your little baby is hurting.

 

[thekarens]

That could have and should have been done the first day the doc saw him/her. RUN, don't walk. And that BS about it being the bird's fault the leg was broken.... I'd have something to say about that too.

 

[Macawlover12]

Get him out of there! Also if you didn't sign anything saying these people who hurt your bird can't be held liable, then get a lawyer and sue them 4 vet bills.

 

[punkindave]

If that's the whole story, this is total BS.. $500/day while doing NOTHING?? Rediculous.
If you must pay to get him out of there, pay by CC and dispute it immediately.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, I agree with Karen about the grooming place not taking on any responsibility.

Did they make you sign a waiver of any sort prior to them grooming your bird? Did you completely surrender him, or were you present for the procedures?

$2,000 in veterinary care so far (with NO help, I may add) is a whole lot of money to be forking out for negligence on the groomer's part.

Personally I'd consult a lawyer about this. There are lawyers out there who won't take money from you, unless they know with certainty they can win your case.

 

[Birdman666]

This isn't a matter for a lawyer. Write a demand for reimbusement for the medical bills, and take them to small claims court.

On [date] I brought my 15 year old B&G macaw [name] to your business for professional grooming services. [Describe your bird, and your relationship with your bird here]

I entrusted my bird to your care because you represented you had the skill, and were competent to groom my bird without hurting him. In the process of grooming my bird, he was seriously injured by your groomer. My bird sustained a fracture dislocation of his XX leg.

As a result of this, I incurred XX in vet bills for the care of my birds injuries, which are attached hereto as XX. I anticipate that I will also incur XX in follow up care in the future. Demand is hereby made for $X.XX.

Please forward this letter to your liability insurance carrier and have them contact me immediately. If this matter is not resolved to my satisfaction within 30 days, I will take the appropriate legal action, and will seek recovery of my costs and fees.

[Now you know what I do for a living.]

 

[JerseyWendy]

LOVE IT, Mark!!! PERFECT!!!!

 

[BEWolf]

The first thing to do is to get your birds leg fixed, then you can deal with all of the rest. The place your bird is in should have recommended that you fix it right away. It sounds like you told them that you were considering a lawsuit and they have held off because they didn't know who was going to pay for it. If that is what occurred then you are partially at fault for your birds predicament. However their rate are a bit much for them to do nothing. Again fix the leg and then take this to a lawyer along with any documentation that you have.
The groomer is most definitely at fault for not properly restraining your bird for these trims. This is a thing that is never the birds fault, and I would seek all expenses incurred due to their negligence as well as emotional damages and punitive damages.
Now as to these trims, if your bird is in good health and has the right perches and toys, these trims should not be needed as the bird will take care of it themselves. If the bird does have the right perches and toys to keep its beak and toenails properly trimmed then I think that you may have a liver problem developing and that needs to be looked into. Liver damage is the number one reason for overgrown beaks and toenails and is usually caused by a diet that is too rich in fats and proteins.

 

[Sebastian]

Let me clarify a little bit they are waiting for a team to do catscan and whatever they deem necessary at the time of the cat scan results they do not want to stress the bird anymore with unnecessary anesthesia while they have him under for catscan they want to read the results and immediately do what needs done and in order to do that they have to have a team ready. Not sure how a whole team of people are going to be working on my bird at the same time he isn't that big of a bird. I feel they are a school and trying to make us a class project or something along those lines but just not sure

 

[Sebastian]

The first thing to do is to get your birds leg fixed, then you can deal with all of the rest. The place your bird is in should have recommended that you fix it right away. It sounds like you told them that you were considering a lawsuit and they have held off because they didn't know who was going to pay for it. If that is what occurred then you are partially at fault for your birds predicament. However their rate are a bit much for them to do nothing. Again fix the leg and then take this to a lawyer along with any documentation that you have.
The groomer is most definitely at fault for not properly restraining your bird for these trims. This is a thing that is never the birds fault, and I would seek all expenses incurred due to their negligence as well as emotional damages and punitive damages.
Now as to these trims, if your bird is in good health and has the right perches and toys, these trims should not be needed as the bird will take care of it themselves. If the bird does have the right perches and toys to keep its beak and toenails properly trimmed then I think that you may have a liver problem developing and that needs to be looked into. Liver damage is the number one reason for overgrown beaks and toenails and is usually caused by a diet that is too rich in fats and proteins.

they have told me to try to sue this establishment and we are but as far as paying goes I have already paid 1500.00 and have continued to pay for all necessary care he has needed. It is not a matter of who is going to pay they know I am paying not him I will deal with the other place later to get reimbursed and they know this from the very beginning. Blood work and ex rays show my bird in perfect health liver kidneys are the best they have seen and I was told this by blood work we had done before as well. They tell me he is a very healthy and strong bird. Yes I want him fixed but they tell me he is not an emergency at this time.

 

[BEWolf]

Birdman; Way to go, yay!

Sebastion; At this point none of that is of any importance, the bird is. Get the ball going and either get them to fix the bird or move him to another vet and get this fixed. You bird has no legal status and cannot speak for itself, he has to depend on you to see that the right things are done for him. He is counting on you and you are the only one that can help him.

Edit : Good, I am glad that he has no other problem than the leg and that payment is not a part of the problem. Good for you and know that I was not intending to be rude or to insult you in any manner, but I have seen these to be issues to getting proper care with other birds. I am concerned about your bird, in much the same way as if it were mine and I am very protective of them. I intend no disrespect, but I still would get this fixed right away. I know that for them it is not an emergency, but I am sure that could your bird tell them he would not agree.

 

[Sebastian]

other than fixing it myself what would you suggest there are only three vets for avian in my area one on vacation for the next week one not returning phone calls and one that says he is not an emergency I did find one more Dr. 3.5 hrs away but I am still waiting for them to get back with me. We sent all paper work and information and just waiting I am doing everything possible for my bird we have not slept or eaten since this as happened and we are very stressed I will gladly drive him where every I need to hell I will even do it myself if someone tells me I can and tells me how. Don't think for one second I am not doing all I can to get him back on his feet again.

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

I don't care who they think they need to assemble, that CAT scan should have been done immediately. Your baby is in pain. THAT is what their first priority should be,

If they will not do it immediately, it is YOUR responsibility to get that little one to proper medical care.

If you were laying in a hospital after having an accident, would you want to be told they have to wait for Dr XYZ to come into work following a holiday weekend (and this is Friday) because your leg was either broken or displaced? I highly doubt you would be laying in that bed very long as you would have walked out of there the second they told you that one.

 

[Birdman666]

Blame and bickering helps no one, and does nothing to defuse the tension in this difficult and stressful moment. It only takes an already upsetting situation and makes it worse.

Take a step back, breathe, take care of your bird. It isn't your fault.

 

[BEWolf]

You are indeed in a difficult position and my answers were based upon the information as presented by you. I am sorry but we were not given the reasons for the delay and I was only trying to help you with the perspective that the bird is what is most important, not to harass you or disrespect you , but to encourage you. This is not your fault and I am not trying to say otherwise. I may, perhaps, be too blunt to suit you and you condition at this time, I know that I would be very distraught given similar circumstances. But, I am a blunt person.
I will say no more about this matter, except that I wish you and your bird nothing but the best.

 

[Parro]

Get him out of there! those vets who make your parrot get scanned all the time for only 500.0 and they don't know what they're doing.
do this:

1)Tell the vets you will take him back home.
2)Tell the vets to give the funds back because they took it in a way related to stealing.
3)If they refuse to give you back your bird/money. contact a lawyer. I'll tell stuff about that later..
4)Look up on the Internet a PROFFESIONAL vet that knows how to deal with situations like this, you also should also search and see some feedback on the vet you are willing to go to. if the feedback shows he is proffessional go there, if you don't see that. Look for another vet.
5)Make an appointment, make sure the money that you will pay is fair. Not prices that will cost your whole vault or something.
6)IF the vet finds a problem, you know what to do next.

P.S: The lawyer stuff is up to you if it is needed, Plus. if all the vets have the Same results.... You should take your pet into ANOTHER country that has better vets.