Prefered vet approach?

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Our Avian vet refers to myself and my friend as the "big stick method" owners. We always prefer injectable over oral (on most meds), we give little consideration to whether the bird will hate us in the end, we consider the stress on the bird but only with regards to its effect on health. I became this way from having so many ill birds dropped off here. I figure I'd rather a bird have 20 years to hate me rather than 2 days to love me. We always send off vent and throat swabs along with blood to the lab for testing (we request a sensitivity test because it pulls up what to treat with. We work closely with our vets and if we feel something is amiss we never trust the vets judgement but rather demand tests be sent off just in case. To this day we have not been wrong. We always do the standard disease testings, and if we are concerned we may do a skin scraping on a plucker or shredder. In our case we have vetted hundreds of birds over the years. So our "big stick method" is borne from our past experiences.

BUT...

A lot of people like natural remedies or to do things slowly and gently to not stress their pet or cause undue stress. Because a lot of things really do have natural treatments.

So which are you? I don't claim my way is right, it's just the way we handle things. I have seen some wonderfully healthy birds owned by people on both sides of this fence....

So if someone dropped a sick bird at your house tomorrow which method would you use?

Just a discussion... not looking for arguements.

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm not really on either side so much as I just care that the bird receives treatment and heals. Whichever method works, is the one I'll go with!

That said, I have used milk thistle to treat a bacterial infection, which was something not planned, but worked amazingly well. My a-vet was also quite surprised.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

We use milk thistle when we suspect liver problems. Sometimes we use dried dandylion as well.

 

[Thingamagigs]

I've worked as a vet nurse on and off for... quite some time lol. I have developed a really good working relationship with the ones I know and had I been a much better student in high school I would have ended up studying to be a vet. While I don't have the qualifications, the vets I have a working relationship with have been impressed by my talent and in the end I would diagnose my own critters and come in to the vet to pick up or have done what was needed. For this reason I didn't have a consult charge, I'd book my appointment, come in with my animal and we'd discuss what was up and go ahead with treatment.
So I don't know where that leaves me on the sides? LOL I'd even go so far as to assist during surgery. When it came down to it, I was confident I could plot a course of action for my own animals. However, I also believe in the most non-intrusive approach possible and I am against the over-use of antibiotics. I will only use antibiotics when the situation is extreme and depending on the case, would prefer to euthanise than promote chronic use of antibiotics. That is a personal belief, based on the greater good rather than a case by case situation. In the case of minor or chronic illness, I prefer extra effort put into supportive care, rather than the use of antibiotics. When it comes to wounds, thats different... a thorough course of antibiotics may be essential. But respiratory infections are often chronic and a sign of underlying illness which needs to be addressed.

 

[Thingamagigs]

In a rescue situation with an animal who has been neglected or abused I will use antibiotics to aid in clearing up infections that may be present due to a poor immune system due to stress. But again, I do not support the chronic use of antibiotics and will not persist longer than the animal should need to recover.

On that note, I have very infrequently had to euthanise due to health! And have found supportive care and strengthening the immune system has brought the animals back up to scratch with time and patience.

 

[MikeyTN]

If I could do natural treatments, that's what I rather do over anything else. IF it fails then I go with the medications.

IF someone were to drop me off a sick bird I would do the oral meds as that's what I've done in the past. I prefer not to stick a needle into my bird, that's a personal preference! But I would do it if it needed to be done!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Maybe it's just our vets around here, but often while a vet dinks around being gentle a bird gets much worse very fast. The only reason I prefer injectable is that I can wait on probiotics or antifungals until AFTER antibiotics. If we use oral we run the risk of causing a yeast infection or something similar. I will point out that having worked in the medical field for years I am not a fan of antibiotics unless necessary. But when a culture comes back and calls for antibiotics then that's what we do. I have purchased a lot of literature on homeopathic methods, healing with food, etc.

My jaded view point is probably driven by having far too many bad avian vets around here...lol

I like seeing people doing more natural methods (it shows an improvement in aviculture and in our inderstanding of health in general)

 

[MonicaMc]

Maybe it's just our vets around here, but often while a vet dinks around being gentle a bird gets much worse very fast. The only reason I prefer injectable is that I can wait on probiotics or antifungals until AFTER antibiotics. If we use oral we run the risk of causing a yeast infection or something similar. I will point out that having worked in the medical field for years I am not a fan of antibiotics unless necessary. But when a culture comes back and calls for antibiotics then that's what we do. I have purchased a lot of literature on homeopathic methods, healing with food, etc.

My jaded view point is probably driven by having far too many bad avian vets around here...lol

I like seeing people doing more natural methods (it shows an improvement in aviculture and in our inderstanding of health in general)

I wish I could have used homeopathic remedies on my cherry head prior to his passing. His health was failing in his past few years and no matter what diet changes I tried, it just didn't help. He was put on antibiotics for a bacterial infection. Clear that up, but then he had a fungal infection. Get that cleared up, then he had a bacterial infection... until he finally had both, and both were cleared up at the same time... only, a while later, he became even sicker and didn't make it that time. Did try Bicom prior to these episodes, but it was only one session and I didn't notice a change.

His immune system just failed him, and I wish we had tried a homeopathic remedy on him. Before his passing, I had another blood panel run on him to see if there was some underlying health issue that might have occurred since the previous blood panel.... but he passed away before I got the results... and it only told me that he had a raging infection. I still have a lot of guilt over that, since it seemed that no matter what I did, he wouldn't get better... and I wished so much for him to have a healthy and strong body.

 

[Pedro]

OK guys have a bit of a hairy one for you. One of my parrots bit his brother on the beak, a nice slice up close to the nares. The problem is the nostral on the opposite side has a pinky red discharge, actually only when the bird sneezes to clear his nose. He is eating & acting as he normally does. Doesn't appear to be to bothered by it.

My question is what would you guys do, do i go natural or conventional meds. Also bare in mind we don't have an Avian Vet within cooee of where i live. I had intended to clear his nose with colloidal silver. I also have antibiotics on hand but prefer not to use them.

 

[MikeyTN]

I would go natural Pedro....I do that first to see how it goes then switch it up if needed....

 

[Pedro]

Colloidal Silver???

 

[MikeyTN]

Colloidal Silver???

Pedro, that stuff is snake oil!!!! The true form of it is actually very expensive, the ones you buy on the market takes the company pennies to make that you can actually make at home.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I agree with MikeyTN with going natural at the moment. I would always go natural if you feel your bird has time (not too dangerously ill). I so rarely have the option with birds here.

 

[Pedro]

OK i just gave him a good shower & he has actually cleared all the gunk from his nostral himself, looks heaps better. The wound is more of a slice that a huge puncture wound & not very big. I guess if he was in the wild he would have to self heal.

No didn't use the silver bit suss using that stuff. Is there something you guys recommend i could have on hand for minor things.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Vetrycin is great for wounds and wound cleaning.

 

[MikeyTN]

And I have Vetrycin handy in my cabinet....It cost like $25 a bottle at the local feed store...It's cheaper to order it but I was needing it for emergency needs right away....

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

My vet orders the Vetericyn VF formula for us. It's about the same price, but stronger and just as gentle. Ask your vet.