Friday, January 16, 2009
Good Vets and Supportive Bird Friends
By Linda Costello
Explore the diaries of daily life with large birds.
Dr. Lindstrom saved the life of African grey, Muggsy, who had aspergillosis. |
Photos courtesy of Linda Costello
It's important to have a good vet who knows the accurate needs of your bird. |
I found a great vet for my birds several years ago. The 4 1/2 hour round trip is worth it. My friend Tina and I always make the trip to the vet together. That way, we are there to give each other support along the way if we panic about our sick or injured bird.
There are no local vets who know much about parrots. There is an emergency animal clinic within 30 minutes that could contact my vet for advice if it were necessary when minutes matter. However, my friend Carol had an uncomfortable experience there. She found her green-winged macaw had twisted his wing out of place. They X-rayed it and told her that her bird needed surgery and it would cost $2,000. When they put on a pair of welder's gloves to handle the bird, she paid her bill and left.
When she got out the door she called Dr. Scott McDonald, a vet who travels from state to state caring for breeder's flocks, for advice. We are grateful to Dr. McDonald for recommending Dr. Jamie Lindstrom of the Animal Clinic Northview in North Ridgeville, Ohio. During the examination, he and is technician maneuvered the wing back into place and Carol’s bird was fine.
He is now our vet of choice. I credit Dr. Lindstrom for saving the life of my African grey, Muggsy. She had bouts of sickness for three years that a local vet treated with antibiotics, but never did necessary tests to find the real problem, even when I told them that I suspected Aspergillosis. Dr. Lindstrom tested for and found that she did indeed have it.
He hospitalized her and treated her aggressively with nebulization and round-the-clock medication. He wasn't sure she'd survive, since she had gone so long without being diagnosed or treated. That was quite a number of years ago. She is 20 years old now and gets regular checkups to be sure it does not recur.
Dr. Lindstrom has pet parrots of his own. He likes pictures of his patients, and even has a picture of my green-wings Molly and McMurphy in an exam room.
It's important and comforting in an emergency situation to have a good vet and good bird friends.
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Good Vets and Supportive Bird Friends
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