Should My Lovebird Get An ECG? Advice Please!

[mcote]

I brought my lovebird, approx. 3 YO, to the vet because he had a bout of Psittacosis. While being examined, the vet found his heart rate quite irregular and determined he had an arrhythmia. He was treated for Psittacosis and those issues have resolved, but now the vet is recommending I return for a $300 Electrocardiogram to investigate his heart. She finds that about half the time in her experience a bird is given medications to increase/normalize heart rate after an ECG, and the other half just receive continued monitoring at home. I am a college student so this fee is difficult to bear, and I have a family member who lives a fine life with a heart arrhythmia - so I'm trying to determine if the vet is just giving me a standard recommendation or if the appointment is something that might really save my bird's life. Travel to the vet and all the handling are of course extra stressors as well, and he just recently recovered from illness.

Any experience with avian heart health is very appreciated! Thanks.

[michael]

I would most certainly consult with your vet (free via phone) on why she feels an EKG is necessary, i.e., what is it that an EKG might expose (besides primary or inherited cardiac disease), that might prove beneficial. The idea that she finds half the time in her experience a bird is given medications to increase/normalize heart rate after an EKG, is to me, too vague. Don't be afraid to ask questions, as any reputable vet will have no problem going over exactly what it is their hoping to find. .. ETA. Metabolic imbalances for example, are known to cause various irregularities in heart rate. Certain medications can indeed correct this problem.

[Angloody]

Try explaining to the vet, that you cannot afford the money to do the ECG, and if she recommends you an alternative treatment.

[michael]

Try explaining to the vet, that you cannot afford the money to do the ECG, and if she recommends you an alternative treatment.

EKG/ECG's are essentually a baseline test of the electrical activities of the heart used to determine whether a problem such as arrhythmia exists. They are however, in no way definitive as to what the problem might actually be. If your vet already determined there's arrhythmia during a basic exam, I would question what else he/she may have hoped to find by performing a ECG. .. Have you been offered an alternative treatment? If so, what is it?