How often do you NEED a vet?

[Susan27]

I was wondering, aside from well bird examines, how often have you needed to take a lovie to the vet. Emergency or suspected illness/infection?

Now that I am up to 9 I would like to hear some experiances. I know all birds are different, but I thought this would be a good idea of how often, in general, a lovie gets hurt, gets sick and so forth and requires a trip to the vet.

[Janie]

Oliver was my first bird and I had no pet bird experience so, in the first year I took him around SEVEN times! :D Over-kill I'm sure but if anything looked at all suspicious, I took him in. Oddly enough, he was around 6 or 7 when I adopted him and he'd never been seen by a vet before.....I made up for all those missed visits in the first year! :lol At this point his vet's have a good history on him and only want to see him every other year for his "yearly" exam. My other two were taken the day after I got them and then one of them went back in June because of a tiny cut on the corner of his beak and then both went back for their second yearly exam in August.

[bellarains]

Susan,

Aside from the yearly well bird check, the first time I had to take one in was Lacey. She had an egg that was too large, and required some assistance to lay it. Since then she has been back three time for a cystic feather condition. All of this happened this year. That's just my personal experience though, and as you said, it will differ bird to bird.

I have taken in a poop sample before though when I thought there may have been a problem. If poops look abnormal, I just call the vet up and take in a poop sample. It costs me $17.00 for a grams stain, and it's worth every penny for my peace of mind. It also keeps from stressing the birds out if not necessary. Just something to keep in mind, and ask your vet about. I haven't heard of one yet that had a problem with running the test without bringing in the bird though.

[LauraO]

This is really a tough question to answer as all birds are different. It's similiar to us humans. Some only go for an occasional check up and everything's fine and others who are constantly at the doctor for some kind of illness or injury..........I have some lovebirds who have never been sick, some that have been sick once, some who have been injured once, and there was Squeaker. He was healthy his whole life and at about five years old he had a bruise on his beak that turned into a bleeding ulcer and secondary bacterial infection. From there, he developed heart and liver problems. His last year he was in and out of the doctor's constantly.

While it's nearly impossible to gauge how many times you'll need a vet and for what, one thing you know for sure is that you need to have a good regular and emergency vet along with backups available as well as money. Some of us have special savings funds for our fids while others have a specific credit card that's used only for vets.

[Elle]

With Sam, aside the birdie well check, in the past 4 years of her life, , about 4 times a year due to sinus infections. With my current flock, only well bird check so far. Keeping my fingers crossed. With 5 birds, I get money taken aside automatically on my pay check so in case of emergency, I am not confronted with the choice between money or my bird's life.

I put money asside for my bird the same way I would put money aside for my kid's college funds, if I had kids of my own.

[linda040899]

With the flock that I have, I could quite possibly need a vet at any time. As a result, I know when my vets are in the office and where the emergency clinics are in my area. I have more than one avian vet, as there have been several times when I've needed my avian vet only to find that either she was unavailable or the emergency happened after hours. I have several birds that have never NEEDED vet care and others have had more than their fair share. Each day is different and I take each day one day at a time.

[Susan27]

Thanks for the insight. I have a credit card I am keeping for lovie emergencies.

I know I am going to be taking my newest pair to the vet. Samson has a weird toe. It doesn't look infected, or irratated, but it is longer than normal and has no nail, or it may be an ingrown nail?? Anyway, Samson and Delilah are very scared right now, and I don't want to tramatize them by a long car ride. From what I was told, I don't think the former owner (a breeder) liked these 2 very much, especially the lutino. Knowing this, I would feel much better having a vet tell me they are a-ok.

I pray I don't have to frequent the vet...the money part is scary, but the sicknesses/injuries would be heartbreaking.

[Eliza]

Thanks for the insight. I have a credit card I am keeping for lovie emergencies...

...I pray I don't have to frequent the vet...the money part is scary, but the sicknesses/injuries would be heartbreaking.

I can't wait until my credit card debt is paid off. That way I can TRULY have a vet-care-only card ;) Great plan, Susan. It never hurts to be prepared.

I try to be diligent in taking any new animal (be it a bird, a rabbit or other exotic) to the vet within 72 hours of bringing it home. After that, once a year unless needed otherwise.

In your situation, since you truly do have a flock :lol I wonder *if* a vet might be convinced to make house calls? Some practices have mobile units for that purpose... otherwise, I'd call them to see what they suggest. Perhaps they'd want you to bring in 2 or 4 birds at a time.

Like Linda, I have access to several vets in the area w/ avian experience (recognized by the AAV and/or ABVP). I just lucked out to fall geographically between a few practices that have a large avian & exotic clientele. I also recently learned of a 24 hour FULL SERVICE (cat, dog, avian & exotic) ER vet clinic that is a little over an hour away. I plan on taking a few test drives up there so I'm familiar with the route in case Beetle ever needs ER care (:whistle: *knock wood* :whistle:).

I wish you the best, chica!

-e-

[ottermom]

Have any of you heard of Care Credit? It's a health care credit card that you can use for humans or animals medical bills. The way our account is structured, any 'purchase' over (I think) $500.00 allows you to pay off the bill over a year with no interest accrued. Anything under that amount and it's like a regular credit card. I don't know if that's just our account or if it's their policy for all accounts.

I'll tell you - it has saved our bacon before. Our dog Otter had perianal fistulae and required 3 surgeries with a soft tissue specialist. He would have had the surgery regardless, but it saved us the awkwardness of negotiating with the vet and lots of money in interest. We could just say - yes, do it.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Susan, I too have a credit card dedicated to lovebird vet care.

I have 2 very opposite birds when it comes to needing vet care. Melody has gone to the vet exactly once in 2 years outside of her regular yearly visits, and it turned out to be a false alarm. Milo on the other hand, tends to be prone to infections and has had about $1,000 in vet bills in 2 years.