It is not only our responsibility as bird owners to provide food, water and spacious cage for our pet birds. It is insufficient to spend more time with our birds and bond with them. The first thing that we should do make sure our pet birds would live a long and healthy life is choose a good avian veterinarian.
If you have a dog or a cat and already have a veterinarian for them, that may not be necessarily be the vet that you need for your bird. Birds have different anatomy and different needs compared to your feline and canine companions.
Where can you find an avian vet?
There is the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) which maintains a directory of qualified veterinarians. You can even get assistance from the Veterinary Medical Association located in your state. Yellow Pages are also a great source of information. If unable to get hold of anybody from these groups, you can check out their websites in the internet or even ask the local Bird Club if they could recommend anybody. Pet bird owners like you are can give you the best advice based on their experiences. Also check with local pet breeders. Most of the times, the most sensible advice comes from them.
Once you have identified the vet that you would go to, the next step is set an appointment to further know the practice and background of the vet. When talking with the avian get, get to know how long has she or he been ion practice and their professional background. Make sure that the vet that you have chosen is familiar with the pet that you have.
Get to know the vets schedule and if the vet can do house calls. Birds can easily get stressed in the slightest change in their surroundings, which is why birds find it difficult to move or to travel. If the vet is unavailable, it is also important to know if the vet who would be filling-in is also capable to treating avian sicknesses and concerns.
If you have an exotic pet bird, then it would be helpful to ask the vet if they are constantly updated with new methods in the avian medicine. Also, get to know the financial costs of getting veterinary services from that vet. You want to have a qualified and good vet within your financial reach.
Once you have settled that you will be getting services from him, ask the frequency of the check-ups your bird needs to have. To avoid any emergencies or any sickness, it is best to have your bird regularly checked. Most of the times, you have to bring your pet bird to the vet annually.
Aside from this, it is always a great point that whenever you visit the vet the doctor and the staff receive you and your pet warmly. It will be great to walk into a pet clinic that provides you an air of assurance and importance.
Keeping tabs on the health of your beloved bird does not only fall in the hands of the avian vet. How would they know that your bird is suffering sickness if you are not paying attention? It is also important to maintain a healthy working relationship with your vet since you would not know when emergencies can happen.
The vet can even help you draw up a diet plan for your bird which would surely improve the disposition and health of your pet. Also ask your veterinarians about any emergency first aid methods that you can do when something bad happens to your pet bird. An avian vet is your ally in making sure that your bird would live a long and joyful life.