Warning Avian Veterinary Services

[p1p]

Please Note: I withdraw my former suggestion to use the Small Animal Hospital on the Canal Road for Avian health problems. The supposed Avian Vet there is responsible for the death of my baby Moluccan Cockatoo.

I took my cockatoo in last Wednesday for a standard health check, and was seen by the "Exotics" Vet, who said he was also the Avian Vet. He checked the bird over and took blood samples etc, then prescribed some worming tablets. 4 to be ground up in food and taken on consecutive days.

This treatment is strongly contraindicated in the case of a baby bird and led to the death of the bird within a few hours of the first pill being given yesterday. (I phoned an old friend, a professor of avian veterinary medicine at Cambridge after the bird fell ill and was told nothing could be done to save the baby, short of holding it while it died. The drugs given were a. intended for canines and b. in a dosage over twenty times that for an adult bird.)

For general advice and minor treatment, go to ร้านคนรักสัตว์ in Khamtieng Market. (Phone 089 755 8282) This is the shop between two dog grooming places, not the one that is open only at weekends.

If you come from the super highway, pass Tesco Lotus on your left and turn left immediately afterwards. Left at the first lights and right at the end of that short rosd. Go straight on without turning until you see the dog grooming place directly in front of you. The shop is on its left and is full of a variety of parrots.

They have a selection of basic avian medicines there and the experience to treat most problems. Anything beyond their ability, and you need to go to Mahidol University, Bangkok.

I am currently taking legal advice regarding what to do about the loss of my bird.

[meadish_sweetball]

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your bird p1p. So unnecessary.

[princealbert]

Please Note: I withdraw my former suggestion to use the Small Animal Hospital on the Canal Road for Avian health problems. The supposed Avian Vet there is responsible for the death of my baby Moluccan Cockatoo.

I took my cockatoo in last Wednesday for a standard health check, and was seen by the "Exotics" Vet, who said he was also the Avian Vet. He checked the bird over and took blood samples etc, then prescribed some worming tablets. 4 to be ground up in food and taken on consecutive days.

This treatment is strongly contraindicated in the case of a baby bird and led to the death of the bird within a few hours of the first pill being given yesterday. (I phoned an old friend, a professor of avian veterinary medicine at Cambridge after the bird fell ill and was told nothing could be done to save the baby, short of holding it while it died. The drugs given were a. intended for canines and b. in a dosage over twenty times that for an adult bird.)

For general advice and minor treatment, go to ร้านคนรักสัตว์ in Khamtieng Market. (Phone 089 755 8282) This is the shop between two dog grooming places, not the one that is open only at weekends.

If you come from the super highway, pass Tesco Lotus on your left and turn left immediately afterwards. Left at the first lights and right at the end of that short rosd. Go straight on without turning until you see the dog grooming place directly in front of you. The shop is on its left and is full of a variety of parrots.

They have a selection of basic avian medicines there and the experience to treat most problems. Anything beyond their ability, and you need to go to Mahidol University, Bangkok.

I am currently taking legal advice regarding what to do about the loss of my bird.

Truely saddened to hear of your loss p1p

R.I.P Santana

[Bill97]

Very sorry about your loss.

Also concerned that if they overdose a bird to that degree, might they also be overdosing other amimals? Think I will not take any pets there.

[Nienke]

Very sorry about your loss.

Also concerned that if they overdose a bird to that degree, might they also be overdosing other amimals? Think I will not take any pets there.

The unfortunate question is WHERE can you go?

From this animal hospital I've heard more fatal stories, but also ones where they saved lifes. A couple of years ago a customer lost both dogs in this hospital, which he brought from his home country, within 24 hours. Wrong med's or over-dosis (can't recall).

Years ago I brought a pup to a vet that had a cough together with a dog with swollen glands in the paws. The swollen lumbs were seen as abcesses and about the coughing pup the vet told me to come back another time, as he was now treating the other dog. It turned out (too late) that both dogs had distemper. As a result 6 dogs died within one month.

At another vet I brought a very sick puppy early morning but within opening times. The vet wasn't in yet. When the assistent called him, he was too busy jogging, while he knew how sick the puppy was and how much treatment it needed. The pup died the same day.

Again another vet found it necessary to stuff three pups (same owner) full with vaccines (7 !!!! jabs before they reached the age of 4 months). Two of the three pups ended up with distemper from the jabs!

And again another vet told the owner that the dog had heartworm and needed treatment. When this person brought the dog to another vet and did a test that looks for antibodies, it turned out the dog did not had any antibodies against heartworm. So, did or didn't the first vt treat against heartworm. We'll never know, but it certainly was in the bill.

Just recently an adult dog died due to a side-effect of the yearly combined vaccine booster, given together with a 3 months dose heartworm prevention. 3 days after the jabs the dog fell ill, both his liver and kidney went basurk. According to the vet antibiotic and steroids were necessary, despite a liver (SGPT) that changed each day from below 5 (the measurement machine couldn't even handle how much below 5) to over 300, back to below 5 and then to 700 (normal range should be below 89). Can you imagine that the dog almost crawled into me when receiving the last treatment over there. He knew the treatment did more harm than good. The next night he died of liver failure. And the vet's still don't want to admit that combined vaccines can have very serious side-effects, plus that yearly boosters are NOT necessary, most vaccines give years of protection if not life-time. This dog was perfectly healthy before the jabs.

And just today I found out that the vet that I normally visit nowadays, injects med's while giving me the wrong information and without my permission!

Am I frustrated? SURE I AM! But I try to keep my chai yin yin, as screaming yelling kicking doors don't really help, anyway. Think I need a hubby

I'm really sorry about this so unnecessary loss, P1P. Another horror story to the list of many,

Nienke

[Ulysses G.]

Very sad.

Losing an animal that you love always is, but it is worse when not neccasary.

[Crow Boy]

Please Note: I withdraw my former suggestion to use the Small Animal Hospital on the Canal Road for Avian health problems. The supposed Avian Vet there is responsible for the death of my baby Moluccan Cockatoo.

p1p I am very sorry to read this news, I know how much you cared for the bird and this is a terrible waste because of bad vetinary advice. Please accept my condolences.

CB

[WaiWai]

I am so sorry, p1p.

Some good may come of it, through making others aware of such dangers and in having the particular clinic put under scutiny. That's the only consolation I can think of.

R.I.P, special bird.

[pentri]

Sorry to read about the loss of your pet. Until three years ago, I never owned a pet in my life. A lady friend of mine asked me if I wanted a bird that her friend was giving away. The bird, a cockatiel, was only six months old. I took the bird in, despite other friends of mine telling me that I was crazy for doing so because I would never care for it. Well, I became so attached to the bird that I was caring for it as if it were my child. After a year with it I decided to purchase a male bird to keep her company while I was out to work or away for a few days on business. That was about two years ago, and she still hasn't taken a liking to him. She despises him and is only happy when she is out of the cage and hanging out with me. Someone told me that the bird formed a bond with me and that is why she doesn't accept the male. Sorry, I went off on a tangent! I know there is another pet out there waiting for someone who can be attentive to its' needs. Find it and enjoy its' company.

[Khonwan]

Sadly, I too can recount many unfortunate experiences with Thai vets - local government vets - whilst cattle farming in the past. One example:

A bull calf developed a hernia that required surgery. I called my district vet - he was too busy to come out to the farm (as usual) so suggested I carried out the surgery myself. I kid you not!

Despite having had to learn (by reading) many aspects of cattle treatment myself (due to the incompetence and laziness of the string of district vets that kept transferring), I had not yet undertaken anything like this. Glad I did not try my hand - I drove the calf to the vet and assisted him whilst he, with a level of difficulty I could not have coped with, performed the "minor" surgery with a struggle.

[Crow Boy]

Sadly, I too can recount many unfortunate experiences with Thai vets - local government vets - whilst cattle farming in the past. One example:

A bull calf developed a hernia that required surgery. I called my district vet - he was too busy to come out to the farm (as usual) so suggested I carried out the surgery myself. I kid you not!

Despite having had to learn (by reading) many aspects of cattle treatment myself (due to the incompetence and laziness of the string of district vets that kept transferring), I had not yet undertaken anything like this. Glad I did not try my hand - I drove the calf to the vet and assisted him whilst he, with a level of difficulty I could not have coped with, performed the "minor" surgery with a struggle.

It never ceases to amaze me some of the advice people get from governement agencies or people who are meant to be the expert in that field.

Hope the calf hernia problem worked out - I grew up on a sheep cattle property in Australia - we used to call them veal chops. No vets out our way.

CB

[p1p]

Sorry to read about the loss of your pet. Until three years ago, I never owned a pet in my life. A lady friend of mine asked me if I wanted a bird that her friend was giving away. The bird, a cockatiel, was only six months old. I took the bird in, despite other friends of mine telling me that I was crazy for doing so because I would never care for it. Well, I became so attached to the bird that I was caring for it as if it were my child. After a year with it I decided to purchase a male bird to keep her company while I was out to work or away for a few days on business. That was about two years ago, and she still hasn't taken a liking to him. She despises him and is only happy when she is out of the cage and hanging out with me. Someone told me that the bird formed a bond with me and that is why she doesn't accept the male. Sorry, I went off on a tangent! I know there is another pet out there waiting for someone who can be attentive to its' needs. Find it and enjoy its' company.

Most parrot species are very particular about the mates they will accept. You may well find another male will be more to her liking.

There is a nice story that used to be told by Tony Silva, previously curator of parrots at Loro Parque in the Canaries, the largest parrot collection in the world. He told about a pair of cockatoos that they tried putting together. These two birds insisted on attacking each other. One day the cage was opened and the male flew the length of the parrot room to another cage housing another unsuccessful pair. The female in that cage then attacked her male and they had to be separated. The other, amorous male taking the place of her unsuccessful mate. They proved a very successful pair, as did the other male and female when put together.

Try trading your male for a different mate, you may well be more successful.

Human bonding has very little to do with the desire to mate, or have a mate. One pair of my birds were both very strongly bonded to me and my family. It did not stop them from having several successful broods.

If I may, I'd like to post a few photos in memory of Dear departed Santana.

The start of a fun evening.

Everything got just a bit too much. Couldn't stay awake.

(He was just tired, didn't touch a drop of alcohol.)

May he rest in peace....