Pet Bird Medicine
We provide the health certificates for domestic or international travel for your pets. A physical examination is required at the time of the issuance of the certificate as well as proof of current vaccination status before a pet can be issued a health certificate. For international travel each country’s specific requirements need to be checked and additionally the certificate will have to be validated at the USDA office. Depending upon the type of certificate issued it may have a 10 day or 30 day duration. Health certificates are required for pets which are traveling. It is an absolute necessity when…
We perform grooming services for pet birds, including beak trimming, beak malocclusion trimming, pedicures and wing clipping. We recommend that birds be up to date with yearly physicals before such procedures are performed as birds hide disease and quite often beak/nail overgrowth may be a sign of underlying disease. Nail Trimming Nail trimming is probably the most frequently performed grooming procedure. Nails overgrow readily and become quite sharp in pet birds, as they spend most of their time on perches with little opportunity for wear. Overgrown nails are problematic due to the risk of breakage or snagging, but also long,…
Most pet birds are not sexually dimorphic(different appearance of males and females) so that the only way gender can be determined is through either surgical sexing or blood sexing. Surgical sexing is an actual surgical procedure involving anesthesia and was used extensively in the past. However, with the advent of the accurate, non-invasive blood sexing technique (DNA from a drop of blood is used to determine gender) this has become the preferred technique. Sex Determination. Because the reproductive organs of birds are internal and few species of pet birds have sexually dimorphic coloration, sex determination is often difficult and mistakes…
Microchipping is a means to help identify a pet if it escapes or is stolen. Most veterinarians, shelters and police departments have scanners so the microchip can be read and then traced back to the registered owner. Microchips in pet birds are implanted in their breast muscles. We implant chips in small parrots/conures or larger birds due to the size of the microchip. Why Microchip? Microchipping your pet is a very important step to insure their safety. Pets do unfortunately get lost. The AKC CAR estimates that there are approximately 8 to 10 million stray animals each year. Each year…
We have a wide variety of medications used to treat pet birds. In addition, there are medications that we formulate or have formulated at an outside pharmacy that we keep in our pharmacy. In this way the medication that we prescribe for your bird are readily available on site for your (and your bird’s) convenience. One of the AAHA accreditation requirements is to have a fully stocked in house pharmacy which we do have. As we see a wide variety of animals at Niles Animal Hospital, it goes without saying that we have to have a equally diverse inventory of…
We perform a wide variety of avian surgical procedures including orthopedics, tumor removals, reproductive tract surgeries, exploratory laparotomies, trauma/wound repairs and many others.
We have a fully equipped bird hospital so that we can treat birds that are too sick to be sent home for treatment. We have temperature and humidity controlled incubators for hospitalized birds. for birds with potentially contagious diseases we also have an isolation treatment ward. We are able to administer gavage feedings, nutritional support, medications, fluids, nebulization therapy and other treatments for sick birds. Following the examination and diagnostic testing, if a bird has been diagnosed to be sick, the method of treatment must be determined. In most cases the birds are sent home along with the appropriate medications…
X-ray are a very important diagnostic tool in pet bird medicine. We have digital radiography at our practice and this technology has been a great addition, especially with pet birds. We are able to manipulate the images to help improve the quality and, what is so helpful with pet birds, enlarge the images so that tiny bird radiographs are much more easily visualized. Radiology Radiology is an important part of the diagnostic process that tends to be underused in pet birds. Because of the extensive air sac system in the avian patient, radiographic contrast is usually good. A grit-filled ventriculus…