Let me guess "Take to avian vet!!"

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Let me guess "Take to avian vet!!"

by Dan
(Florida)

My budgie has a crust on his beak and starting to go to feet. My research has shown that it could be mites.

First, could mites cause this crust?

Second, is there an over the counter treatment?

We all know to go to the vet if an animal needs it. I have a yellow lab that is 16 years old (way past ave life span) But I have taken care of my dog without going to vet everytime his nose runs. So please dont give the response "go to vet" which seems to be given 99% of the time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks
Dan

Comments for
Let me guess "Take to avian vet!!"

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Mar 13, 2011

i understand
by: Anonymous

I understand your frustration about the vet thing, but you need to take in consideration that some people don't do their research before they get a bird. So yes some questions that are asked i see why you say there is no reason to go to a vet,but with answering questions over the net you can never be to careful. So the advice the doc gives is free which you should be great full and how can there be a 100% correct diagnosis through the computer. So shes playing it safe rather then sorry.

Nov 13, 2010

Your kidding?
by: Anonymous

TAKE IT TO AN AVIAN VET

I fail to see why you even bother to write "Let me guess "Take to avian vet!!" when you obviously know that is what should be done & that is what everyone will tell you.

What ever the condition may be it needs to be seen by an avian vet & treated. If there is a legit reason for not wanting to do so then you're telling anyone.

I also agree if that is something you don't want to hear then perhaps you should go elsewhere.

I hope you're able to sort this problems out with your bird before he gets too sick.

Nov 11, 2010

No mite meds without prescription
by: The Avian Vet

There are no over the counter treatments for mite that are effective. Mites should be treated with a systemic parasiticide that requires prescription. Your bird likely has mites, but there are other diseases that can cause what you describe; for example, papillomavirus, vitamin A deficiency, and others. I understand that you can treat some things at home, but this is not one of them. You first need to get a diagnosis before treatment can be administered. If you go an buy an over the counter treatment, first, it is not going to work and could harm your bird, and second, if it turns out not to be mites, the treatment is not going to be effective, it could cause harm, AND will make diagnosing the disease more difficult. If this is mites, you need to treat the environment as well as the bird.

Regardless of the diagnosis (mite or whatever), you will also need counseling on how to prevent the problem and how to keep it spreading to other birds; the medications and this counseling are only available from a veterinarian who is allowed to make the diagnosis.

Finally, although I suspect mites, I cannot give you a definitive diagnosis without seeing your bird. The only recommendation I have is to take you bird in to see an avian veterinarian. I also recommend that birds be seen annually for check ups and vaccines.

Dr B

Nov 10, 2010

The avian vet will answer
by: Tracie

Like I said, Dr B will eventually answer this question. I don't know how much better you can get than that, besides going in person to the vet.

If you are bound and determined that the online avian vet is so stupid that he won't know if your bird needs to see a vet in person, then please do go elsewhere. I have not other ideas as to where to go for better answers.

Nov 10, 2010

You Guessed Correctly....
by: Anonymous

TAKE IT TO THE AVIAN VET.

Or at least call one and describe the symptoms! Unless you know exactly what the problem is and what to treat it with-- be it dog, cat, horse, bird-- then you need to get the animal to a vet! Obviously you aren't sure what the problem is or you wouldn't be asking on this site. If your child had some health issue that you didn't know how to treat, wouldn't you bring him/her in? Or at least call a medical professional? And birds are much more fragile than dogs and cats, so you have even less time to get the problem treated before the poor thing suffers.... to death. How long would you watch your child suffer before you sought professional medical help? Again and again I read things like, "My bird is sitting on the bottom of the cage, not eating or drinking/not able to walk/has a growth/has crusty... What should I do?" TAKE IT TO AN AVIAN VET.

Nov 10, 2010

Take to the vet?
by: Tracie

Dr B will answer this eventually, but I want to respond to your misunderstanding of birds vs dogs.

Dogs are hearty for the most part, as are humans. They are mammals and can often take the same medicines as humans. In my experience, it is easier to tell what is wrong with a dog and decide if it needs a vet visit.

Birds are fragile, have hollow bones, hide illness until they are almost dead and can be killed easily by merely getting too much of a vitamin or more medicine then they need.

I killed my first bird because I listened to an uneducated pet store employee tell me that my sick bird needed vitamins put in his water. He died within a couple of days because those over the counter vitamins are actually toxic to parrots. I poisoned my dear bird.

So if we often tell someone to have their bird checked IN PERSON by an avian vet, that is why. Oh, and why an AVIAN vet? Because many regular vets will accidentally kill a healthy bird that goes in for a routine visit. They don't know how to handle them or draw blood and the birds die from shock or too much blood drawn.

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