National Pet Wellness Month
October is National Pet Wellness month and that should include bird wellness as well as dogs and cats. Most Avian Veterinarians recommend twice yearly bird checkups to help you keep your bird as healthy as can be.
As birds can be the focus of predatory animals in the wild, it's just natural that birds hide any illness as hard as they can. Sometimes an owner may not see a health issue until the problem is severe. Even very experienced bird people can miss subtle signs sometimes. Healthy bird checkups can help prevent sick bird emergency visits in many cases. These well bird visits also give you and your Avian Veterinarian a chance to discuss diet, weight, and behavioral aspects of your pet bird.
If you do not already have an avian vet, now is definitely the time to begin the search for one. Ask friends, other bird owners, as well as other veterinarians who may treat your other family pets for recommendations and personal experiences. Veterinarians who treat birds and who are good at it, are not common and sometimes can be a challenge to find, so please don't wait until the last minute when an emergency happens and you have nowhere to take your bird for help. Being an Avian Veterinarian is definitely considered a specialty and some vets will not take birds in an emergency unless they are already an established patient at their clinic. It's also a good idea to have a backup emergency clinic that can treat birds in the event your regular avian vet does not see patients after hours or weekends.
Personal Note: I wholeheartedly believe most bird people are intune with their birds. If you think something is off, trust your gut instinct. If your vet tells you there is nothing 'there', but you feel there is definitely something off or wrong, you may want to consider finding another vet. Not all vets are created equal and not all vets really listen. However in fairness, vets must rely on symptoms, tests, and visual signs, and sometimes an owner senses something before it shows in the physical aspect. Doesn't mean the owner is wrong, just maybe extra intuitive to their bird, so listen to that nagging thought and pay close attention.
So before all the fall seasonal holiday festivities begin, why not make your bird a visit with your avian veterinarian and make sure all is well within your flock.
