Sick Parrot
Following the purchase of your parrot, select a veterinarian within relatively easy traveling distance of your home. He or she should be willing to treat birds and have some knowledge of parrots and their ailments. With the increase in parrot ownership. more and more veterinarians are familiarizing themselves with current methods of treating birds. However, those living in smaller communities may have to do some research to find such an individual or may not be able to find a local yet with a background in birds at all.
If the latter is true then the next best procedure would be to establish contact with a veterinarian, while he may not be within traveling distance, would be willing to listen to you or your local vet describe the bird’s symptoms via telephone and make suggestion based on this information. This is not as strange as it sounds and I know a number of people who have successfully used this method to get adequate treatment for their parrots.
If the above possibilities are not available. you may have to depend upon yourself to provide medical attention for your bird. Start off obtaining a current book on the treatment of bird diseases and a selection of medications which ought to be put together in advance as many of the most effective products canton be obtained on short notice or require a prescription.
Bird owners are fortunate that the tremendous strides made in pharmacology just after World War II have had a spin off effect which has provided veterinarians with new and powerful drugs. The growing use of antibiotics its treating birds cat, Ix a mixed blessing. These substances are extremely useful but they can only be effective when used with organisms susceptible to their effect. If used improp¬erly they are dangerous.