I took Coby my Quaker Parrot today to the veterinarian for some tests. This is what they tested:

Psittacosis
Avian CBC & Diff
Total Protein
RBC
Bacterial Isolation
Cytology

They put him in a towel and they stuck a swab of some sort up his vent then one down his throat, they then clipped a toenail and got some blood. He only made one sound when they put it in his vent and didn't try to bite or scream. I thought they were done because they gave him back to me. I kissed him and told him he was such a good boy and then the vet came back in and said she needed more blood. But this time she asked me to hold him. With no towel I flipped him over and she again clipped a toenail and got blood. He was so good. She said he was a really great bird because usually they bite and scream when she does these things. I was so proud. The head Vet came in and took him right off my shoulder and kissed him and petted him, but I think Coby had enough of being held by those people because the second he opened his hand Coby flew straight over to me and ran up to my shoulder again. I handed him back and the vet put him in his carrier and I went home (after paying $194 bucks lol).

I thought all was well. My mom took me and on the way home she stopped to get a few groceries so Coby and I stayed in the heated car for about 15 minutes. He was in the back seat, I was in the front talking to him. When we got home I took Coby inside to the kitchen table and helped mom carry the groceries in and then I went and got the mail. I took the carrier to my room (where his cage was) and I opened the lid to find Coby with blood all over his head and large blood splats all over the paper towel on the bottom of the cage. I started to freak out. I checked his head to see if he was bleeding from his mouth or nostrils. Then I noticed that one of the clipped toenails had a big drop of blood coming from it. Coby acted like he wanted to get in his cage so I sat him on the rope perch and went to get my first aid kit.

I put some styptic powder on the toe and after a minute or so it stopped bleeding. I washed off as much blood as I could off his feathers and I watched him for another 30 minutes for so to make sure it had truly stopped bleeding. There was blood all over the cage. But he was okay. Thank God! About an hour later I gave him an unsalted peanut in shell (which he loves). He took it and gobbled it right up then took a 45 minute nap.

He seems fine now and is right behind me talking up a storm. So he's no worse for wear. I'm sure glad I bought that avian first aid kit though.

how scary... for BOTH of you!!

i know when i took Cricket back to the store where i bought him from to get his wings and nails cut and he took off flying around the store for 5 minutes before someone was able to catch him, his blood pressure was thru the roof.

the owner didn't want to cut his nails because if he started bleeding with his heart rate so high she was afraid he could bleed to death. we waited awhile for him to calm down and she did his nails but she wouldn't let me leave for over a half hour just to make sure he stopped bleeding.

i can't imagine how you felt when you saw Coby covered with blood! hopefully everyone is calm now!

Wow...that is bizarre. First of all, my vet has an assistant and they hold him..not me. I don't want him to associate pain with me so I'd be very uncomfortable if they asked me to hold him. Secondly, I'm a bit surprised that is how they got a blood sample. I've had many birds at the vet and they always take it from their shoulder with a syringe while the assistant holds him out with their fingers circled around their neck so they won't get bitten. Also, they generally hold the beak with a strip of cloth so they can't bite.

One thing's for sure, your Cody must be much sweeter than my Simon, cuz there is no way he'd put up with that without being restrained....and I cannot make Simon lay on his back without getting mauled!! Hope Cody is all better now!!

I thought it was weird that they got it from the toenail too. But I would rather be the one holding him when they do something. He seems calmer when I hold him. But maybe you're right I should have told her I wasn't comfortable holding him while she does the clipping. There was an assistant the first time they took blood. But I think she was in with the other vet with a cat. Because I could hear it in the other room making all kinds of racket.

Awwww...poor baby!! I am surprised they didn't make sure it was done bleeding before letting him leave. I think I would mention that to him, although he might have shuffled around in the carrier and somehow bumped it and caused it to start again. Anyway I am glad you were so prepared and you did a great job getting it taken care of, very good! I am proud of you too.

How scary for you and poor little Coby ...glad all endd well ..that was a big day out for the little guy...

Poor Coby. im sure it was quite an adventure for him. But now hes the happiest at home with his mama.

Awe, poor dear sweet Colby. Sounds like he went through alot. He may be a bit quiet for a few days though from the stress. My birds usually go through that after blood draws. Hoping all results come back free and clear.

Too bad Cody had such a tough vet visit! I just wanted to add one thing. When I had a woman clip Amigo's toe nail for DNA testing, we made sure it had stopped bleeding before I left the pet store. She warned me to watch him for 2-3 days, as sometimes if they just stub their toe, or somehow put on too much pressure, it can start bleeding all over again. It sounds like that is what happened to Cody.

Oy, poor Cody! It's great that you know how to comfort him, and it seems like he responds to you well. I do admit that the vet's behaviour didn't seem too professional... maybe there's another vet nearby?


I hope the results will come back fine,

Hadas and Kiwi

I don't think it sounds like the vet behaved professionally, either, but Coby must be really even-tempered to have behaved so well! He deserves another peanut, I think.

When I took Clyde for his checkup, they trimmed his toenails and made two of them bleed just by trimming them -- both on the same foot -- and he favored that foot for two days. That's the last time I let anybody cut his toenails, I can tell you. They weren't trying to get a blood sample, either!

I may have missed it, but why did you take him to the vet? Is there a problem?
Lori and T-Bird

Well I wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate all your responses. COBY was only getting a check up and a baseline to check for diseases. He looks and acts healthy but I wanted to make sure he stays that way. This vet is the only avian vet for 100 miles that's why I go there. I looked online and it said that getting a sample of blood from the toenail was the safest way but hurt the most and resulted in the least quality of sample.

I am glad he is OK,, I haven't taken mine, he is a found bird and so sensitive, I am afraid that he'll go nuts if I take him.
We've made so much progress I dont' feel I can risk a vet visit at this time, (far away and expensive to boot!),
but we have a good bird breeder/expert in the area that is doing the wing and nail trims and has helped me quite a bit.
Maybe someday I can take him, but reading what yours went through, I am more hesitant that ever..
Lori

my CAG will screech like a pterodactyl at the vet's office - it's ear splitting. when we took our birds, i let the pros handle them and do what they needed to do. not only because i didn't want to be associated with the discomfort, but because they know what they are doing, they do it far more often than i do, and were more prepared for any bites than i would be. when they had their blood draws, they offered to let me come along, but i couldn't go in with them because i was terrified to see the procedure being done on such little beings. i think that fire's situation is more of an anomoly as opposed to something that happens all the time, and the prospect of something like that happening as a reason to not go to the vet i don't agree with.

lori, i would strongly suggest a well bird visit when financially possible. i don't think there's much chance of breaking any bond you currently have by seeing the vet. BUT there are a lot of things that can go undetected without proper vetting, as well as allowing you to establish a relationship with a vet (very important in case of an emergency). that and your vet will have baseline blood values to use as comparison should something come up later.

just my two cents.

kris

What a scary time for you both.
So glad that it ended well.
You did a great job with Coby.

I agree, I wont be the bad guy at the vet.
Thats what I pay $ for.
LOL

Glad to hear it ended so well.

Tricia