Avian

Birds of a Feather

Mt. McKinley Animal Hospital is proud to offer avian care with our skilled veterinarian, Dr. DeLeon. Just like other pets, birds benefit from annual exams for a preventative-medicine, or wellness exam. An annual exam gives us the opportunity to ensure that your bird is healthy, to address subclinical problems before they become significant, and to have baseline records for reference in. The event your bird is ever sick.

Parrots and other birds are very different from dogs, cats and other exotics. In the wild, birds must appear very healthy in order to stay with their flock and be protected from predators. As a result, pet birds are experts at hiding signs of illness, often even when they are critically ill.

Almost every seemingly-healthy pet bird has nutritional or other problems that can be identified on examination by a skilled avian veterinarian. And once these abnormalities are identified, they can be addressed to improve your bird’s health.

Some of the avian veterinary care services we offer include:

• Annual preventative-care physical examinations
• DNA sexing
• Professional wing clipping and nail trimming
• Medically-appropriate beak trimming
• Diagnostic testing including radiographs (x-rays), blood tests, skin tests and biopsies
• Medications and supplements tailored to the needs of your bird
• Nutritional counseling
• Habitat and husbandry counseling

If your bird exhibits signs of illness, please call right away. In most cases, a bird that looks sick should be seen the same day. Learn to recognize signs of a sick bird, and also recognize things that are abnormal for your bird in particular. Some signs of illness in birds include:

• Changes in behavior such as decreased activity level
• Decreased or otherwise changed vocalization
• Decreased appetite
• Diarrhea or abnormally-colored droppings
• Too much fluid in the droppings
• Fluffing up
• Sitting on the floor of the cage
• Straining to lay an egg
• Coughing, sneezing or abnormal breathing sounds
• Weight loss or gain
• Regurgitation
• Changes in water intake
• Weakness
• Bleeding
• Seizures
• Sudden-onset of feather picking or other feather-damaging behavior

Currently we are only treating small birds and small parrots such as Budgies, Lovebirds, Finches, Conures and African Greys. If you have questions about the birds we treat please call us. Appointment slots are limited, please call us regarding Dr. DeLeon’s availability.