Our feathered and furry friends and medical care...

[nadinbrzezinski]

Well today we took Tuky, our 23 year old 'Tiel to the vet. He has a case of the arthritis. and thankfully the bird was found to be in extremely good health, for such a geriatric patient. So he got meds for his painful leg, twice a day. You know the bird knows it is for his own good. He usually fights any meds. If they taste as bad as they smell... I cannot blame him.

Anyway, I was thinking.. we give our pals, our kids, the best we can. Some of us are willing to go to the ends of the earth to keep our kids well. Yet, as a country we are not willing to do the same for our human neighbors. Think about this. As we talked to his doctor, he's known Tuky since Tuky was a chick and sick in his ICU... been a long 23 years... and go figure, the animal hospital has as good or better diagnostic equipment as the local ER.

Think of that next time we think of health care and how people in this country fall from their precarious hold on the middle class due to medical emergencies.

Oh and yes, we love our kids to death... and they get their health care... but it is mind boggling what we are willing to do for our furry and feathered friends, but as a nation we are not willing to do the same for our neighbors. There is a basic problem there.

Oh and he is now on perch. snoozing... our senior birdie citizen did well today... and may he break the record as long as it is a good quality life (40 or so year old 'Tiel)

[SheilaT]

1. You do realize that there are also many out there

who never take their animals to a vet. No matter what.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Oh I know that, but it still struck me...

The animal hospital has as good or better diagnostics as my local ER

[Booster]

2. I'm glad to hear Tuky is on the mend. I took in 2 little stray kittens

who are approaching the time to get "fixed". My vet said it would be $350 for the little girl and $259 for the little boy. WTF??? My local Humane Society is going to do the little girl for $65 and the little boy for $55. I love my vet, but I think the difference is just ridiculous. When Tuky wakes up, give him a cracker for me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. He'll get his waffle on the morning for you

They love Eggo waffles the three parrots do...

And yes the bill today wasn't that bad. Avian vets do charge more, since they are quite specialized.

I still need to take the other two. Tuky was critical, since his pain got bad... I need to give him his evening dose in an hour or so.

[Booster]

5. Even better. I love Eggo waffles too. We had parrots when I was

growing up in So. America. There was a wild maccaw that used to fly really low to the ground and call all the dogs by whistling and saying "here, dog". You could just tell that he got a real kick out of that. People down there didn't clip their wings like we do so they would have for a little while and then one day they were gone - off to bigger and better things. Our parrot was devoted to my mother and wouldn't really have anything to do with us kids, but he was fun just the same. They sure are interesting.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. It is a different culture

We adopted Tuky thinking, easier to take care than a dog.... less time... easier...

Nope...

They are quite a bit of work.

He has a conure as his friend, a nanday. they both fetch bottles and the conure actually removes the lid from his favorite bottle. He cannot rethread them, so he pushes the thing over and brings the lid... for us silly humans to put it back on. Yes I admit it, I do tricks for a bird.

They are very intelligent animals... and all the intelligence studies done point to animals who have the intelligence (equivalent) of a five year old, with the mental age of a three year old.

Now these guys eat whatever I cook... no seeds... and they are doing very well.The way they beg for fruit is down right funny.


Now when I was growing up in Mexico my nanny had birds (they still have them), My first hand fed bird was a budgie. It was rejected by mom, so I raised it. That bird was very attached to me, and yes he did fly away one day...

Ours Tuky cannot fly... he had feathers permanently removed since he did so much damage at molting time. The other two get clipped when I take them to the Vet. I can do it, but they hate me for it, so I'd rather have them do it.

Oh and exercise... you'd be amazed at how much that 'Tiel walks... he just waddles everywhere. If people did half the equivalent walking he does in a day... I try, but cannot match it.

Oh and yes, they get attached. Tuky managed to get into my husband's sea bag before a deployment... he almost ended up going to sea. He is so attached to my husband that I cannot send him to bed before hubby comes home from work at eleven at night... It is just not done, period, even at 23 he waits for dad every night. It is touching in fact.