19275 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg, VA 20175
We Will Keep Your Feathered Family Member Healthy!
The single most important thing you can do to maintain your avian friend’s health is to make sure you keep up with regular veterinary exams. The best treatment for any avian disease is to catch it early, before your bird is showing any signs of illness. During your bird’s annual exam, our veterinarian may recommend additional testing for your bird to confirm the bird is healthy and to ensure your new bird hasn’t acquired any viruses or pathogens that can be transmitted to other animals.
Your Bird’s Visit to the Vet
We recognize that coming to the hospital can be a stressful experience for any pet, particularly our bird patients. We are very sensitive to this fact and do whatever we can to limit this stress. Your bird may be more comfortable in a quiet, dark place for traveling, so talk to us about the appropriate carrier for your size and type of bird. If possible, acclimate your bird to his/her bird carrier prior to your visit with us.
Wing, Beak and Nail Trimming
Part of being a responsible bird owner is ensuring that their grooming requirements are met regularly. At North Oatlands Animal Hospital & Reproduction Center, we understand that many of our clients would prefer that we trim their bird’s nails, wings and beaks because they want to minimize the stress and potential of hurting their bird, and we are happy to offer those services to our clients.
Recognizing Illness
Birds are very good at hiding signs of illness or injury. Don’t let them fool you! If your bird exhibits any visible signs of illness, please call us right away—it is likely an emergency for your bird. It’s very common for the first signs of avian illness to go unnoticed, so it is important for bird owners to know what to look for:
- Changes in behavior, such as decreased activity level or decreased vocalization
- Decreased appetite – birds will pretend that they are eating, so don’t be fooled
- Diarrhea or persistent abnormal droppings
- Too much fluid in the droppings (polyuria)
- Fluffed feathers or changes in the feathers
- Changes in general appearance and posture
- Sitting on the cage bottom
- Coughing, sneezing, abnormal breathing sounds
- Nasal discharge
- Frequent scratching at the nares or the side of the head
- Tail bobbing
- Weight loss
- Regurgitating, vomiting
- Change in water intake
- Weakness
- Serious signs of Illness
- Please call us immediately if your bird is exhibiting any of these symptoms:
- Drooping wings
- Falling off the perch
- Eyes closed with long periods of sleepiness
- Vomiting/regurgitation
- Frequent sneezing with or without discharge
- Discharge from nostrils, eyes, mouth or any part of the body