|
Post by jellybean on Jul 24, 2014 14:14:54 GMT
Took Ben this morning for his 9.10am appointment, had to take Max too, where one goes the other follows. He got another eye examination, but the vet could find no feather irritation this time, he thinks he may have slight conjunctivitis, he said he would give me drops to put in, 1 drop twice a day, for a week, which he felt sure would clear it up. When I got home and opened the bag the receptionist gave me, I found it was ointment and not drops,:- 4gms Chloramphenicol eye ointment. I have been ok putting the optrex in, but the ointment was a different matter, after my attempt at putting the ointment in I phoned the vet, and to cut a long story short, he is sending the drops through the post. It's funny how vets never make a mistake when making up their bill.
|
|
|
Post by budgiefriend on Jul 24, 2014 14:26:57 GMT
Good point, Jellybean. Hope Ben's eye gets better in no time.
|
|
|
Post by OP on Jul 24, 2014 14:29:15 GMT
Glad the visit went well as far as diagnosis went. The vets probably do make a mistake with their bill, but on the side of benefit to them.
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 25, 2014 1:58:50 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned to you before or not, but one of the best things for eye irritations, be it budgie or human, is Golden Eye Ointment, which is available from the chemist. No need to pay hefty vet bills for the same thing. Topical Chloramphenicol is the drug and application of choice for conjunctivitis, so while he has given you the right thing, next time visit the pharmacy.
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Jul 25, 2014 8:21:27 GMT
Thanks Hezz, I do have Golden Eye Ointment. It is hard not to incur a vet's bill when you can't diagnose the problem yourself and are reliant on vets for help, and are grateful for anything they give you. I so admire the knowledge you have with your birds and that which you pass on to forum members, but it is the likes of me, the unknowledgable, where the vets make their money. Are the drops he is sending through the post just as effective as the ointment? If so I will stick with the drops, I find them much easier, if not, could you please advise the best way to apply the ointment, and maybe how to hold him to stop him wriggling to allow me to do it, haha. Thanks again Hezz
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 25, 2014 10:41:17 GMT
I have no idea what the drops might be, jellybean, sorry. So I really can't comment. But since you have the drops now, use them, but find out what they are, and what their shelf-life is, so that if you have any left over, are you able to keep it (probably refrigerated) for a possible, future, occurrence? For myself, if I needed to apply ointment to an eye (and I suggest not using a cotton bud/q-tip - what are they called in UK?) I would clean my hands well, I have both alcohol swabs and iodine solution so would wipe the index finger I intended to use with one or the other, pick up the bird with the other hand and apply that small spot on the clean finger directly to the bird's eye. ASAP Of course to do this it really does help to have a "helper" to take tops of bottles, etc, for the beginner, but still not un-do-able. As for the wriggle-factor, this is where what Ira calls the "ringer's grip" comes very much in handy, where you have index and middle finger on each side of the bird's head, with it's back lying against the palm of your hand. For catching your budgie, I suggest you start with doing this on a regular basis when you have no need to as in ........ budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/7410/easy-catching-hold-budgieJust this week with taking Smudge to the vet to have a cyst lanced, I have experienced how helpful doing this on a regular, and unnecessary, basis can be. Smudge was so much easier to contain and nowhere near as stressed as she could be expected to be. If I hadn't been doing this regularly I do think she would have had to have been either given a little gas (big bucks + stress factor), or have had a bigger wriggle-factor which could have ended with again more stress on her (and me!) or even worse. I encourage everyone to give this a go. Most give up after a few tries. It is not about a few tries; it is about getting the birds used to being held and learning knowing they can trust you when you do so. For you, with this looking like this might be an on-going thing with Max, it will really pay off in the long run. You will feel much more confident, and with that Max will have much more confidence in you, as well. It would be a win all round, you, Max, and your pocket!
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Jul 25, 2014 11:48:29 GMT
Hi Hezz, I'm sorry for the confusion I seem to have caused with my question, I'll try again, hehe. Yesterday the vet gave me what I thought was DROPS, (he told me 1 DROP twice daily). On returning home and opening the tube, the DROPS turned out to be OINTMENT. After phoning the vet he said he could give me the same stuff in DROP form, which he would post out to me, (it hasn't arrived yet. What I wondered was, will the drops be as effective as the ointment, or would the ointment stay on the eye longer. Really sorry for the confusion.
|
|
Apr 25, 2024 9:09:35 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 11:53:42 GMT
Sometimes placing the index finger on top of the bird's head with middle and thumb on either side might help if your bird won't stop moving it's head, but index and middle should be enough. Beware, your fingers may suffer bites! Munch always chews my fingers in that hold, but strangely he relaxed when I held him like a telephone, slightly tilted back, but that was for claw trimming.
The drops should be just as effective, I would think, and perhaps safer as you do not need to contact the bird's eye.
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Jul 25, 2014 12:03:40 GMT
Thanks Ira, I just sent you a PM, but we must have been posting at the same time. That was exactly my worry with the ointment, I would feel better putting drops in, but I would have persevered with the ointment had it been more beneficial to helping the bird. Thanks again for your help.
|
|
Apr 25, 2024 9:09:35 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 14:55:22 GMT
I sent a reply with some photos. I was on the proper computer at the time and had nearly run out of time allowance. I can't get any footage of me holding Munchy because I won't be home for a while but there may be footage of people holding birds on youtube. Perhaps search 'bird ringing'?
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Jul 25, 2014 15:02:59 GMT
Yes, got the photos Ira, thank you. I will have a look on youtube too. They are so tricky and I'm always scared incase I hurt him, but practice makes perfect.
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 26, 2014 1:12:50 GMT
No apologies regarding confusion needed. Ointment is considered slightly better in that by being more paste-like it stays put for longer rather than dribbling out. What you should NEVER do with ointment is use the tube itself to apply to the infected eye. This runs the very real risk of introducing the infection to the rest of the ointment, rendering it non-sterile, and causing possible reinfection each time you use it. So a clean finger and make sure you wash that finger well afterwards as well - conjunctivitis is highly contagious. But most of all, don't be scared off doing this for yourself. Get the boys used to being handled, have practise runs going through the motions without actually applying anything will really help you and them when the time comes for real.
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Jul 26, 2014 9:41:27 GMT
Thanks Hezz, really appreciate all the help and advice.
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Jul 26, 2014 10:26:24 GMT
You're welcome.
|
|