Ear mites?

[sweetpea]

Hello all. Has anyone ever had a bird with ear mites? (Usually treated with a 'spot-on' parasite solution).

(I really OUGHT to invest in an avian medical encyclopedia.... )

[tweetiepiesmom]

If you find a good avian medical encyclopedia that's not too expensive, please share the title, etc.!

[Hezz]

Seriously, sweetpea, how do you do it? If there is anything going your guys are going to be the first. I shake my head at all you have endured. Is this a definite or are you covering all bases?

And to answer your question, no, and I don’t know of any one who has (knowingly).

[sweetpea]

Sept 6, 2023 0:13:26 GMT Hezz said:

Seriously, sweetpea, how do you do it? If there is anything going your guys are going to be the first. I shake my head at all you have endured. Is this a definite or are you covering all bases?

And to answer your question, no, and I don’t know of any one who has (knowingly).

I don't know, Hezz! If I had a large flock it might make sense!

It's possible that Perry has passed on the "Work through the Avian Medical Encyclopedia" baton to Finkleberry.

The vet wondered if ear mites may have caused his recent weird head movements (WHM), so we gave the first dose for that (he needs another 2 weeks after to complete treatment). If he has no further WHM (I'm pretty sure this is the technical term) then she may well have been right.

[Marianne Marlow]

I didn't even know "ear mites" was a thing, but I guess it makes sense that the mites could inhabit their ears.

[Hezz]

I hadn’t considered it, but it makes sense if other animals can have them, then why not? Ear mites can drive cats and dogs crazy.

[sweetpea]

The vet did say it was a long shot, but treatment is (relatively!) easy, so it was worth doing just to rule it out.

[Hezz]

Sept 7, 2023 10:02:01 GMT sweetpea said:

The vet did say it was a long shot, but treatment is (relatively!) easy, so it was worth doing just to rule it out.

Good luck!

[ariella]

I have had this book for years and find it such a useful go to when I want to check something. It doesn’t make me in any way qualified to ‘diagnose’ an illness but it does show the possibilities and the ways to treat it.
Your bog standard small animal vet knows absolutely nothing about exotics, which I have found so frustrating many times, and the exotic ones quite frankly aren’t inspiring (most polite word to describe them). Most keepers with a lot of tortoise husbandry skills know how to deal with most illnesses, only going to the vet when specific medications are required or if they really have a very sick tortoise and need a scan to get them diagnosed quickly.

Anyway, there is an Avian one that looks pretty similar. www.whsmith.co.uk/products/avian-medicine-and-surgery-selfassessment-color-review-second-edition-veterinary-selfassessment-colo/neil-a-forbes/paperback/9781498703512.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwr_CnBhA0EiwAci5siqZclPyNMOLnjZ0zHe9IMBeQuj7DkrIYD5xlJGJNZWDl5rp3cmaQyRoCKDsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[sweetpea]

Sept 9, 2023 11:59:33 GMT ariella said:

I have had this book for years and find it such a useful go to when I want to check something. It doesn’t make me in any way qualified to ‘diagnose’ an illness but it does show the possibilities and the ways to treat it.
Your bog standard small animal vet knows absolutely nothing about exotics, which I have found so frustrating many times, and the exotic ones quite frankly aren’t inspiring (most polite word to describe them). Most keepers with a lot of tortoise husbandry skills know how to deal with most illnesses, only going to the vet when specific medications are required or if they really have a very sick tortoise and need a scan to get them diagnosed quickly.

Anyway, there is an Avian one that looks pretty similar. www.whsmith.co.uk/products/avian-medicine-and-surgery-selfassessment-color-review-second-edition-veterinary-selfassessment-colo/neil-a-forbes/paperback/9781498703512.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwr_CnBhA0EiwAci5siqZclPyNMOLnjZ0zHe9IMBeQuj7DkrIYD5xlJGJNZWDl5rp3cmaQyRoCKDsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That looks very interesting, ariella! It looks like a text book & like it would be informative. Not sure I would enjoy looking at the pictures though.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Do you have that Avian Medicine book, ariella? I've haven't investigated if its available in the US.

[ariella]

Sept 9, 2023 20:49:03 GMT tweetiepiesmom said:

Do you have that Avian Medicine book, ariella ? I've haven't investigated if its available in the US.

No, I don’t. I just thought about looking it up when I read this thread and thought how handy it is to have a book to hand. 

The tortoise one is like a text book and the photos are fascinating sweetpea. I don’t mind anything medical or surgical however. I’m fascinated by it. It’s just handy to be able to compare photos of different eye conditions for example, to spot which is similar or the same and be able to see if they need a vet or whether it can be treated at home. It helps make the decision over whether to book in at the vets asap, hold tight and give it close observation for a day or two or feel confident you know what it is and the best way to treat it. 

[Marianne Marlow]

I'm sure the avian medicine book is very interesting but surely the meds they recommend would require a vet visit to get anyway. Plus the vet would have to agree that was what it was.

Also, I don't think I could justify the £39.99 cost!

[Marianne Marlow]

sorry ariella I posted before refreshing the page and seeing your post!

[Loz]

With so many budgies and precisely zero avian vets available to me, this seemed to be a good investment:



Immediately after the pic, Chocobo came hopping over to take a look. I cannot have her reading this though, she's already a drama queen over the least thing, bless her little ball-of-sunshine heart.