To gas or not to gas?

[miloslave]

Hi all!

I have an appointment for the 23d to take Charlie for DNA sexing and to have a microchip fitted.

With Milo we have never had to use gas as I know he is a male and he is, I think, too small for a chip.

I know that they might have to use gas on Charlie, but after speaking to a lady this weekend, I am a bit worried.

As per our conversation, she told me that they used gas on her amazon and he woke up paralyzed? ! Apparently they used gas twice and they should not have done that? They had to put him down after that.

As this is two procedures I am quite concerned. Is it possible to do these without putting the bird under?

 

[MyEkkieArnie]

I have no personal experience with this but can tell you that our (bird specialist) vet expressed no concerns whatsoever when we spoke to her about getting Arnie 'chipped. She wasn't at all concerned about the anaesthetic, assuming he is big enough and healthy. She didn't want to do it before about 6 months of age.

As a nurse (specialised in operating theatre nursing) I can tell you that very severe reaction to an anaesthetic like you describe are VERY rare indeed. It is of course a possibility, as there is a theoretical risk with every anaesthetic, but the possibility of it happening are very low.

I guess you have to weigh that (remote) possibility against the value of the testing and 'chipping procedure. We have decided that we will have Arnie 'chipped when he is old enough as we want to be sure that we can guarantee he is our bird in the event that he gets out.

I'm not saying there isn't a risk, just that I would think it is a very low risk, especially if you use a vet that is experienced in working with birds.

I hope this helps.

 

[Birdman666]

NO! I WOULD NOT SEDATE MY BIRD UNLESS I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TOO!!!

Why would they need to gas him for sexing? That's just a feather or a drop of blood.

Isn't microchipping done with a needle these days?

 

[miloslave]

Thank you so much for the advice. I felt quite uncomfortable with the whole idea of putting him under, and I feel much better knowing that it is not necessary.
Now just to convince the vet, it seems it is standard operating procedure there in handling the birds. Even their website says to withhold food for at least 4 hours prior to any vet visit.

 

[weco]

Are these the only veterinarians in your area? Like Birdman mentioned, microchips are inserted under the skin via a hypodermic needle rather than an invasive procedure and their reasoning for putting a bird under may to protect staff from angry beaks.....

If there are other veterinarians in your area, I might check with them about how they handle microchips...maybe having them do the chipping might sound better to you.....

Good luck.....

 

[SilverSage]

I suggest looking for another vet. I have shaken blood for sexing from my own birds on multiple occasions without ever sedating, and why would they need to? This is just a way for them to charge you extra money, that or they have so little avian experience that they are not sure of their restraint skills. This is a huge red flag to me, seek out another vet!

 

[Scott]

Red flag indeed. I shudder to think how many times my female Eclectus was possibly subjected to anesthesia for beak grooming. The vet charged approximately $350 for the procedure, of which roughly half was for Sevoflurane gas plus support.

Background: Angel has had chronic upper beak overgrowth with a split lower beak (scissors beak) for about 15 years. Lab results normal and her diet/health are excellent. Her beak is addressed at approximately 8 month intervals, and the vet had stipulated her difficult personality mandated anesthesia. Well, after one too many unfortunate outcomes with my other birds, I switched vets following nearly 25 years of patronage. Angel was next seen by a semi-retired doc who simply examined her, wrapped her securely in a towel, and groomed the beak with a Dremel tool. No fuss or excessive squirming. When he fully retired I took all my business to a fantastic avian specialist who used the same approach! Now I wonder if the initial vet ever actually anesthetized her as the approaching whirling Dremel causes little discomfort! I would have expected her to go ape*%@# the first time she was apparently conscious......

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah. Two factors in this one:

1. I'm not very good with birds, and I don't want to get bit; and

2. higher vet bill... (got a car payment to make.)

There was one vet here in town that wanted to do a full blown well birdie exam EVERY TIME the bird came in for grooming. What was that about? Charging for testing, charging for exam, charging for... the sake of charging! Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money...

When the tests come out fine, and the doc has an established "normal for the bird" baseline of labs (so that they can quickly see what changed) once a year, or once every two years is usually fine for well birdie exams...

The way it was explained to me, every time you gas a bird it's inherently risky. You don't ever want to do it if you don't have to...

So, that vet would be OVER AND DONE with me...