$2550 vet bill

[Parront]

I agree. So many vets in our area are primarily seeing dogs and cats. I can't even get a chicken fecal sample read at them (aren't parasitic worms the same regardless of the species that produced the feces).
Good avian vets are extremely rare and those with poultry experience are rare as hen's teeth.

I toot Dr. Lamb's horn all the time. Dylan gets an annual check-up just like we did for our dogs. They are on facebook, you can see lots of animal owner's postings on their page. I used to have a house in Palm Springs & I would drive Dylan back here for her checkup.

 

[Parront]

To my knowledge there is no real reason to charge these horrendous amounts as the actual costs and time spent on patients are mostly quite low.

Of course the equipment for setting up an animal clinic will be costly at first, but over the first years running the clinic they will have amortised just by the sheer amount of patients coming in.

Makes me think that some animal clinics seem to just be put into operation to rip off the owners.

Ture.

 

[casportpony]

Here in Germany most vets will apply the farm animal fee schedule for veterinarians when treating poultry.

Here in the US, there is no real difference. an office visit for a cat, dog, horse, cow, pig, lizard, fish, or chicken are the same.

 

[LaFleche]

Here in the US, there is no real difference. an office visit for a cat, dog, horse, cow, pig, lizard, fish, or chicken are the same.

Very strange, as it would obviously take different approaches, amounts of time, tools etc. to examine, assess and treat these different animal species with the approriate medications as required.

 

[casportpony]

Very strange, as it would obviously take different approaches, amounts of time, tools etc. to examine, assess and treat these different animal species with the approriate medications as required.

Actually, it doesn't, I have taken all species to vets and the protocol is more or less the same. A critically ill patient can easily rack up several hundred dollars in the first hour.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We are in a large metropolitan area with likely vets numbering the thousands. But only 4 avian vets and only 2 are really good. I tried to get an appointment with one and was told I couldn't get my sick chicken in for at least four days. I told them she wouldn't make it four days. They said I could bring her in for observation till the vet could see her. I told them I could observe her at home. I took her to the Mizzou vet school for euthanasia and necropsy. She had cancer so wasting time at the vet would have prolonged her misery and cost me hundreds for no good outcome.

On another note I mentioned earlier that humans should think long and hard before taking on care of some exotic animals - especially those that can outlive you and your children and perhaps your grandchildren.
I worked at a macaw rescue, breeding and restoration program in Central America. We had about 400 Scarlet and Great Green Macaws. (yes, it was loud) They should never be owned by people. We had a breeding pair of scarlets that were 90 years old. Many of the rescues were psychotic. Their owners had died and they went nuts. We had a complete bald (except the head) one who would pluck all its feathers as they'd appear.
Most people don't have the means to care for them. If caged, other than a huge aviary, they need very expensive huge cages. Most are kept in too small quarters.

Feeding that many big birds was an arduous and expensive process. We didn't use vets though.

 

[Parront]

We are in a large metropolitan area with likely vets numbering the thousands. But only 4 avian vets and only 2 are really good. I tried to get an appointment with one and was told I couldn't get my sick chicken in for at least four days. I told them she wouldn't make it four days. They said I could bring her in for observation till the vet could see her. I told them I could observe her at home. I took her to the Mizzou vet school for euthanasia and necropsy. She had cancer so wasting time at the vet would have prolonged her misery and cost me hundreds for no good outcome.

On another note I mentioned earlier that humans should think long and hard before taking on care of some exotic animals - especially those that can outlive you and your children and perhaps your grandchildren.
I worked at a macaw rescue, breeding and restoration program in Central America. We had about 400 Scarlet and Great Green Macaws. (yes, it was loud) They should never be owned by people. We had a breeding pair of scarlets that were 90 years old. Many of the rescues were psychotic. Their owners had died and they went nuts. We had a complete bald (except the head) one who would pluck all its feathers as they'd appear.
Most people don't have the means to care for them. If caged, other than a huge aviary, they need very expensive huge cages. Most are kept in too small quarters.

Feeding that many big birds was an arduous and expensive process. We didn't use vets though.

X'2 on the parrots and their lifetimes. I adopted Dylan at age 22. Closed breeder legband dated '94. I have willed her to the Grand-daughter that loves her and wants to grow up to be a vet. But things change for us humans, and the birds suffer from changes of owner. Dylan could quite possibly outlive me, and that is why I was looking on Craig's list for my next parrot. I do not recommend everyone to do that, because if you are inexperienced you could get a sick bird. I should have taken her to the vet for a checkup, but I still would have thought she was male like the seller told me, because African Greys are not easy to sex. She was healthy, but thin. (Not surprising when they gave me some of the Walmart parrot food they said they were feeding her). Perfect feathers, good manners with me, a total stranger. They told me she was 9. When I asked for the paperwork that they would have from the breeder, they said it was lost. So, my 9 year old male was really a 22 year old female, but I am still glad I got her! I would not buy a chick, as much as I love chicks, I stick to chickens for the chicks!

 

[LaFleche]

This is an extract from the actual fees schedules for veterinarians (2020) showing the fee to be charged for a general examination classified according to species.

Farm poultry listed under h), fancy fowl under m):

 

[casportpony]

This is an extract from the actual fees schedules for veterinarians (2020) showing the fee to be charged for a general examination classified according to species.

Farm poultry listed under h), fancy fowl under m):

It doesn't work like that here in the US.

 

[Rooapalooza]

I absolutely agree, all of our medical fees are bordering on extortion, human and vet! And I probably would self-treat my own chickens. I place my parrot in the category of house-pet, not livestock, as you so rightly note. I believe the OP's chicken is a house pet from her photos.

Haha I was about to say, look at it this way, $2500 is a cheap false-alarm emergency room visit/diagnostic, or a single bad tooth. You can just floss extra diligently and keep yourself in good health, or just never go to the doctor, and you'll make up for 10x that $2500 in no time.