MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

I've been very lucky here in that there is lovely vet half an hours drive away if you can get over the mountains on the tracks.
She trained as an avian vet but does cats and dogs mainly. She wasn't interested in traveling and didn't want to be a farm vet.
When I first took a chicken to her she thought I was mad. Apart from the language problems only one other person had taken a chicken to her for many years and he was the guy who told me she may help if asked.
After a few visits she came to realise I was serious about the chickens, knew a lot about them and was willing to learn. She showed me how to do stuff so I wouldn't have to drag the patient over the mountain to see her.
She is one of those intrinsically decent people; a bit of a rarity in my life experience.
She knows I'm poor and knows a bit about the circumstances where I live.
These days I can phone her, tell her what I've observed and she will send a prescription to the local chemist for any drugs I need.
I take her a gift every year, usually a lamp or something else I've made.
The last time I visited her with a sick chicken she charged me £18 for an examination and a tube of Metacam.
My elder sister who lives in the UK has a specialist avian vet close by who shares vet cover for somme of the London region zoos. There is very little he doesn't know about or can't do. He has all the modern equipment and well trained staff.
My sister took one of her Silkies to him for an badly impacted crop; it cost her £400 for the operation and then the drugs on top!
There are also the chicken enthusiasts in my locality. Many of these have families that have kept chickens for generations. One guy has family chicken records going back to the 18th century.
Most of the local chicken enthusiasts got into chickens because their families had been involved in rare breeds and cock fighting. It's illegal here now but the interest in chickens once you have it is difficult to shake off. Most of these rare breed and game fowl keepers know an incredible amount about their breeds and chickens, way above anything I've read on the various Internet forums. But, they don't spend money on vets for sick chickens. They will tell you for most illnesses once the chicken is noticeably ill then it's not going to live long despite treatment and medication and they put the chicken out of it's misery as quickly as possible. From my limited experience here I tend to agree with them. Most reproductive disorders are going to kill the hen. You can pour every drug known to humankind down her and she is still going to die.
The same for most organ failures and unfortunately for many injuries caused by the Goshawk we have here. The Goshawk strike is so hard that the chickens internal organs get crushed. They may struggle on for weeks but in pain and suffering.
The positive side is the chickens here probably suffer less when ill and for most here, the offspring of the chicken take their genes forward.
Nobody I know here would buy a hatchery chicken and all are very choosy about where and from which breeders they get their chickens from.

Dr Hill charges very little for a consult, only $40, which is about £20. Treatment costs depend on wholesale prices of drugs, which have so far been much lower than human drugs.

On the issue of survival, so far Sandy has survived her reproductive disorder and I'll do all I can to relieve her suffering, even an operation later this year.

Even that is only $400 which seems ok to me given the investment needed to establish surgical facilities, the consumables, the staff, and the hospitalisation costs.

Compared to many of my chicken friends, I am very much in a sweet spot regarding veterinary care.

At the same time, I'm very inclined to seek and defer to accredited expertise and disinclined to trust my knowledge, which is incomplete, and my instinct, which is biased.

 

[LozzyR]

Dr Hill charges very little for a consult, only $40, which is about £20. Treatment costs depend on wholesale prices of drugs, which have so far been much lower than human drugs.

On the issue of survival, so far Sandy has survived her reproductive disorder and I'll do all I can to relieve her suffering, even an operation later this year.

Even that is only $400 which seems ok to me given the investment needed to establish surgical facilities, the consumables, the staff, and the hospitalisation costs.

Compared to many of my chicken friends, I am very much in a sweet spot regarding veterinary care.

At the same time, I'm very inclined to seek and defer to accredited expertise and disinclined to trust my knowledge, which is incomplete, and my instinct, which is biased.

Those are very reasonable rates, you are very lucky.

 

[MaryJanet]

I think so, especially when you consider the quality of care provided.

 

[BY Bob]

Dr Hill charges very little for a consult, only $40, which is about £20. Treatment costs depend on wholesale prices of drugs, which have so far been much lower than human drugs.

On the issue of survival, so far Sandy has survived her reproductive disorder and I'll do all I can to relieve her suffering, even an operation later this year.

Even that is only $400 which seems ok to me given the investment needed to establish surgical facilities, the consumables, the staff, and the hospitalisation costs.

Compared to many of my chicken friends, I am very much in a sweet spot regarding veterinary care.

At the same time, I'm very inclined to seek and defer to accredited expertise and disinclined to trust my knowledge, which is incomplete, and my instinct, which is biased.

I have said before how lucky I feel you are. When I see these prices I feel extra jealous. Your vet is extremely reasonable. I would gladly pay any of these fees to keep my sweet hens healthy. And obviously he is doing an amazing job with your flock.

 

[MaryJanet]

I really should tell him how much I appreciate him.

 

[MaryJanet]

Ok, I've just had an update on Janet who stayed at the vet overnight. She's perfectly fine and can come home. He thinks she may have been dehydrated. Whatever it was, I'm glad she's ok now.

We'll definitely stop at the beach on our way home.

Get this: no charge for an exam and an overnight stay. Edit: AND a fecal test.


I feel like I've won the lotto!

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning MJ

Bake him a batch of cookies. I have no access to avian vets here. I recently hosted the state vet to test my turkeys for a disease that is common in the wild. Still waiting for results.

 

[rjohns39]

Ok, I've just had an update on Janet who stayed at the vet overnight. She's perfectly fine and can come home. He thinks she may have been dehydrated. Whatever it was, I'm glad she's ok now.

We'll definitely stop at the beach on our way home.

Get this: no charge for an exam and an overnight stay.


I feel like I've won the lotto!

You did! but I'm sooooo glad for the results.

 

[MaryJanet]

Good morning MJ

Bake him a batch of cookies. I have no access to avian vets here. I recently hosted the state vet to test my turkeys for a disease that is common in the wild. Still waiting for results.

The way I bake, that would be an unkindness, but I take your point and will make something for them.

 

[LozzyR]

Ok, I've just had an update on Janet who stayed at the vet overnight. She's perfectly fine and can come home. He thinks she may have been dehydrated. Whatever it was, I'm glad she's ok now.

We'll definitely stop at the beach on our way home.

Get this: no charge for an exam and an overnight stay.


I feel like I've won the lotto!

That’s great!

I would definitely tell him how much you appreciate him. People like to feel valued.