MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

They may give you some advice over the phone. I chatted with the vet receptionist this morning & got some useful advice but they aren't specialist vets & I was shocked that I had more idea than they did. I tried a number of places for the amprolium : 3 out of 6 had never heard of it; 2 places didn't have it in stock & the vet told me it was prescription only; it's not. Seven hours is too much for a sick hen to travel, I feel. It always amazes me how they were originally lugged around the world given how easily they can & do cark it with a little stress.

No veterinary training is needed to be a vet receptionist - it's quite possible the person who answers the phone won't know much, especially in a practice that doesn't specialise in birds. 18 months of 24 hours a week at TAFE qualifies someone to be a vet nurse. 2 degrees of 3 years full time (BSc + PhD) at uni qualifies someone to practice veterinary medicine in South Australia, not sure about other states. That's a lot of knowledge.

At Dr Hill's practice, the nurses answer the phone and they're pretty good at triaging.

 

[MaryJanet]

It’s definitely not! I find I quite often need to go to the pet produce place (where you can get straw and other farm stuff) rather than a pet “store/shop” for the more serious stuff. There is a shop around the corner from where I work where I can get feed, waterers, wood shavings, hay wrapped in plastic, Pestene dust etc which is useful, but if I want a heavy-duty wormer, a litre of calcium additive, Amprolium etc I’m better off going to the produce place.

I got amprolium from the fodder store when I last needed it.

 

[Ribh]

It’s definitely not! I find I quite often need to go to the pet produce place (where you can get straw and other farm stuff) rather than a pet “store/shop” for the more serious stuff. There is a shop around the corner from where I work where I can get feed, waterers, wood shavings, hay wrapped in plastic, Pestene dust etc which is useful, but if I want a heavy-duty wormer, a litre of calcium additive, Amprolium etc I’m better off going to the produce place.

Yes, That's where I got it in the end. One of the islands usually has it in stock but is temporarily out.

 

[Ribh]

No veterinary training is needed to be a vet receptionist - it's quite possible the person who answers the phone won't know much, especially in a practice that doesn't specialise in birds. 18 months of 24 hours a week at TAFE qualifies someone to be a vet nurse. 2 degrees of 3 years full time (BSc + PhD) at uni qualifies someone to practice veterinary medicine in South Australia, not sure about other states. That's a lot of knowledge.

At Dr Hill's practice, the nurses answer the phone and they're pretty good at triaging.

These receptionists are also vet nurses but I have no idea how much training that entails. The lady who runs our pet shop [mostly hydrobaths for dogs apparently] is also a trained vet nurse. As I've always taken my cats to a mainland vet I'm not sure how good any of this is in reality. I'd rather trust my instincts.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[BY Bob]

I wonder if that chicken vet knows of someone closer to your house. Might be worth a phone call.

That's not a bad idea . I wonder if they a professional organization for poultry vets?

 

[Shadrach]

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.

 

[Shadrach]

One other thing that I find interesting is most of the chicken keepers here are men.

 

[BY Bob]

One other thing that I find interesting is most of the chicken keepers here are men.

I get that. That's how it turned out here.

 

[MaryJanet]

That's not a bad idea . I wonder if they a professional organization for poultry vets?

Blossom the cat's vet was delighted when I told her Dr Hill was my chicken vet. She said she doesn't do feathers and prefers to send patients to him (and a couple of others) when necessary.

In Australia the ANZCVS is the professional association for vets. I'm sure they'd know which vets specialise in which species.