My local vet tried to scare me yesterday

[jjoos99]

I took my new puppy yesterday to the vet I have been going to to trim my cockatoo parrot . I mentioned that I have chickens and he went on a 5 min lecture of how big of a risk they can be. Told me to never take my cockatoo around them and even to have outside shoes and inside shoes as to not exposed my parrot to any of the diseases that chickens carry. He went on about avian influenza and not to get too attached to my chickens since if there is an outbreak in our county the government might come in and kill all of them. Also went on about salmonella poising with eating eggs that were not fully cooked (hard boiled). Told me to never eat them cooked over easy! (the way I like them) I havent been washing my eggs but he has me concerned that maybe I should if even that would help. what do you all think?
Thanks
Jeff

 

[chickcrack]

I took my new puppy yesterday to the vet I have been going to to trim my cockatoo parrot .  I mentioned that I have chickens and he went on a 5 min lecture of how big of a risk they can be.  Told me to never take my cockatoo around them and even to have outside shoes and inside shoes as to not exposed my parrot to any of the diseases that chickens carry. He  went on about avian influenza and not to get too attached to my chickens since if there is an outbreak in our county the government might come in and kill all of them.  Also went on about salmonella poising with eating eggs that were not fully cooked (hard boiled).  Told me to never eat them cooked over easy! (the way I like them)   I havent been washing my eggs but he has me concerned that maybe I should if even that would help.  what do you all think?
Thanks
Jeff

I'm not sure about infecting your cockatoo with a chicken disease. I'm no vet so I guess that's feasible. Washing hands after being in the coop and having "coop shoes" is a decent practice to get into for anybody. But the rest of it sounds like your vet is the same kind of person that thinks chocolate milk comes from brown cows and packaged meat grows in fields. Oh and coyotes were here first so we should never protect our pets or livestock from them because "it's not fair".
People have been keeping chickens in their back yards for years and given the population of this site I don't think it's extremely hazardous. I only wash my eggs if they are very poopy which is rare and I enjoy my over easy eggs and never been rushed to the hospital. Life is full of risks I guess and you pick and choose which ones you're going to worry about. To me there's a lot of scary threats out there...my chickens aren't one of them.

 

[chickens really]

Your vet had some good advise as far as keeping your parrot away from the chickens....Chickens can carry disease that never show symptoms although they are carriers...Wild birds coming into our yards can transfer disease to our chickens also...I never worry about any of that...As chickcrack stated, life is full of risk...
I also love my eggs over easy....Eat your eggs as you wish....You could also get a Salmonella Enteritidis kit and test your coop for SE...I had to do one last year...Mine was free, but I believe its is cheap to do anyways...

Cheers!

 

[lazy gardener]

I took my new puppy yesterday to the vet I have been going to to trim my cockatoo parrot . I mentioned that I have chickens and he went on a 5 min lecture of how big of a risk they can be. Told me to never take my cockatoo around them and even to have outside shoes and inside shoes as to not exposed my parrot to any of the diseases that chickens carry. He went on about avian influenza and not to get too attached to my chickens since if there is an outbreak in our county the government might come in and kill all of them. Also went on about salmonella poising with eating eggs that were not fully cooked (hard boiled). Told me to never eat them cooked over easy! (the way I like them) I havent been washing my eggs but he has me concerned that maybe I should if even that would help. what do you all think?
Thanks
Jeff

Jeff, given how hazardous your vet seems to think life is, the first thigh I'd do if in your shoes is look for a vet who has a more naturalistic outlook on life. Many BYC folks also have parrots of one species or an other. I have not heard any reports of chickens being the result of their parrot's death. Yes, it's possible to pass disease between the 2 species, and just as likely for your parrot to infect your chickens. Many animals, humans included carry latent disease that does not cause symptoms, but if spread to an animal (almost always of the same species) that is immunocompromised, that animal will become ill. As far as avian influenza goes, all of the hype about it seems to be just that: hype. Big ruckus about how back yard flocks are going to spread the disease through the entire poultry industry. Funny thing is this: the outbreaks seem to be in the mega factory farms that have massive biosecurity measures in place, even with air filtration. UM.... over crowded, living under stressful conditions, never seeing the light of day, breathing and walking in fecal contamination 24/7 = perfect recipe for immunocompromised animals. IMO, if animals are kept in healthy environments, fed a healthy diet, attention is given to giving them healthy gut flora, disease will be a rare occurrence.

 

[ocap]

sounds like the vet has been talking to his lawyer and his insurance company about warning his customers so the vet is not liable for any problems you might have after your visit. we do need to be careful but if we are afraid of having a accident in a car, we would go back to horses, that might be a more dangerous choice. I am responsible for my actions and my choices not my vet.

 

[Folly's place]

Your veterinarian may have recently read some sad stories about these type of events, and let you have it 'with both barrels'. Worst cases are just that; worst cases. It's likely that none of those terrible events will happen to you. Good sanitation always pays off! Mary

 

[tmarsh83]

Sounds like it's time to find a new vet. What a sanctimonious pud.

 

[LittleBANTAMchickens]

I took my new puppy yesterday to the vet I have been going to to trim my cockatoo parrot . I mentioned that I have chickens and he went on a 5 min lecture of how big of a risk they can be. Told me to never take my cockatoo around them and even to have outside shoes and inside shoes as to not exposed my parrot to any of the diseases that chickens carry. He went on about avian influenza and not to get too attached to my chickens since if there is an outbreak in our county the government might come in and kill all of them. Also went on about salmonella poising with eating eggs that were not fully cooked (hard boiled). Told me to never eat them cooked over easy! (the way I like them) I havent been washing my eggs but he has me concerned that maybe I should if even that would help. what do you all think?
Thanks
Jeff

That vet really gave you a mouthful. Yes be cautious, but don’t let it destroy your bond with your birds.