Posts Tagged ‘ avian ’

Recommendations for back injury, pain, or IVDD for pet dogs and cats from the doctors at The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

by admin | December 13, 2009 | In Recommendations from The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic No Comments

These are a list of the things that the doctors at the Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic may recommend for back pain or back injury with your pet

1. Pain medications- Tramadol , hydromorphone, and buprenorphine are morphine type products that can help with back pain. This product may cause constipation; therefore,  laxatives are recommended.

2. Muscle relaxants- Methocarbamol or Diazepam may be used to help reduce the amount of muscle spasms that your pet may experience with back pain. These are recommended if they are restless, panting, or unable to sleep at night.

3. Weight loss and exercise- if your pet is overweight we will recommend weight loss. Exercise is recommended to keep the muscles in the back strong. Leash walk or swimming is the best exercise. Absolutely no fetch, jumping should be allowed for the next month, as this type of exercise can continue to injure the back.

4. Anti-inflammatory medications- Prednisone (cortisone) may be recommended for disc disease, this cannot be given with any aspirin type products. Some potential side effect include: diabetes, liver disease, immune suppression, and stomach ulcers.

5. Other pain meds may include rimadyl, aspirin, metacam, etc- these cannot be given with any type of cortisone, and should be discontinued if any vomiting or diarrhea is noted.

6. We recommend fiber to prevent constipation: canned pumpkin or metamucil.

7. Docusate sodium (Colace) may also be recommended for constipation.

8. Injectable adequan can speed healing with arthritis, and with disc disease. This is usually given 1-2 times per week for one month, then monthly.

9. Heat and massage therapy on the area that is painful may help relax the muscles and aid in recovery. This can be performed daily at home.

10. Acupuncture and a chiropractic adjustment with Dr D’Monte has had some significant success in treating back pain, and back injuries.

11. Duralactin is highly recommended as an effective anti-inflammatory agent for arthritis in the back and back injuries. This will probably be recommended for life if your pet injures their back.

12. Fish oil appears to be helpful in the treatment and prevention of back injuries and arthritis. Fish oil does take some time to build up in the body to start showing its effectiveness.

13. With disc disease it is possible for your pet to become completely paralyzed, if this happens surgery may be the only solution for this condition. Monitor your pet closely through the recovery period, and recheck immediately if worse or if not improving.

Dr. Bill Langhofer, DVM

The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

Serving the Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix, and Mesa Area of Arizona

480-945-8484

The top 10 ways to get your parrot to eat more pellets

by admin | October 4, 2009 | In Recommendations from The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic 2 Comments

This is a list of the top 10 ways to get your parrot to eat more pellets or to try and transition them to more pellets in their diet. All parrots (avian) species have different dietary requirements, this is simply general recommendations to try and get them to eat more pellets and less seeds in their diet. We have a variety of recommendations depending on the bird’s species, exercise regimen, breeding, sex, age, and health status.
1. Go organic- Some birds are more likely to eat organic pellets over other varieties of pellets.

2. Spray fruit juice on top of the pellets- Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Papaya Juices can all be misted on top of pellets to help flavor the pellets a flavor that they may enjoy. You may also mix pellets with apple sauce.

3. Make it hot- many birds like tabasco sauce on pellets.

4. Mix pellets- with pasta sauce, oatmeal, banana baby food, cream of wheat.

5. Feed them pellets on a mirror, the reflection of “another bird” in the mirror may stimulate them to try the pellets. It’s all about the competition.

6. Mix the pellets with their current seed. (This is the least effective method as they usually just eat around them, but this does allow them to get used to the pellets and start viewing it as food)

7. Place a few drops of peanut oil in a bag with the pellets and shake them, the peanut oil is very good at hiding the flavor of the pellets and will lightly coat the outside of the pellets. This method is very effective for birds that like peanut butter and peanuts. (only use a few drops).

8. Place pellets on a plate while you are eating dinner and pretend to eat them (Yes we want the human to pretend to eat the pellets). This method is very effective for birds that are comfortable eating at the dinner table with a human family.

9. Place another bird next to them that is already eating pellets (monkey see…monkey do).

10. Cook the pellets in some type of bread- corn muffin, wheat muffin, etc., and then feed them the bread.

- Be persistent as I have had one client that had to spend 2.5 years before her budgie would finally start eating pellets.

-The average bird takes a few months for them to get used to the pellets and start eating them on a regular basis.

-Do not just force them to eat pellets or go hungry, as they may refuse the pellets until they develop other complicating medical problems. Make sure that they are eating some type of food on a regular basis during the transition.

-Our general rule of thumb for psittacine species (parrots) is 40% pellets, 30% vegetables, 20% fruit, and 10 % seeds and nuts. These ratios do change dramatically based on the species of parrot and their medical concerns.

Dr. Bill Langhofer, The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic, TSVCpets.com