Urgent.. please help with info about a quaker that just died!

[tattoo]

Please help with any advise or suggestions.

the girl that works for me who has many birds just got a new quaker girl. The little girl was 4 months old and she just took the bird to the vet for a routine "new bird" check up and to make sure that she was clear of the liver issue that another quaker she had.

She just called me hysterical.. the vet did a blood test and the bird died. at the vets office. the vet said she went into cardiac arrest and he could not save her. He did a anterior blood test.

Has anyone ever heard of this happening. and yes this is a registered avian vet!
Help with any info or advise.

[sammit]

yes this happens with birds sometimes.. some birds can stress so much after being grabbed that they do indeed die by massive cardiac failure. its more common than most of us would like to admit, my vet has told me some stories about it happening even before she had removed the bird from the travel cage!!!

[Dally]

thats so sad....

[tattoo]

i am sicker than ever... the vet did the autopsy and said air from the needle got in her heart

[Dally]

sorry, but i'd sue the vet. was this easily preventable? if so id sue them.

[sammit]

oh wow so it wasnt a failure it was an embolism?? yeah thats the vets fault right there... sorry you had to lose your bird in such a bad way..

[Dally]

id be devastated..... please im sorry to hear what happened....

[Marrie]

Sorry to hear this happened. I would be checking into the vet... because air bubbles are pretty preventable I think.

[pixibubbles]

get the vet report- and take it to another vet. Then SUE
that's disgusting. I'll use the phrase my vet told me when i was freaking out that my 40 gram fischers lovebird had to have blood drawn. "I've never lost a bird during a blood test. Ever. Worst problem I've ever had is a mild heamatoma if the bird wriggles at the wrong moment- but if you hold them well that doesnt happen- its only the big birds too. Your little guy will be fine. You're more stressed than he is!"

I am so, so sorry about this.

I also think the vet should be named and shamed- i would want to know who someone like that is so i could avoid them!

Again though, many condolences to your friend. x

[tattoo]

from what I got this morning after seeing Jenn she said the vet did take the blood from the jugular but nicked the air sack and he thinks it got filled with blood and she went into cardiac arrest. they did cpr for 10 minutes but could not bring her back.

question: should he of warned her that this was a risk? was she to young for this? should the vet be responsible for this?

I know she just finished paying for her last week and even paid her off quicker because she felt bad that the bird was alone in a cage at the breeders. It is a big hardship on her in many ways, and money is not easy because we had to take hours away from people in these hard times. The vet didn't charge her for the visit..is that enough? should the vet help with money towards the bird. It is obviously their fault. She would not have done the test if 1)she had known it was a risk, and 2) she had another bird with the liver disease.

I had a dream that I started a collection for her.. now i think it may not be a bad idea. She is devastated.



she will read this so please advise her.

[Dan]

Oh wow how terrible. I know mistakes can happen, but if that ever happened to Martin, that vet would have one humongous lawsuit on their tooshie.

[Dally]

id sue. you should be able to trust a vet to know what theyre doing.... and why out of the jugular and not a wing vein??? safer.... no air sacs in the wing when we all know theres air sacs in the neck....

[SandraK]

So, so wrong for this to happen. The vet should definitely reimburse your friend for her bird at the very least, if not be sued. Please forward my condolences to your friend also.

[pixibubbles]

My vet takes from the jugular at least on Sammy- he said that's the safest option on the smaller guys- it's the largest, strongest vein- and he considers it the best way to do it. But you've already seen what he told me when i was worrying about Sammy's blood tests

[tattoo]

We spoke to another vet a while ago. She is going to look at the report if she can decipher it. It is really hard to read.

I agree that the vet should at least reimburse her for the bird. He made it out to be a big deal to not charge her for the visit but he is charging her for the tests and cremation. Hard to image that. He told her "after the blood test" that is was a risk to have it done. a little to late for warnings.

We all have accidents and I believe it was just that.. however, he had the accident and she should at least recover her lose monetarily. Not that makes her whole, at least it will cover her costs. We should all be responsible for our accidents.. that is why all business have to carries liability insurance.

[Marrie]

I would sue, or at least demand NO charge for the tests or anything and he pay for the cost of the bird. There is _some_ risk with every vet visit, but the vet was negligent and it was his fault. Not sure on the laws for incompetent vets, but I would look into it.

[theHoll]

He made it out to be a big deal to not charge her for the visit but he is charging her for the tests and cremation. Hard to image that. He told her "after the blood test" that is was a risk to have it done. a little to late for warnings.

What??? Ok...I'll even give that, sure, sometimes accidents happen...but that is ridiculous!!! The vet was the direct cause of death...that's like paying the guy for killing the poor bird!

Wow...

[pixibubbles]

he actually is still running the tests at her charge. ugh
and charging her to cremete? ugh
Get another opinion from another vet- and see if they say what mine did in terms of loosing a bird this way. If so- then i think definate grounds for law action. I'll be honest- i wouldnt have paid. Is this vet part of a group? is there a senior partner or someone to talk to? Or are they regulated somehow where you can make a complaint? not sure how it works there.

[Courtney]

That's TERRIBLE. Why on earth would the vet charge if it was HIS fault. My vet does not even charge me to put chinchillas down, he did it for me for free twice and this guy is charging. Im sorry this is happenig.

[puffin]

I'm so sorry!! That sounds like such a horrible experience. I agree that AT THE LEAST the vet should cover all costs associated (tests, labs, exam) AND the cost of the bird! I'm glad she had a necropsy done

[Barb]

I don't get how this is even possible from a jugular stick. There aren't any air sacs by the jugular.

Sure, a jugular stick can be a potential risk to the bird because of stress or maybe a bruise if they move, but that is the extent of it. However, if they do it wrong then it is a huge risk. That means liability.

Best luck to your friend.

[ark]

I agree with all that has been said before. There is NO excuse for a vet who was careless enough to hit the air sac while doing a standard blood draw. If the bird was over stressed or wriggling too much, it should have been done in a less dangerous area. I'd definitely tell your friend to take him to claims court (i.e. sue him) for the cost of the tests, necropsy, and cremation. I don't think she can actually get the cost of the bird, but a lawyer might find differently. I would also tell her not to pay the bill before she talks to a lawyer.

[SandraK]

If he won't cover the costs for the test or the cost of the bird, my suggestion would be picket his office with a sign that says "A vet in this office killed my bird - accidentally! Ask me for for information." Since it is the truth I don't believe anything can be done against you (as in defamation of character) specifically since you have a necropsy. And if it is a veterinary practice, I don't think they would want that kind of publicity.

Just because it was a bird it doesn't mean the poor little thing was "disposable". To quote an old child's poem "For the lack of a horseshoe nail, a kingdom was lost". The smallest loss of life can create a large repercussion throughout the rest of the world.

[Desirae]

one word: sue.

NOT okay at all. i'd be so angry if a VET killed my bird. SUE.

[marc1972]

I have read this discussion and it is very sad.
it there is not someone that has won or someone that has lost but there is only a poor bird that is died too much young.
the money are not important in this history; I would pay him however I would sue him.
only the Judge with his judgment can decide if from veterinary were done some things wrong.
I would change veterinary! all this is so sad!!
I sorry for your bird !!