Clean bill of health and advice.

**ArticunoGail** · 01-10-2012, 09:21 AM

Well, contrary to expectations, when I took Lawrence to the vet's , he wasn't seen by Mr Wildgoose, but by the other avian vet, Dr Stenson. I asked about when Lawrence got 'cuddlier', came close to us when Julie died, and he said that was because Lawrence was greiving, he was pining. He said that, unlike Julie, Lawrence was not overweight, and neither was he underweight. He confirmed his age (5 years), He listened to his lungs and air sacs, pronounced them clear, said there was no discharge from the eyes or the nares, checked the wings, the crop (it was full of the millet I gave him earlier as a birth-month present,) checked his keel and inspected his feet. He felt for tumours in the abdomen, and found none, looked in his mouth and said there were no lesions, checked his vent and inspected his poops. He went over what he'd done, explaining what he'd done and what he had looked for and why, and said he was obviously well looked-after. He also said that a travel/hospital cage should only have the one perch for one bird in case they startled and flew into another perch or the rope perch I had, and get hurt or tangled, so the rope perch will be coming out. He also said that Lawrence was a gentle bird and hadn't bitten him once, which was a nice surprise.

Then he said he was giving Lawrence a clean bill of health.

He asked if Lawrence was the only bird now, and I said yes, but I planned to get him a companion, and he made sure I understood not only the importance of quarantine, but getting a faecal test of the new bird's poops done before bringing the new bird home. He explained how to obtain and keep a viable sample, and then wished me the best of luck befiore I left after paying £26.50, (US$41.04, AUS$39.76)which is almost double what Lawrence cost to buy in the first place, but I was prepared to pay more if the need had arisen.

He said it was mpossible to know why Julie had dropped dead, but it was unlikely to be contagiou, and that it could have been her heart.

So, that's my mind at rest on that score at least.

ArticunoGail.