James Harris, DVM
Blaming vet for bird's death probably not fair
 I took my six-year-old Hahn's macaw, Harley, in to see my avian veterinarian because Harley did not seem to want to eat and seemed very tired. I left him there so they could do blood work and x-rays. When I called that afternoon, the vet told me that the x-ray did not show anything wrong and that his blood work was fine, but that he wanted to keep Harley overnight because all the results hadn't come in. When I called to check on Harley the next day, they put me on hold and finally the vet came to the phone and told me Harley had died. Apparently the vet had tried to tube feed him and the formula became trapped in his throat. The necropsy showed nothing else wrong. The vet never gave me a reason why he tube fed Harley. He only said that it was an accident - and that if I had picked Harley up that morning he would still be here. His insurance settled with me. Should this have happened? I hope that one day I will get through this but just find it so hard. Harley was my best friend, my best pal.
-- Barbara Mangam
I am writing this in the first flush of grief from the loss of my beloved parrotlet, Meche. Due to my own inattention, she was badly bitten on the lower beak by my Senegal. I took her to my avian vet immediately and was told that they would have to keep her for about a week as it would be too painful for her to eat and they would have to tube feed her until her beak healed enough for her to eat on her own. The next morning, right before I was going to leave to visit her (the vet is 1/2 hour away), the vet called and told me that Meche, who had been doing beautifully the night before, had bitten a towel while they were trying to feed her that morning and re-opened her beak wound and aspirated some of the blood and died. I looked around the Internet a little and this seems to be so rare as to not even be mentioned anywhere. The vet, in fact, called it a freak accident. Could the vet tech have been too rough with my panicked little parrotlet, or am I being unreasonable in thinking someone is to blame?
-- Anne Bastien, St. Augustine, Fla.
 BOTH OF YOU did the right thing when you took your birds to the veterinarian. A bird that has stopped eating or that has sustained a serious beak injury needs medical attention. And hand feeding such a bird until it is feeding itself again is an appropriate course of action. Unfortunately, there are always inherent risks in handling or medicating any creature. Birds can aspirate - inhale - food or fluids, including blood, into the windpipe. There the aspirated material either chokes them to death or passes on to the lungs and possibly further to the air sacs. This can result in pneumonia or an infection called air saculitis. The bottom line is, while it's impossible for me to know exactly what happened, it doesn't sound to me as if your birds were improperly handled or cared for. Your veterinarians probably did the best they could and feel badly about the outcome. However, I also know that the loss of a loved family member - human or animal - is always a sad event that can cause intense grief. This is only normal. But if you're having trouble coping, counseling can help. Read more about this in my article, Saying goodbye.
James Harris, DVM is owner and medical director of the Mayfair Veterinary Clinic in Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia. He founded Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and has served as medical director and chairman of the board for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Berkeley. Dr. Harris' numerous professional honors include California and National Bustad Companion Animal DVM Awards.
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