Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!samsung!xylogics!bu.edu!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!dragon From: dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Indoor: Avian vets Keywords: avian Message-ID: <26425@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> Date: 2 Dec 90 19:38:33 GMT References: <2637@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Lines: 31 In article <2637@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> bchurch@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bob Church) writes: >Anyway, I hope that no-one takes this posting the wrong way, I'm just >genuinely curious about the availability of good avian care in other areas. >Since birds tend to hide their symptoms until it's too late to treat them >preventive care is very important. > A good point. Competent avian vets are hard to find. It is a highly specialized field of veterinary medicine, and the vast majority of vets don't bother learning it. Anyone who has ever seen a bird's insides (as I have -- sometimes with the insides on the outside) can appreciate how very different the avian anatomy is from the mammalian. And yes, birds do hide their symptoms extrordinarily well. I might have to go over a bird feather-by-feather for more than 10 minutes before I find an injury.....and I would dearly love to get my hands on this jerk who came up with the "animals instinctively know when you're trying to help them" garbage. And DON'T flood me with any anecdotes about "well, I once helped an injured robin who just sat there and let me help him." That's called SHOCK, folks. I've been clawed by enough raptors to know that, even if they know you're trying to help, they really don't care. -- Sam Conway * What shape do you usually have? dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu * Mickey Mouse shape? Smarties Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College, NH * shape? Amphibious landing craft Vermont Raptor Center (VINS) * shape? Poke in the eye shape? Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com