Holistic Approaches VS Modern Medicine

We know that not all avian vets are equal. It can be difficult to find an avian specialist vet compared to a vet that primarily sees domesticated species, but will also see birds too. The difference between the two are one has taken more time to understand parrot’s medically and anatomically, as well as keeps up to date with new practices, new findings, and diseases. The other was given a short course in college about exotics and birds were blanketed in there. The specialized vet is always most recommended, and if you are having difficulties finding a quality avian vet, you can read out other blog post here. Another trouble is finding one near you. Some people are hours away from an avian vet, or simply do not have one around. This is when you start analyzing “what is worth going to the vet over?” In this blog, we will go over the difference between holistic approaches and seeking professional help for your parrots needs.

There is a clear line between your parrot needing support and your parrot being medically unwell. No matter what it is, you should always be speaking with your vet in person or over the phone about any regimes you do for your parrot regarding their health for approval of effectiveness. Your vet will always tell you when something is too serious to treat at home and needs further testing, as well as if the methods you want to try holistically will have any standing. Online we can read all about different preventative and support measures for different alignments that are not always true. Even if it worked or one bird, that does not mean it will work for every. Going over plans of action with your vet does not always require you to come in unless it is medically serious.

Holistic options are usually a support measure, not a treatment measure. We can support our birds through their diet and through supplements when needed, but will that necessarily treat your parrot’s infection? We can give chamomile flower and tea to hormonal parrots to calm them down, but if they are practicing feather destructive behaviors, masturbating, excessive egg laying, they need to go to a vet to get further treatment, as holistic options will not be the right help for severe behaviors. If your bird has weird droppings for a day, you may start them on a probiotic, but if it lasts a couple days up to a week, you will need to go see a vet.

Holistic methods can be extremely powerful. It’s the medicine that has been around for thousands of years. Without a doubt, it can be effective for cases. But it may not be enough, it may not work as fast, it may not treat completely, and it simply just may not be the right treatment. For example, your amazon is deficient in vitamin A and is showing clear signs outwardly. You could pump them with vitamin A through diet (holistic) but it will take a while for it to build up in their systems. You could go to the vet for a vitamin A injection one time AND still feed vitamin A foods to continue the support and effectiveness and your bird receives the vitamin A it needs immediate and you use holistic to be sure it stays up and you do not need another injection.

Finding information online can be extremely difficult for holistic measures for parrots. Most of what people find is actually for humans, or works with other species, and if the items are parrot safe, they apply it. The truth is there is very little work done on the effects of a lot of holistic options on parrots specifically. We still do not know how to properly set up their diets and proportions in captivity. Compared to domesticated species, we know very little about parrots. The methods you find may not have amount and dosages for your sized bird, which can become problematic, as you can cause harm using holistic measures. You can give your bird hypervitaminosis and cause damage to their skin, GI tract, kidneys, liver, etc.

You should never go online for any medical help. A veterinarian cannot prescribe to you any treatments, diagnosis, or care without knowing a medical background and more information than can be put in a single social media post. If you feel the need to join Facebook groups or online forums to ask a question regarding your parrot’s well-being, then that is a clear sign that the information you were just about to post should be emailed or called into your trusted avian vet. If your vet is closed at the time of an emergency, it is best to go to the other blog post above, find an avian vet that has emergency hours (even if it is not within your immediate region) and ask for correct supportive care till your vet opens in the morning. Phone your vet as soon as they open and talk to the staff describing the emergency and ask to be seen that day. If it is a true medical emergency that needs urgency, vets will fit you in or recommend you to other places that could. Facebook is not the answer. Most are run by individuals with no DVM (doctorates in veterinary medicine).

A good avian vet will not prescribe your treatments that are unnecessary, upcharge you, or deny holistic approaches and only recommend prescribed approaches. Everything that they recommend is advisable based on their superior knowledge of our parrot’s medical needs. If you have had a bad vet experience with your parrot, do not blanket all vets into the same category. That was just information stating that the vet was not a quality one for avian species. Holistic options are great, but not to be regarded as a full course of treatment. You will likely also need to be properly diagnosed to be sure the holistic treatments you are using is for the right thing. For example, increased thirst and loose stool could be a fungal infection of the lower GI tract, kidney problems, diabetes, liver problems, or an infection. Without that proper diagnosis, and likely medication for any of these concerns, you may see the droppings and increased thirst as kidneys and treat holistically to support kidney function through diet, but it could actually be a fungal infection. So, you would be treating the wrong thing not effectively enough while the fungal infection doesn’t get treatment and gets worse and worst.

Holistic is great and vets are great. There are specific avian vets out there that host remote consultations with a copy of your bird’s medical records to give you proper holistic approaches for the concerns your bird is having. But you will need your bird to be seen first by an avian vet in your area to get the bloodwork and further testing required for the remote consultation to have value to your birds’ treatments. Never neglect your parrots’ medical needs by trying to avoid modern medicine and only choose a natural approach. Parrots are incredibly sensitive species that hide illnesses extremely well. Usually when you notice symptoms outwardly, your bird has been ill for quite some time, and likely need a more aggressive treatment, especially at the start to stabilize them. Always contact your vet before starting any holistic measures for off behavior, droppings, weight fluctuations, etc.