How to give your bird oral antibiotics
by Garry J. Wallan
Occasionally, our feathered friends become host to all sorts of nasty
bacterial critters. Sometimes, the best way to treat the illness is to give the
bird antibiotics via the mouth. Here are some pointers to help you with this
task: How To Administer Medicine To Your Parrot:
Occasionally,
we find it necessary to medicate our feathered friends.
Here are some
pointers to help you with this task....
FIRST APPLICATION:
1.
Retrieve the bird from the cage.
2. Set the bird on a table and hold
its head by carefully grasping the neck where it joins the lower jaw, or
mandible.
3. With your other hand, grasp the medicine syringe and place
the tip into the left side of the bird's mouth.
4. Depress the plunger
and squirt the medicine toward the back of the bird's throat.
5. Wipe
excess medicine from the bird's beak.
6. Place the bird back in the
cage.
7. Watch for signs of stress.
SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS:
1. Attempt to retrieve the bird from the
cage.
2. Apply bandages as necessary to wounds on your hands and
arms.
3. Retrieve the bird from its new hiding place under the coffee
table.
4.Carefully immobilize the bird's head to prevent further tissue
damage to your body.
5. Attempt to break the "Vulcan Death Grip" and
remove the bird's feet from your hand.
6. Apply more bandages and a
strong analgesic cream to the new wounds on your hands and arms.
7.
Immobilize the bird by carefully wrapping it in a bath towel.
8. Chase screaming bird down the hallway and into the bathroom.
9. Throw the towel over the bird and pick up the writhing, squirming
package.
10. Watch
in amazement as the bird "morphs." Its head and tail will probably swap
position, putting your tender flesh in mortal danger again.
11. Hold the
bird snugly in its terrycloth prison.
12. Grasp the medicine syringe.
Try to stop trembling in fear and pain. Place the tip of the syringe into
the left side of the bird's mouth.
13. Ignore the crushed tip. Depress
the plunger and squirt the medicine toward the back of the bird's
throat.
14. Wipe excess medicine out of your eyes and off the
drapes.
15. Release the bird and squirt medicine in the general
vicinity of its face. Some medicine may actually go into the mouth. The
rest will be absorbed by osmosis.
16. Shoo the bird back to the
cage.
17. Spend the rest of the day attempting to regain the bird's
affection with yummy snacks and new toys.
The other day, Corky, our Yellow-napped
Amazon, called out, "Hey Bob, where you at?" I answered, "I'm in the
bedroom, Corky." "Hey Bob, can you fly?", he calls back. "No, Corky, I
can't fly", I said. At that point he let go with one of his maniacal
laughs and seemed to really get off making fun of my limitation.
Sometimes, they REALLY make you wonder...
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