We are back from the Association of Avian Veterinarians annual conference in Louisville, KY. Hundreds of avian and exotic veterinarians from all over the world were there to learn more about medicine and surgery of our special pets. (Hello to our friends from Taiwan, France and Germany, among others!) We learned a lot at the conference, and Dr. Lennox was presented an award for Speaker of the Year for the 2011 conference last year.
The most exciting part of the 2012 conference for us was a lecture and laboratory we taught on sedation for pet birds. Dr Lennox, our technician Mandy and members from the Healthipet network joined together to teach a class on how to safely sedate parrots for examination and minor procedures. While sedation is not usually required for these procedures, for some very stressed and excitable birds it's a great alternative to general anesthesia. Tim, Robert, Tami and crew from Healthipet in Anderson brought some birds that were just relinquished to the rescue, and our lab participants conducted physical exams, collected diagnostic samples and groomed all 29 of the birds, while learning how sedation is administered and how it works. It was a win-win for everyone.
The lab would not have been possible without Healthipet's collaboration. Please visit their website at http://www.healthipet.webs.com and learn more about the organization, and the many lovely (and recently groomed!) birds available for adoption.
A big THANK YOU to all!
