Max the Sun Conure was seen at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals after he had accidently been shut in a door. His Mom and Dad graciously agreed to allow us to share his story with you here…
When We Met Max, We Were Very Concerned!
Max had severe lacerations (cuts) around his right leg and right wing and tail, and he was limping on the right and holding his right wing to the side. Even in his rough shape, Max was just the sweetest bird!
Would a Dog or Cat Agree to That?
When he first came to Gentle Doctor, Max was a struggling with shock, and we worried we would not be able to safely obtain x-rays with anesthesia, but would also not be able to obtain high quality x-rays without anesthesia – a common dilemma with trauma cases of any species! On a whim, we gave Max a pen to play with while we took x-rays, and he happily allowed us to position him on his back and then on his side, and were able to get great pictures!
X-rays showed a miraculous absence of fractures, so we went to work putting poor Max back together!
The Repair of Max the Conure
We started antibiotics and pain medication and anesthetized Max. Trey the technician made Max his own tiny anesthesia mask. We had seen Trey do the same before for rats who needed tiny anesthesia masks, and knew Max’s anesthesia mask would be just right, and it was!
Max was in surgery for one and a half hours while his lacerations were repaired with the tiniest of sutures. After surgery, Max woke right up! Once again Trey showed his “MacGyver” skills and made Max the cutest – and more importantly – the most comfortable and protective little e-collar.
A week later, when Max finally outsmarted his e-collar, our other awesome veterinary technician Brooke made Max a new e-collar that he could not bite around!
Why We Love Max…Isn’t It Obvious?
We love patients like Max for lots of reasons…
As much as we HATE to see pets in pain, it is so rewarding to help them get well.
There is something just incredible and fun about a little parrot’s personality, especially one as neat as Max the Conure.
Having patients like Max pushes us to find solutions - e-collars and anesthesia masks, not to mention tiny medicine doses! - that we would not otherwise have to consider.
Our Clients (YOU) are the Best Clients…
This is not specific to Max the Conure or his family, but it is true - we just really like the people who come in with our patients! Max’s parents are just great, and we credit them entirely with Max’s sweet little personality, and all the supportive care that has allowed Max to recover completely from what was a very severe and scary injury.
In Which Max the Conure Lives Happily Ever After…
Today, we are glad to report that Max is happy and healthy at home! He frequently comes to board at our 89th and Grant location, and we love when he is here with us.
We wish for Max a long, happy lifetime with a medical record filled only with wellness exams!
More on Max on Dr. Finch's veterinary website, Riley and James,
"What if Every Case is a Gift?"
Due to Dr. Finch's allergies, we are no longer seeing exotic pets as patients except for Max and a few guinea pigs who have been "grand-birded" and "grand-piggied" in. We still love them all, and still board most exotic pets! Ask us for great veterinary teams in the Omaha area that see exotic pets.