How to Give Your Bird Oral Medications -3.7mb movie file (Quick Time) by Dr. Alan M Fudge DVM (The Bird Doctor )

http://www.birddoctorhousecalls.com/...almedbirdw.mov

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Bird Health Information-Bird Doctor Housecalls

Very good demonstration!

Another suggestion for those that wish to prepare ahead of time.... but ***ALWAYS check with the prescribing DR. if you can mix the meds into something else***

I give my birds a human baby food treat once or twice a week from an oral syringe. That way, if I ever have to medicate orally, they are used to the idea and hopefully we can do it without stress.....

I do this too, although not weekly usually. Actually, when Ollie went to the vet several months back, the dr. gave me some syringes to do this very thing. I think she was impressed when I told her I was already doing it. She suggested using natural fruit juice inside the syringe. Not quite the same consistency, but same idea for those birds who may not like baby food.

Giving meds to the little guys is easy - just like the video showed, but giving meds to the big boys, just isn't that easy!!!!
I have to hide the meds in this, that or the other thing. There is no way they will let me near them with a syringe - except the ones that were hand fed.

My only experience is with my 2 GW's, but I think they're easy because I don't have to towel them. I give something by syringe every day. They sit on their play perch, I cup the back of their head in my hand and put my thumb and index finger on each side of the lower mandible and insert meds/supplements.

Lafeber makes a product called "Mediberries". I think you have to get them through your AV. But they're made so you can put Meds in them.

I have only had to give meds to Reuben GW.

I could not disguise the Baytril in anything. He knew exactly what it was and fought me. I would add it to cherry juice for him. As he is a big GW 1600 GMs I had to give him a pretty large dose. We finally came to a "truce" I guess you would call it and I think it helped that he was felling badly and he knew the "yuckky" stuff would help.
I still periodically have to give him Benadryl when he starts with the sniffles and itchiness. He gets seasonal allergies just like humans.

My technique is to sit him on my left knee with his back against my kitchen table. I grasp his top beak with my left hand open it and "push" the benadryl into his mouth. I do it sort of like the vet a little at a time, but the whole procedure can't take too long or he gets tired of it and proceeds to try to bite me. Ru is my hubby's bird and really does not like me too much. A few years ago when he had his sinus infection and was going through a lot of issues it became necessary for me to get over my intimidation of his beak and just dive right in. It is funny how you will do whatever you have to for them without thinking of the consequences to your own digits.