Story of a Parrot
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008A patient sent me a text message Sunday morning that she would have to postpone Monday’s appointment because her parrot was dying and might be in the hospital. That is the first time that a patient had to change an appointment to care for a sick parrot. Poor parrot! My daughter-in-law told me that parrots live a very long time - up to 80 years. A friend of hers who is parent to a parrot wanted to provide for her pet bird in her will but she was having trouble finding an appropriate guardian.
Getting back to teeth, of course parrots don’t have teeth but rather a beak with which to begin the digestive process. Nevertheless, animal dentistry is commonly performed on other pets who do have teeth, including cats, dogs and horses.
If you do have a pet with teeth, it is important that you take care of the animal’s oral health, including keeping the teeth clean, a proper diet and regular visits to the veterinarian. Periodontal disease is the most common condition seen by veterinarians. They also see fractured teeth, abscesses, and oral tumors. These conditions can be painful for the animal and affect proper function. Veterinary dental specialists are trained to diagnose and treat dental disease. (Sorry, I only treat people at my Long Island dental office!)
