Nursing considerations and management of wounds in psittacine patients

AbstractParrots require some consideration when treated within the veterinary practice and are somewhat different from our commonly seen cats and dogs. These species are highly intelligent, require mental stimulation and correct husbandry and diet to maintain good physical and emotional health; being a prey species, they are also very good at hiding illness. Many parrots are presented for traumatic or self-mutilated wounds, the latter of which is sadly only seen in captive psittacine species. This article will cover the basics of how to confidently nurse these patients, from initial assessment, in patient care and wound management.