Vet Prescription Killed Bebe

[rwkiii]

My mom was caring for my sister's Quaker parrot. Last week the bird got out of her cage and tried to fly to my mom, but she ran into the ceiling fan. It knocked her to the floor, belly up. She was conscious but of course dazed.

My mom put her back in her cage. She was able to clutch her perch, but she didn't seem to be feeling right - wasn't eating or making much noise like she usually did. So my mom called the bird doctor that normally tends to my sister and mom's Quakers. The vet had her bring Bebe in for XRays and found that she was bruised and had a broken wing.

Apparently the XRays were sent into a surgeon and they advised that the wing could not be fixed and needed to be removed.

I know NOTHING about birds. My mom is 77 years old. The bird doctor said that removal of the wing would cost between $300 and $600. My mom was told there was no other option but to remove the wing.

Sad as that was, my mom informed my sister and schedule the appointment.

By the time this appointment was made, Bebe livened up. She got noisy again and her appetite was back. She must have been sore, of course, but several days (3-4?) had passed and at least the bruising seemed to get better as she was getting back to normal - except she wouldn't fly.

The appointment was made to remove her wing. Bebe came home and was as noisy as ever. She ate well. By all rights she seemed to be normal, except for the removal of her wing.

The vet gave my mom several medications to give Bebe. Those medications were for pain, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic. Bebe seemed to get groggy after the medications. My mom didn't feel good about giving them to her. 1-1/2 days from the start of those meds Bebe was found lifeless at the bottom of her cage. She was barely alive - eyes closed, but sometimes she would barely open them. She was warm. I could put my finger in her feet and wiggle a little bit and she would BARELY clutch my finger. She was alive, but only barely.

My mom called the bird doctor. They advised to bring her in for an emergency visit. We immediately left with Bebe to head for the doctor, but Bebe died on the way. She got stiff and started getting cold.

My mom is fragile. She is about things like this and even more so that this entire incident happened while she was caring for Bebe.

I am now looking at the medications that were prescribed and I am very suspicious that there was an error. I wanted to ask if anyone has any knowledge of the medications that were prescribed to this bird.

1) TORBUTROL SYRUP - Give 0.33 mL by mouth once daily for pain. May cause constipation. May cause drowsiness.

Bottle says: FOR: Gadget Ketchup/Feline

2) TRAMADOL SUSPENSION - Give 0.3 mL by mouth twice daily. May cause vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. (pain-killer)

Bottle says: FOR: Bebe/Canine

3) CLAVAMOX DROPS - Give 0.2 mL orally twice a day for 10 days. Shake well. Keep refrigerated. May cause vomiting or diarrhea.

Bottle says: FOR: Bebe/Canine

4) METACAM - Give 0.25 mL by mouth twice daily with food. (Draw up to designated line) May cause vomiting or diarrhea. (pain-killer/anti-inflammatory)

After reading through these prescriptions I see the damn problem - my mom was given somebody else's prescription for a cat. The TORBUTROL wasn't for the bird. It was for another patient's cat. I just contacted the bird doctor myself and confirmed this error. Of course, the doctor is "very sorry and will look into how this happened"...

This bird had a huge $1000 cage. I imagine the bird itself was almost that cost. Not to mention my mom and sister are so heartbroken right now - as am I.

What is a sensible course of action for this?

[Pajarita]

Oh, WOW! What incredible heartache! I am soooo sorry for your loss but yes, the vet killed her. No doubt about it. She was getting three different kinds of pain killers (tramadol, torbutrol and metacam) and the dosages were all too high in my personal opinion (I am not a vet, I just have had a lot of birds for a long time and have picked up a thing or two). Just 0.1 of the metacam alone would have been more than sufficient for a quaker (to give you an idea of what I am talking about, a medium size cockatoo would have taken 0.4).

[liz]

Course of action: sue him.

[Pajarita]

If they did, they would only get the value of a 'second hand' quaker (maybe $200) and get reimbursed for what they paid. Don't forget that, in USA, pets are considered property. Vets can do atrocious things and get away with paying very little... they really have no accountability for their mistakes.