# Do tiels need to be sedated for a blood test?



## Siaarn (Feb 24, 2011)

Hi, I've posted here a few times about my cockatiel who is sick, she is doing a little better after giving her some vitamins and such but I know she is still sick. I was wondering, is it normal for a vet to knock a bird out just for a blood test? The vet we took her to said she would have to be sedated for a blood test and that there's only a 60% chance she would make it through the procedure, not because she's sick but just because it's that dangerous to sedate small birds.

I am not sure he is an experienced avian vet, and I'm not sure it's worth the risk, I would rather find a more experienced vet that doesn't have to sedate her, so to sum it up, do even experienced avian vets sedate birds for a blood test?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It depends on how they're collecting the blood. If they're taking it from a toenail there's no need for sedation. If they're taking it from the jugular vein the bird needs to be sedated.

It would be best to discuss the situation with the vet to ask why he wants to sedate her instead of taking blood from the nail. If he gives a specific reason for it, you can do some googling and ask for forum advice trying to find out whether this is really a valid reason, and if it is then you'll have to decide whether it's worth the risk. If he says it's because he always does it this way, you need to look for another vet. 

It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion even if it looks like he has legitimate reasons for wanting to do it this way. This is a high-risk procedure and it's best to avoid it if you can.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

My 2 vets I've seen did not sedate the birds when they pulled from the jugular or the toenail. It depends on the vet. It is dangerous to get blood from the jugular on a small bird, but I think it is dnagerous to sedate small birds too. Try to get the vet to get a sample from the toenail instead.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Even for sedation and a blood draw from the jugular, a 40% fatality rate sounds extremely excessive. If that's really how many fatalities this vet is having in their practice, I'd be concerned about their skills.


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## SunnyandChickie (Jul 9, 2012)

My vet doesn't sedate for blood draws wether they are doing jugular or toenail draws.


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## Siaarn (Feb 24, 2011)

That's what I was worried about, I really don't think this vet is an experienced avian vet, thank you all very much, I'm going to call around and try to find a more experienced vet.


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## SunnyNShandy (May 24, 2012)

My vet really really wants to sedate for a thorough blood draw and for Xrays for Shandy. I said no for a month now. With his seizure count increasing vs decreasing on meds, I am saying yes. I have read that many a certified avian vet prefers sedation for blood (depends on the tests of course) and especially Xrays.

Good luck with your little one.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

SunnyNShandy said:


> My vet really really wants to sedate for a thorough blood draw and for Xrays for Shandy. I said no for a month now. With his seizure count increasing vs decreasing on meds, I am saying yes. I have read that many a certified avian vet prefers sedation for blood (depends on the tests of course) and especially Xrays.
> 
> Good luck with your little one.


My vet regularly uses sedation, which I'm not crazy about, but he does it frequently and feels it is very low risk. Roo was sedated once shortly after I adopted her, and she did just fine. I definitely think that if a vet is a) insisting on using it and b) also telling you that your bird is at very high risk, then I'd definitely be looking for a different vet.


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## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

Our vet today did not sedate our birds. They did ok, kind of shook up at first but are now doing just fine. Maybe because they are young? 

Seems he wants to do this once a year though, is that necessary?


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