The veterinary course is designed to train all vets to the same level in all the common species. Some diversification will happen in the final year, where students can choose to study certain species or areas of veterinary medicine in more detail, depending on where they can see their career heading. But on the whole, everyone learns a pretty decent amount about pets, farm animals and horses. Once qualified, vets will choose in what area of veterinary medicine they would like to work. And in the clinical sector, practices will often be divided into small animal practices, farm animal practices, equine practices or mixed practices.
On the most part, the division of cases is fairly self explanatory – have a dog? Go to see a small animal vet. Have a cow? Go to see a farm animal vet. But there are some animals that fall through the cracks. Some animals that may not seem at home at a small animal practice, or a farm animal one. And probably the one that causes most confusion is the chicken.
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Why the difference?
Historically, the majority of vets were happy and able to see practically any patient that needed them, never mind the species. However, over the years, as veterinary medicine and surgery have progressed and evolved, new techniques, drugs and methods have been developed and client expectations have increased, so the need for more ‘specialisation’ has occurred. Overall, this is a positive move and causes little upset amongst most clients. It means that practices are able to focus their finances on providing the most suitable equipment and drugs for the animals that they see, rather than spreading them more thinly to cater for multiple species. Vets are able to concentrate their training and knowledge on individual areas and fine tune their skills so they can provide high levels of care to their patients.
Mixed practice vets do still see a much broader range of species than other vets. And although for the vet, this can provide a great variety to their job (I was a mixed practice vet for over ten years and loved it!), it can be very difficult to plan the day and time-manage when having to do a mix of small animal consultations and farm visits. Not to mention the emergencies that can take you out of the practice for hours at a time. Mixed practices definitely still have their place and provide a great option for many, especially in more rural areas. But sadly, they are a dying breed.
Weird and wonderfuls
Now, you would think that a chicken is a fairly normal animal, nothing particularly unusual. Not like a bearded dragon or giant anteater. However when looking for a vet, many chicken owners can run into problems. Large commercial flocks are happily adopted by farm vets. And a lot of the time, are treated as a group rather than individuals. But what about the pet chicken – Doris or Barbara in the backyard? Who looks after them?
In reality, it tends to be up to the individual practice whether they will see them. Some owners use small animal vets, some use farm vets and some use mixed vets. A lot will depend on the skill set of the vets within the practice. But there are some reasons why certain vets may or may not be keen to treat a pet chicken.
Facilities
Small animal practices will generally be better geared for dealing physically with chickens, especially with regards to anaesthetics and surgery. This is because they will have smaller anaesthetic equipment and surgical instruments available
Drugs
Not many drugs are licensed for chickens at all. Of those drugs licensed in other species which are thought to be useful in certain conditions in chickens, some are small animal drugs and some are large animal drugs, so either a small animal practice would have to stock or source certain large animal products, or vice versa.
Legalities
Chickens are classed as food producing animals. And as such, there are rules around the prescribing of drugs, even if they are never going to be eaten. These rules also apply to their eggs. This means that some drugs are totally banned from use in the species. And others are allowed but with strict withdrawal times on meat and eggs (the length of time that must elapse after the end of a treatment course before the meat or eggs are allowed to be consumed again). Farm animal vets are much more used to following these rules than small animal vets.
Expertise
Vets with an interest or more knowledge in chickens may be found in small animal practice or a farm animal practice, depending on where their other skills lie.
Financial viability
In all honesty, it is unusual to come across an owner who is willing to invest a lot in their chicken, both physically with regards to blood samples, x-rays or surgery or financially. Because of this, many practices don’t see them as a useful income source and therefore are less likely to invest in specific drugs, equipment or personnel in order to treat them.
Is there an alternative?
If you are a committed pet chicken owner and feel they should be treated on the same level as any other pet, then there may be another option for you – a poultry specialist. Vets can specialise in nearly anything these days, and the demand for ‘chicken-specialists’ has increased, thereby increasing the availability of a more chicken-focussed service.
However, we are not at the point of having one in every town, so you may have to be prepared to travel. Bear in mind though, that it may not be in the chicken’s best interests to face a long car journey, especially if they are very ill. The next best thing to do, is to find a more local vet who, even though they may not be a specialist, has an interest in chickens, be it at a small animal practice, farm practice or mixed practice. This means they are more likely to be willing to put in the time and effort to work up and treat chicken cases, or would know who to call for further advice if necessary. Do your research in advance of any requirement for veterinary intervention so you can be prepared should your chicken fall ill.
It is worth noting, that EVERY veterinary surgeon has a legal and moral obligation to provide emergency first aid to ANY species of animal they are presented with, prior to a more appropriate veterinary service accepting responsibility for the care. This means relieving the animal’s pain and suffering and in some cases may take the form of euthanasia.
Conclusion
So what type of vet should I take my pet chicken to? Potentially any vet, but do your research first and understand the limitations they may be working to. Speak with the vets themselves and see how willing they would be to treat the animal. The situation is not clear cut, therefore any vet could potentially be ‘the one’ for your feathered friend.
Discussion