I hear it's bad form to hit your clients upside the head with a brick. Too bad, that.
First encountered this woman a year ago tomorrow.
She had a very large, loud, aggressive bird that was having respiratory problems. She is a smoker, and somehow she doesn't seem capable of grasping that cigarette smoke can now be a problem "suddenly" after 13 years of smoking around the bird. Despite several conversations about how smoking doesn't cause emphysema or asthma within days of starting it humans, why should it in birds? and explanations about long-term respiratory irritants and resulting chronic damage, she will turn right the hell around with in 2 minutes and ask <i>again</i> why I think it's the smoke that's the problem.
I have told her in as many words that the single best thing she can do for the bird if she wants it to live longer and be healthier is quit smoking. Told her that I know that quitting isn't always simple, and is rarely easy, but it IS the cut-and-dry, bottom-line, best thing to do for the bird, and incidentally won't hurt her any.
I recommended that she smoke outside; and explained that enough cigarette smoke for a human to smell on her clothing is plenty enough to cause the bird issues.
I recommended that she put the bird in a different room, away from the wood stove, as wood smoke is one more particulate the bird doesn't need to deal with.
I recommended reducing dust and other particulates in the air in whatever way possible; more frequent cleaning, air purifiers, etc.
She told me the bird was on a good diet, lots of fruits and vegetables, nothing sugary or processed. Then I walk into the kennel room where she was visiting him, and she was sharing her chocolate milkshake with him.
Gah.
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She called back earlier this week, when BossDoc was on-call. She managed to thoroughly offend/anger him by refusing to come in because he's not the 'bird doctor' (as if he's incapable of administering oxygen?!), and demanding that he give her my home phone number. When he refused, she screamed at him "then I guess I'll just have to watch my bird DIE!" and hung up on him.
When I called her, she was much calmer, but no saner.
I asked about the changes that I'd recommended last year, and here's what's been done:
She has started going outside, but then hangs the smoke-saturated coat she wore while smoking near the bird cage.
The cage is still in the same room as the wood stove, subjecting the bird to drafts of smoke any time the door is opened to add more wood or start a new fire, and to dust and ash anytime the ashes are cleaned out.
She has made no changes in ventilation, nor acquired any kind of air purifier. She admits that the room is dusty.
I recommended taking the bird in the bathroom when she showers so that the warm, moist air (it's VERY dry around here) can help soothe his airways. Despite several suggestions of possible perches or a smaller cage in the bathroom, or even just setting the bird in there without her, she just argues that the bird will jump in the shower and bite her feet.
Feb dc = 33
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