We were referred to this facility by Exotic Bird Hospital when our bird had a medical emergency in…read morethe middle of the night and they were closed. We made the hour drive to Fernandina because we were told this was the best option for emergency care.
Our bird was screaming in distress and clearly appeared to be in significant pain. When we arrived, they took her immediately, placed her in her small carrier inside an oxygen tank, and left her there. She continued screaming. We waited two hours before speaking with anyone.
We were told she was "doing better" and had stopped screaming. I asked to see her, and when we were brought to the back, we could immediately hear her still screaming. When I got to her cage, she still appeared to be in pain. In total, she was screaming for a minimum of four hours without meaningful intervention beyond being placed in oxygen.
We were told they would perform bloodwork and X-rays the next day. The following day, we were told bloodwork had not been done because she became agitated, which is understandable--but there was no communication about trying again later. Later, we were told X-rays were done and that bloodwork had also been completed.
After 2.5 days, we were told she was doing much better and ready to go home on medication. While driving an hour and a half from Jacksonville to pick her up, I received a call saying there was now a new treatment plan that would cost an additional $1,000-$1,500 (bringing the total to around $3,000), and that she would need to stay longer--despite just being told she was ready to go home.
When I asked about the results of the bloodwork and X-rays, they still did not have answers. We chose to pick her up anyway. After getting home, I received only the X-ray images--there was no written report--and no bloodwork results were ever provided, despite being told it had been done.
Overall, it felt like very little was actually done for her during the 2.5 days she was there beyond being placed in a cage and minimally handled. We still have no clear diagnosis or answers, and she is not acting like herself. The medication has left her very sedated, and now we will have to seek care elsewhere and incur additional costs.
Looking back, I wish I had taken her somewhere else sooner. This was a stressful, expensive experience that did not provide the care, communication, or follow-through we expected.