The birds, even dead, were in beautiful condition. It was obvious that they were well cared for and much-loved members of the family. The couple was devastated. The sad thing was, they knew that burning Teflon was toxic, but never anticipated such an accident. H ow much simpler and safer it is to get rid of all your non-stick cookware and replace it with Revereware or Farberware, or the like.
Accidents account for a fair number of our hospitalized birds.
A nimal bites and scratches account for a number of our little patients. Cats will be cats, and don't differentiate between your pet Cockatiel and the outside birds they stalk from the window sill. O ne woman had a much-loved Quaker Parakeet that finally succumbed to bites received from a dog that she was caring for as a foster dog. Unfortunately, it just never occurred to her that a dog unaccustomed to pet birds would hurt her pet bird. I've seen the results of bigger birds biting smaller birds and although often, broken legs can be fixed and some birds learn to manage without the top portion of their beaks, these injuries and disfigurements could have so easily been prevented.