This four-week online course is tutor-led and features recorded presentations, notes, interactive activities and a discussion forum. Live online tutorials will also be available for participants to to engage further with the tutors.

Topics

• Conducting a pet bird consultation
• The basics of pet bird nutrition
• New Zealand wildlife hospital husbandry
• Avian diagnostics
• Avian radiology
• Common conditions of avian patients on general practice
• Avian anaesthesia and analgesia
• Introduction to avian surgery for general practice
  

Learning objectives

• Gain the knowledge to conduct a thorough examination of avian pets.
• Understand sound husbandry techniques for managing stressed birds
• Gain the knowledge to take and interpret radiographs of birds.
• Gain the knowledge to diagnose, treat and prevent common bird conditions.
  
• Understand the principles of avian surgery and how to use analgesia and anesthesia.

Learning outcomes

• Increase your confidence in dealing with pet birds
• Provide comprehensive care for your clients' avian pets.
• Improve health outcomes for your winged patients.

Tutors

James Chatterton

James is currently working as the Manager of Veterinary Services at Auckland Zoo in New Zealand. His team provides a high standard of veterinary care for their patients, which include animals across all major taxa, from within the zoo, from external stakeholders and endangered wildlife. James recently qualified as a European Board of Veterinary Specialist in Zoo Health Medicine. He originally qualified as a veterinarian in 2000 and have worked with zoo/wildlife species for 12 years, having spent nine years working with domestic animals earlier on in his career. Prior to working at Auckland Zoo, James completed a three year post-grad zoo residency at Chester Zoo 2007-2010. During this period he gained the RCVS Certificate in Zoological Medicine in 2008 and completed an MSc in conservation medicine in 2010. James has presented at national and international conferences and has co-authored publications on a variety of topics within zoo, exotic and domestic animal animal veterinary medicine. Since 2015, he has been a veterinary advisor to the Kākāpō and Takahē Recovery Group and recently became the Australasian representative in the Vet Advisory Group for the Red Panda GSMP (Global Species Management Plan).

Brett is an avian and wildlife veterinarian with research interests in wildlife health issues, particularly as they affect the conservation of New Zealand native species. In particular his research has focused on wildlife disease ecology and ecotoxicology at population levels and the physiological impacts of conservation management on individual animal health. Brett is the Group Leader of Wildbase at Tāwharau Ora, the School of Veterinary Science at Massey University.

Megan Jolly

Megan completed a Bachelor of Rural Science and PhD at the University of New England, Armidale and a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney before working in Rural mixed practice for six years. Deciding that she hadn’t spent enough years as a student, she moved to Aotearoa and Massey University to undertake the three-year residency in zoo animal and wildlife health completing a Masters of Veterinary Science investigating Takahē coccidia. After a short stint in zoo medicine and an aborted attempt to move back to Australia, Megan is currently the Senior Practicing Veterinarian at Wildbase. 

Pauline Nijman

Pauline has a background in marine and sea bird zoo keeping before taking on the role of wildlife technician at Wildbase, Massey University in 2009. Over the twelve years nursing at Wildbase Pauline has worked with a huge range of New Zealand native fauna in both the clinical and rehabilitation setting while also training students and residents in wildlife husbandry. Pauline also developed a school program, was involved in New Zealand’s largest oil spill response, co-developed plans for both Wildbase Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre and co-developed games and educational material for the Recovery Education Centre. In November of 2021 Pauline took on the role of Practice Manager for Massey University’s Veterinary Teaching Schools Companion Animal Hospital, while continuing with research in wildlife in her own time with colleagues at Wildbase. Her current research projects include supervision of a master’s student, investigating fitness in rehabilitating kereru, supervising two summer scholarship students looking at malaria in rehabilitating yellow eyed penguins and Wildbase rehabilitation data. 

Kevin Turner

Kevin graduated at Massey in 1996 and entered companion animal practise in Auckland. After 10 years Kevin had an opportunity to purchase a veterinary business with an existing exotic pet caseload. In the subsequent years he trained in the field of exotic animal practise – both with a wide variety of pets and also zoo collections. Kevin established the Exotic Pet Referral Service in Auckland. In 2013 he left Auckland and moved to Northland where he currently provides an exotic pet consulting service in Whangarei.

Allen Yang

Allen graduated from Massey University BVSc program in 2009, he then became the exotic pets veterinarian at Pet Doctors St Lukes in 2013. In 2021, Allen obtained membership of the ANZCVS in Avian Medicine and Surgery.

Cost

NZVA member: $590 | Non-member: $1280

Access

This course is available via VetScholar. NZVA members and current users enter their NZVA website log in details to access their courses.

Contact

Shannon Leader
Events Manager
shannon.leader@vets.org.nz

Sponsors

This course is made possible by the support of NZVA's Diamond Partners.