Dr. Alex Lesniak, CPEV

04/05/2026

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It is that time of year for allergies and ear infections!

03/22/2026

For those who celebrate Passover! Be sure to switch back gradually as well. No one wants diarrhea on Passover!

For many families, preparing for Passover means removing chametz (leavened grains) from the home. While pets aren’t required to “keep kosher,” some owners choose chametz-free pet food to help maintain a chametz-free home during the holiday.

If you’re planning to switch your pet’s food, keep in mind that sudden changes can upset their stomach. A gradual transition is best, and we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide to help. If your pet experiences digestive issues, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite, slow the transition even further. If signs persist or worsen, contact your veterinarian.

And once the holiday ends, don’t forget to ease them back onto their regular food just as gradually.

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Para muchas familias, prepararse para Pésaj significa retirar de la casa el jametz (granos leudados). Aunque las mascotas no están obligadas a “mantener kosher”, algunos dueños eligen alimentos para mascotas sin jametz para ayudar a mantener el hogar libre de jametz durante la festividad.

Si planea cambiar el alimento de su mascota, tenga en cuenta que los cambios repentinos pueden causar malestar estomacal. Lo mejor es hacer la transición gradualmente, y hemos preparado una guía sencilla paso a paso para ayudarle. Si su mascota presenta problemas digestivos, como vómitos, diarrea o pérdida de apetito, reduzca aún más la velocidad de la transición. Si los síntomas persisten o empeoran, contacte a su veterinario.

Cuando termine la festividad, no olvide volver a introducir su alimento habitual de forma gradual.

Consulta los comentarios para ver la gráfica en español.

03/19/2026

A medication that does one thing for people does not necessarily do the same for our pets. 🚫💊🐶🐱

During , discover common human medications that can be unsafe for your pet and how you can keep them safe by following these simple guidelines. If you suspect your pet has been poisoned, time is critical! Immediately call your veterinarian or a pet poison hotline. https://bit.ly/4rrMPbC

02/26/2026

Take the break you deserve 💕

02/26/2026

02/25/2026

Leaf bathing is when birds make use of water droplets that accumulate on larger leaves to take a bath and clean themselves. While this behavior is most commonly seen performed by smaller birds, some larger birds will take advantage of leaf bathing, as well.

To encourage leaf bathing of captive psittacine and passerine birds, try hanging large, edible leaves (like kale, swiss chard, and collard greens) in a horizontal orientation in the and spraying them with water.

02/22/2026

Scary, right?

02/21/2026

A lot of cutie patootie time recently!
Rose visited, friend’s puppies, and co-worker puppies!
A little cuteness always brightens the day!

02/06/2026

So cool! Bird enrichment!

Olfactory enrichment for parrots:
Although not discussed frequently in birds, olfactory enrichment is a form of sensory enrichment shown to be beneficial in chickens and birds of prey. What about parrots, pigeons, and passerines? One option for these birds is to rub edible herbs and spices onto toys and perches. Try using basil, mint, chilis, lavender, rosemary, or edible flowers.

02/06/2026

01/27/2026

Please read! This goes for all pets truly!

An Open Letter to Petco,

Today we received a surrender application that stopped me in my tracks.

Two birds were purchased from Petco two years ago.

There are now sixty. (Or so he says.)

Let me be very clear: the responsibility to prevent breeding absolutely lives with the people who bring animals into their homes. Full stop. But it also lives with the people who sell those animals in the first place.

Because when someone walks into a pet store and buys birds, they are trusting that the business selling them living beings will provide more than a receipt and a cardboard box. They are trusting you to tell them:

• That birds reproduce fast
• That many species will breed even in basic pet-store cages
• That mixed-sex pairs will almost always reproduce
• How to prevent breeding
• What proper cage setup looks like
• What happens if those basics are ignored

When that education doesn’t happen, rescues like mine become the last stop.

And “last stop” is expensive.

Every one of these birds must now:
• Be quarantined
• Be disease tested
• Be treated proactively for anything communicable
• Be seen by a veterinarian
• Be fed, housed, cleaned, monitored, and managed

Budgies, cockatiels, and other small birds are often misunderstood as “cheap” or “easy.” They are neither.

They eat more than macaws by weight. Their metabolisms are wild. They go through food fast. They require space, heat, filtration, medical care, and constant labor. A flock of sixty is not “small.”

In 2021, we took in a situation that began the same way. Two birds. Purchased at a pet store. No education on prevention.

That family also called us and told us that they had 60 birds to surrender.

That situation became over 800 birds. They grossly miscalculated how many were flying free in that room.

We learned the hard way what that kind of intake does to a rescue.

This is not an abstract problem. This is a pipeline.

Petco, you are in a position of enormous influence. You are often the first voice a new bird owner hears. You are the moment where prevention is still possible.

We are asking you to:

• Make breeding prevention education mandatory at point of sale
• Train staff to explain mixed-sex risks clearly
• Provide printed guidance on how to prevent reproduction
• Stop treating small birds as “starter pets”
• Treat them as the long-lived, intelligent, complex animals they are

Rescues are drowning.

Not because people are cruel.

But because people were never told what they needed to know.

We will do what we always do. We will take them in. We will test them. We will treat them. We will protect them. We will spend the money and do the work.

But this didn’t have to become sixty.

And it doesn’t have to happen again.

You can stop it where it starts.

Please LIKE and SHARE this post to follow the story of these birds when they arrive!