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About Us
This is the official website for the activities of Scott Ford, DVM, Dip. ABVP (Avian). I am excited to be expanding my services to my favorite place in the world: Alaska! I am currently the only board certified avian veterinarian licensed in Alaska, covering an area roughly 3 times the size of the state of Texas. I can only visit select practices in Alaska on a quarterly basis and I have a full-time job at the Medical Center for Birds in Oakley, California. So, to make this work, I also train veterinarians and their staff members in avian medicine. My hope is to equip them for practicing avian medicine when I cannot be there. I also meet with bird groups to cover the latest in diet, behavior, and preventative medicine that bird owners should know. Finally, I also make myself available to veterinarians for telephone consults and on-line consults.
SO WHY JUST BIRDS? I made a decision in 1989 to pursue a career exclusively in avian medicine. There are over 9200 species of birds in the world today, each with its unique environmental, behavioral, biological, and medical needs. That is more than enough to keep me busy!!! My heart is in anything feathered. Therefore, that's what I concentrate on and I do not claim to be an expert in anything else (e.g., dog or cat medicine).
Avian Specialty Veterinary Services of Alaska (ASVSA) is a work-in-progress of me, Scott Ford, DVM, ABVP-Avian. My goals are:
►Offer specialty-level avian veterinary services to the wild and companion birds of Alaska.
►Train, equip, and support local veterinarians in Alaska to practice quality avian medicine.
►Assist and support wild bird rehabilitation, research, and management efforts in Alaska.
►OK, so I want to get my Alaska fix now and then too by visiting on a regular basis!
Dr. Ford's Background
I "caught the bird bug" when I was 13 years old. I was hooked on birdwatching and hoped to one day walk in the footsteps of Roger Tory Peterson and be an ornithologist. I spent many an intense hour dissecting road-kill specimens and staring through binoculars, trying to absorb every detail I could about birds, how they worked and how they lived. I attended my first 2 years of college at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka. It was there that I had my first intense opportunity to work closely with wild birds. I become completely engrossed in the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Those familiar with the Alaska Raptor Center of the early-90s may recall ‘Buddy’ the bald eagle. Among my numerous medical duties, I also trained, presented, and traveled with Buddy. It was at the Raptor Center that I changed my major from ornithology to the pursuit of a career in avian medicine. I attended veterinary school at Washington State University and, afterwards, strived to get into an avian-exclusive practice situation. I practiced at a small animal, bird, and exotic clinic in Washington for 4 years before returning to Sitka and serving as the Staff Veterinarian at the Alaska Raptor Center for 2 years. I have been at the Medical Center for Birds, an avian-exclusive practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, since December, 2004. Practicing here, with Brian Speer, a well-known and widely-published avian veterinarian (and a great mentor), has been an awesome experience. Thanks to his tutelage and a lot of elbow-grease, I have passed my avian specialty board examination and I am the first board-certified avian veterinarian licensed in Alaska.
What is Specialty-Level Avian Medicine?
What can a specialist offer that others may not? Well, at the very least, avian specialty certification means that the veterinarian is especially dedicated to avian medicine-- to the point that they would sweat and stress for over a year to pass a gauntlet of case report scrutiny and a 2-day examination in Chicago! Before this, the applicant must also have completed a residency or been seeing a signficant number of avian cases in practice for 6 years or more. That takes some dedication. Because of the time/residency requirement, the specialist will generally have the knowledge base and experience to be able to more efficiently work through cases without the expensive "shotgun" approach of a list of diagnostic tests. Lastly, there is also an appreciation for the complex interrelationships of nutrition, environment, and natural biology in contributing to behavior and physical health. More and more, we are realizing that we need to work with owners not only to address the immediate physical needs of birds, but also the biological, behavioral, and social needs of them as well. This means having a good understanding of ornithology, the science of birds in their natural habitat. This also means scrapping the old notions of one-size-fits-all and coming up with new paradigms of medicine for EACH taxonomic group or even species of birds. In other words, there is no therapeutic, diet, or behavioral modification answer that fits EVERY species. Instead, what works for a blue-front Amazon may not work for a Solomon-Island eclectus, a Congo grey parrot, or, maybe not even for a closer relative like a yellow-nape Amazon! A specialist can appreciate these complexities and, with their experience, will be able to efficiently guide you through problems since they know what types of problems are more likely from one species to another. You will be less likely to get blanketed with a bewildering array of tests and tentative answers, and the higher bills that generally accompany this approach. Instead, there will be management and options tailored to the species and age of the bird and in tune with your expectations for the bird.
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