As far as Anne Lowery was concerned, nothing was too good for her pet parrot Areba.
So when the 42-year-old bird was diagnosed with cancer, she thought little of forking out £50,000 for chemotherapy.
Tragically, Areba, a Wagler's Conure parakeet, died despite 13 months of treatment.
But Anne, in her 50s, is grateful it meant a few more months with the pet she had raised for 30 years. The tax expert, who owns 11 other parrots in Tampa, Florida, said:
"When they said she had cancer, they gave her two months to live. It seemed such an aggressive time frame, so I thought nothing of putting her into the vets' care.
"We got an extra 11 months and the staff ended up loving her as much as we did."
Anne first noticed a growth on her beak in October 2008 and cancer was diagnosed in February 2009.
The parrot was moved into the Tampa vet centre for 24-hour care. Anne said: "I'd visit every day and at times spent up to five nights.
"After each course she improved but it was borrowed time." Her pet passed away on Wednesday.
Dr Teresa Lightfoot, who cared for her along with Ami Johnson and other staff, said: "It was tough for Areba. But we improved her quality of life and gave her and her mom more time together."
BIRD FACT
Parrots have four toes on each foot, two pointing forwards and two backwards.
