Exotic Pet Services

When it comes to helping exotic pets live a long and healthy life, our team is happy to assist with all of your veterinary needs. However, there are times when helping our feathered, scaled, or extra small patients requires specific anesthetic monitoring equipment.

As an exotic pet animal clinic, at Deer Park Pet Hospital we have various types of technical modifications that make it possible to monitor and control an animal, reptile, or bird's temperature, oxygen levels, blood pressure, and more while under anesthesia. This allows our team to provide the best care available while still taking lifesaving measures during the veterinary care process.

Types of Equipment Used to Monitor Vital Condition During Anesthesia

While it is next to impossible to list out everything we use while your exotic pet is under anesthesia. However, a few of the most common elements we monitor are:

• Heart rate
• Pulse
• Carbon monoxide expulsion
• Blood pressure
• Oxygenation
• Electrocardiography

Essentially, these are the same things we look for in cats or dogs during surgery. But with exotic pets like rodents or birds, certain pieces of equipment have to be modified or outright altered to enable effective and accurate readings.

Is anesthesia safe for exotic pets?

In most cases, general anesthesia is perfectly safe for most exotic pets. However, there are certain circumstances where it might not be a good idea or where the particular breed or species of the animal doesn't take well to the process.

Before any type of anesthesia is used, our team at Deer Park Pet Hospital will evaluate the situation and make a determination if this type of medication should be used for the particular procedure or current status of the pet's health.

Digital X-Rays for Exotic Animals

Diagnosing internal injuries and disorders in exotic animals can prove considerably trickier than diagnosing the same problems in more commonly-seen pets such as dogs and cats - even for an experienced exotic animal vet. That's because these animals may not exhibit obvious signs of pain or other telltale indicators of a specific condition. That's where X-ray imaging comes to the rescue, and why you want your pet to receive the most advanced X-ray technology possible. Our team at Deer Park Pet Hospital accomplishes this through the use of digital X-ray equipment.

Why Your Exotic Pet Should Receive Digital X-Rays

X-rays can prove essential for diagnosing hidden conditions in exotic animals. These invisible rays pass through solid materials to varying degrees, depending on the density of the materials. In traditional X-ray procedures, this effect leaves a black-and-white image on photographic film. The results can reveal whether your turtle is pregnant, display tooth overgrowth or other dental problems in small mammals, or confirm a fracture in the delicate bones of a bird.

Unfortunately, traditional x-rays have some disadvantages. They expose your pet to a certain amount of radiation, and the film development process can take several minutes, with imperfect images having to be taken again (thus involving even more radiation). Digital X-rays do away with many of these problems. This technology exposes animals to much less radiation per image, and the results are instantly available for viewing as digital files.

Digital X-rays also offer much greater image detail and clarity than traditional film-based X-rays. The images can be blown up, digitally enhanced with different colors, and shared with other veterinary specialists almost instantly via email. Higgins can show you these images on a monitor screen right away, explaining the findings, and recommending treatment options. Last but not least, digital X-rays are easily stored in a computer folder for quick reference, allowing us to chart your pet's progress over time.

Your exotic pet won't experience any discomfort from the X-ray procedure itself. However, we may administer a sedative beforehand to help your pet relax and lie still for the digital camera, thus ensuring sharper images while keeping your pet calm.

When most people think exotic animals, they probably get the image of tiger cubs or maybe even a bear hiding out in someone's garage. The truth is that in the veterinary world, exotic pets are basically anything out of the normal scope of canine and feline pets.

Ferrets, hamsters, birds, lizards, birds, rabbits, and guinea pigs are all considered exotic pets. And that is just to name a few. Unfortunately, these animals often have emergency needs at times when other clinics are not open and that's where our team is here to help.

What are the most common emergencies that exotic animals experience?

Since the category for exotic animals is pretty far-reaching, it can be difficult to pin down exactly one type of emergency situation that happens the most often. However, there are a few indicators that exotic pet parents should look out for to signal trouble.

• Bleeding
• Lack of eating or drinking
• Lethargy
• Problems urinating or defecating
• Broken bones

Further, we can look at breed specific issues a little closer. Our team at Deer Park Pet Hospital is trained to assist with all of these exotic animal emergency situations and is available to guide you on what to do when they occur.

• Birds: Weakness, staying at the bottom of the cage, struggling to lay an egg, discharge from the eyes or beak.
• Ferrets: Diarrhea, lack of appetite, pawing at the mouth, vomiting.
• Rabbits: Lethargy, refusal to eat, extreme panting.
• Guinea Pigs: Rolling of the head, decreased stool production, head tilt.
• Reptiles: Paralysis, extreme cold body temperature, unusual eating, or drinking compared to normal habits.

What to Do If Your Exotic Pet Experiences an Emergency

If you believe your exotic pet is in the middle of an emergency, please contact us at Deer Park Pet Hospital as soon as possible. There are numerous things we can do to help ensure your animal, reptile, or bird's health and wellness, but that all really starts with proper veterinary care.