The Story of Arrow the Rabbit

Every once in a while me meet our patients in unusual ways.  This male rabbit was found outside, with no history, and no idea who his owner might be.

He had the great misfortune of being caught in a live trap, and then shot by someone with an arrow.  Fortunately the arrow did not kill him, but the impact fractured his rear leg beyond repair.

Indiana House Rabbit rescued him and volunteers brought him in to the clinic right away. Intern Dr. Heather Goldstein examined him, and provided antibiotics and pain relief. A few hours later, he was in surgery for leg amputation (and neuter) by resident Dr. Amber Lee.

He's now recovering very well, and adjusting to life on three legs. Indiana House Rabbit volunteers will now be taking over his care and are asking for donations towards his medical bills. Eventually, IHRS is hoping to place him with a family that will be sure he doesn't go roaming outside again!  After all, he doesn't have any more extra body parts he can spare!

If you would like to contribute towards Arrow’s medical bills, you can contact the Indiana House Rabbit Society or you can contact us directly at 317-879-8633.

So You Want Some Backyard Chickens?

Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic will host our first ever Backyard Chicken Seminar on Saturday, May 24th, from 1-4 PM. Join us for an informative afternoon of talks and discussions on the ins and outs of pet and backyard poultry.  We will chat about housing and enrichment, biosecurity, basic medical care and much more.  Invited guests include Dr. Pat Wackenell and Dr. Yuko Sato from Purdue University, and Drs. Lennox and Lee from the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic.

Sponsored by Kern Kirtley and Herr Feed, and Central Indiana Organics  http://www.centralindianaorganics.com

To register, or for more information, contact us at exoticvetclinic@gmail.com. Hurry, as spaces are limited!

Hospital Pet Bird Abba Earns Right to Practice Veterinary Medicine

Outside experts at Purdue University have concluded that Abba the Caique has actually absorbed enough exotic animal medicine during her time at the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic that she is actually qualified to practice exotic animal medicine.  

"This was actually a complete shock to us," says Angela Lennox, DVM, owner of the Avian and Exotic Animal Practice. "Considering I had to attend 4 years of undergraduate studies, 4 years of actually veterinary school, and on top of that spend many years completing two exotic animal boards specialties, it's amazing she could pick it up so quickly.  She is really one bright bird."

Office manager Corina Lennox added, "Yeah that was a surprise. We didn't even know she had applied.  Now I have to order her new business cards."

The staff looks forward to working with Dr. Abba over the next few months.

"Obviously there are some size limitations," explained Mandy Maddamma, RVT, "she's obviously not going to be able to work on pot belly pigs as they would likely completely squish her.  She is going to start out on little geckos and things like that."

Dr. Abba is understandably excited about her new role, and expressed this by imitating the microwave, the doorbell, and one of the blood analyzer machines.

Outdoors We Go!

We strongly recommend most exotic pets get some outdoor time and exposure to UV light. We already know how good UV light is for reptiles, but some studies are suggesting UV light is great for birds and mammals, too.  While UV lights can be useful, nothing beats the real sun, not to mention the benefits of fresh air and novel surroundings (remember, novel surroundings may be too stressful for some especially nervous pets).

Other benefits of outdoor time for rabbits and other grazers is the ability to pull up and eat real grass and weeds (untreated of course).

So how do we acclimate out pets to outdoors after a whole winter of steady temperatures?

Start with small outdoor sessions of 10-15 minutes when temperatures are at least in the 60's.

This past Monday and Tuesday (the day before the snow came back again) our bird Abba went into her outdoor cage for the first time of the year and she loved it!  We watched her carefully for signs she was too cold, such as not playing, staying by the door, or fluffing up her feathers. As the temperature goes up and she adjusts, she spend more and more time out there!

As always, be sure pets outdoors are safe from escape, predators such as dogs, cats, and hawks flying overhead, and be sure there is plenty of water and shelter from the sun should it get too hot.

Our First Seminar

This Saturday we will be closed for the first ever continuing education event held right at our clinic:  "March Is For The Birds".  Local and regional veterinarians will be meeting together to chat and learn more about avian medicine. We will be answering phones from 8 to 1, and are available, as always for emergencies. Stay tuned! We will be holding educational seminars on new developments in the care of exotic pets which will be open to the public in the near future!

How Can It Be? Baby Wildlife Season Already?

We would have thought with the severe cold weather the native Indiana wildlife would have held on for a while before making lots of wild babies, but no such luck!  Look at what just came into our clinic this week (with more snow predicted for the weekend)!  Can you tell what kind of babies these are?  

These young squirrels were accidental dislodged by a tree trimming company and brought in to our clinic by Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. Later that same day, another baby squirrel was brought in by a Good Samaritan! All of the baby squirrels are already safe and warm with one of our licensed wildlife rehabilitators!

With spring apparently around the corner, we'd like to remind everyone about what to do if you encounter injured or orphaned wildlife. Please click the here for more information.  In the majority of cases, wildlife you encounter doesn't actually need help. When they do, we are here to help.

As always, we do not charge anything for the care of wild animals, but we are always in need of donations! Check out our wildlife page for a full list of items we could use to help with their care.

Happy Spring!

Our Wonderful Student Externs

We love to teach at the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic. There is always a student at the clinic learning about exotic animals and veterinary medicine. Sometimes there are visiting veterinary students, technician students, and we even have high school and middle school students that want a taste of what it’s like to be a veterinarian. Not only do we enjoy having the extra help but one of the best parts of our job is educating all of our visitors. Veterinary students come to the clinic for their 4th year rotations. These students focus on improving handling and basic techniques while learning the basics of how to practice exotic pet medicine when they graduate school. They help us with treatments, triage wildlife cases, and assist with appointments and surgeries. We also discuss cases and a variety of topics that are relevant to exotic pet medicine to stay up-to-date on the latest research.

The technician students who shadow at AEAC learn how to apply their knowledge from school to an exotic medicine setting. Our experienced technicians teach students about animal husbandry for all the species we see at the clinic. They go over how to take histories for appointments, anesthesia monitoring, and basic handling and technical skills.

So, if you see a new face around the clinic, he or she may be a visitor coming to learn about the pets that you love and how to provide them with the best possible care. We enjoy teaching everyone about exotics because educating people about exotic medicine and exotic pet care makes our patients happy and healthy.

Coming Up This Year

Yes, it’s still winter, but we can look forward to a few bright exotic-related events in the upcoming months.  We will post more as details become available.

The 3^rd Annual Ferret 500!

This combination educational fair, ferret boutique and ferret show will be back at the Marion County Fairgrounds the weekend of June 5^th.

Come and watch ferrets compete for prizes, in various color categories, and some fun categories, too, like best costume.

Dr. Lennox will be giving a special lecture on new prevention and treatment strategies for ferrets with adrenal disease.

For more details, go here: http://www.theferret500.com

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Annual Pet Sitters Internation Conference!

Pet Sitters International (PSI), the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, is hosting our 2014 Pet Sitter World Educational Conference & Expo in Indianapolis, Sept. 12-15, at The Alexander in downtown Indy.

This year’s conference features our own Dr. Amber Lee and Caity Sickafoose, RVT who will speak on exotic pet-related issues for pet sitters.

Complete information on the organization, and the conference is available here:

http://www.petsit.com/2014-pet-sitter-world-agenda

Here We Go Again!

Looks like we are bracing for more snow and the weather guys are predicting a rough February.

We already have one of our special  owners boarding her bird friends at the clinic due to the shortage of propane. This reminds us to ask: do you have a contingency plan for your exotic pets in case of an emergency?  The emergency could be weather related, fire, carbon monoxide or other danger in your home, personal illness and inability to care for the pets, or even a zombie attack (not likely!)

We recommend our owners have at least the following: a back up source of warmth should the power go out in cold weather, a source of bottled water, an emergency baby sitting site, and enough easily accessible carriers for each and every pet should you have to leave the premises immediately.

If you have any questions on preparing an emergency plan, call us.  We will be glad to help formulate a plan, and hope you NEVER need to use it!

To Clip or Not to Clip (wings, that is)…..That is the Question!

Bird owners have a choice when it comes to clipping wings.  Many choose to clip to prevent flight and avoid collision injuries and accidental escapes outdoors.  Others choose to take precautions and allow flight in the home in a protected, safe area. There are advantages and disadvantages to either approach:

Wing clip

Birds are obviously safer from collisions and escape. However, these birds are denied the fun of flying, and terrific exercise and enrichment benefits. Some birds are just better pets when they can’t fly wherever they want. It may be difficult to completely bird-proof the home from dangers such as the hot stove, toilets, large glass windows or ceiling fans. Birds confined to one area make less mess!

Free flight

The free-flighted bird gets to take advantage of a natural behavior that’s good for the body and for the mind as well.  Owners can carefully create a safe flying space free of dangers.  However, accidental escapes happen, and the free-flighted bird that gets out may keep flying and never come back (we’ve seen that happen personally and it’s very disappointing). Free flighted birds may be leaner and have less risk of some of the diseases that come with inactivity, including heart disease.

Owners should choose carefully based on what’s reasonable for them and their situation. We can help you discuss the options and decide what’s right for your bird!

Where is our Ferret Distemper Vaccine?

Many of our ferret owners have heard that the Meriel company has currently stopped producing the only licensed ferret distemper vaccine, Purevax.  The company states the vaccine will become available again, but gives us no clear idea of when that might be, or why production was stopped in the first place.  The advantage of Purevax distemper vaccine is that it has been tested both for safety and efficacy in ferrets, and is made of only a portion of the distemper virus, meaning it can't possibly actually produce distemper disease in vaccinated animals.

A recent distemper titer study in ferrets showed that adult ferrets who have received their entire vaccine series may actually be immune to distemper for several years, which is good news for them!  However, we now have scores of younger ferrets without protection, which puts them at risk.

Our clinic has decided to offer an alternative vaccine for owners of unvaccinated or higher risk ferrets.  Nobivac Puppy DPv is not labeled for ferrets, and as a "modified live" vaccine there is always the slight outside chance the vaccine might cause disease. However, communications with the vaccine researchers show that it has been given to many ferrets without any signs of disease. A number of other veterinarians, ferret producers and shelters have given this vaccine to ferrets without apparent ill effects as well.

If you have a high risk ferret (going to shows, exposed to shelter or rescue puppies) or a younger ferret that has not been vaccinated for distemper, please give us a call and we'll discuss the pros and cons of this vaccine alternative.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Holiday hours will be: Thanksgiving:

Wednesday 11/27: 8am-12pm

Thursday 11/28: Closed

Friday 11/29: Closed

Christmas:

Tuesday 12/24: 8am-12pm

Wednesday 12/25: Closed

Thursday 12/26: Closed

New Years:

Wednesday 1/1: Closed

We are, of course, always available for emergencies. Please call the clinic for the emergency number or click here.

Happy Holidays!

We Offer Pre-Purchase Consultations!

Have you ever thought about coming to see the veterinarian BEFORE you buy an unusual exotic pet?  This is an excellent way to be sure you understand exactly what’s involved in day-to-day care, and learn strategies to avoid and minimize illness. The internet and pet stores are great places to start for information, but not everything you read or hear may be accurate or up-to-date.  We also encourage the entire family to attend, including children who may be part of your new pet’s care.  We’ll be sure everyone’s on the same page, and provide written care instructions.

Give us a call and schedule a pre-purchase consult now…best of all, they are FREE!

Wildlife Report 2013

As the temperatures drop, the visiting birds head to warmer climates, the mammals hibernate or really slow down in activity, and all our native Indiana wildlife says a temporary goodbye to “new baby season”.  This means a lot less work for our busy wildlife rehabiliators and clinic staff until next spring.

So how many wild animals actually passed through our doors this spring/summer? We lost count.  However, we asked Liz Hatton of “For the Birds Of Indiana” a federally licensed wild bird rehabilitation center (see their website: http://home.mindspring.com/~chris.hatton/)

While full statistics are not in, their facility cared for 507 federally protected birds, and 175 non-protected birds (pigeons and some other non-native birds) this spring and summer!  At the end of the year, Liz will provide us with statistics on how many survived to be released back into the wild, and some other interesting data.

How can you help us and our wildlife rehabilitators?  Save us those worn but still good towels, and consider a donation of heating pads, bleach, laundry detergent, or Science Diet small kibble size puppy food so our rehabilitators and staff will be ready for next spring. Or call and we’ll find out what our team needs most at the moment.

In the meantime, we expect to see the usual number of injured hawks and owls, as they tend to stay busy (and get into trouble) all year long!

One of the most interesting wildlife cases was these 3 poor sparrows who ended up in a sticky trap.  Their wings were stuck to the trap, and covered with glue.  We gave each bird a sedative to reduce the stress of handling and prevent them from struggling. Once freed, each bird was washed carefully.  All made a complete recovery and were released back outside.

Halloween Costume Contest

It's that time of year again! For the past several Halloweens, some of our owners have sent us photos of their pets in costumes. This time, we decided to make a contest out of it!

We asked everyone, via Facebook, to send us pictures of their exotic pets in costume and the staff voted for their favorites. The votes are in! First place goes to Marshmallow the guinea pig as a wizard, and second place goes to Stewie the Lion Head rabbit as a lion. They will both be receiving some Oxbow goodies! Hopefully this will become an AEAC tradition. Congrats!!

Congrats Dr Lennox!!!

Dr. Lennox has just been named the 2013 winner of the Oxbow Exotic Mammal Health Award! According to John Miller, President and Founder of Oxbow Animal Health, this award "celebrated the work of one while honoring a collective-animal health professionals the world over, working tirelessly to advance animal health and wellbeing. We are proud to recognize this year's winner, and all those who lead, teach, learn, innovate, and advocate in the name of animals." Dr. Lennox is especially proud to receive this recognition as it is nominated by other professionals in the exotic mammal field. The award itself is entitled "The Quest". According to Oxbow, the sculpture was designed to represent the journey taken by the animal health professional. At the heart of The Quest is a structure resembling the serpent-encircled staff of Asclepius, the Greek God of healing and the international symbol of medicine. The upward spiral also represents the quest of the veterinary professionals as they seek to fulfill the tenets of the Veterinarian's Oath. Framing the spiral are three interlocking spheres, each on symbolizing an important facet of the professional quest: to promote animal health, to advance medical knowledge, and to benefit society. We are proudly displaying The Quest in our new reception room so come check both out!

Harrison's Food Now Available

Thanks to the new expanded retail space, we now have Harrison's Bird Foods Products!  We firmly believe that preventative care, especially optimal diet and wellness check ups are among the most important things we can do to protect our birds' health.  And we love what Harrison's has done to develop healthy, organic bird foods for our patients.

From the Harrison's company website:

Harrison’s Bird Foods is a family of certified organic, formulated diets that were created by avian veterinarians and top avian nutritionists with the health of your bird in mind. Our formulas require little or no supplementation.

Dr. Greg Harrison, the main developer of Harrison’s Bird Foods, is a certified avian specialist with 34 years experience in bird care. He has transformed his practice into an avian wellness clinic that incorporates preventive medicine through proper nutrition with Harrison’s Bird Foods.

For more information, go here; www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/

Sawadee ka!

This is the traditional Thai greeting, and we heard it many times during our trip to visit and teach veterinary courses in Bangkok, Thailand in May. Dr. Lennox taught an intubation and rabbit dentistry lab at the Mahidol Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Bangkok, and then a half day of lectures at the conference for the Veterinary Practitioner Association of Thailand (VPAT) (see http://www.vrvc2013.com for more information on the conference).

So what's different about exotic animal ownership and veterinary medicine in Thailand?  Not as much as you would think, except due to hot weather conditions, heat stroke is very common, much more common that at our practice.

Our host Dr. Chaowaphan kindly showed us some incredible sites, including an elephant camp and many beautiful temples, and then gave us tours of two veterinary clinics, his Vet4Animal Hospital, and Kwankum Animal Hospital.  In Thailand, ownership of exotic pets is increasing, and there are now 20 veterinarians who practice only exotic animal medicine and surgery.

The most common exotic mammal is the rabbit (same as in the US), and the most common parrot is the sun conure.  The most common reptile pet is the ball python (again similar to our practice).

He listed the more common diseases he treats in exotic pets, and it turns out the list is very similar to what we see at Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic.

We really enjoyed our visit, and were impressed with the level of knowledge and enthusiasm of our Thai colleagues.  It's great to share experiences.  As it turns out, Dr. Chaowaphan and his colleague Dr. Bee may be returning the visit this fall! 

Welcome, Dr. Lee

Our staff would like to welcome another doctor! Dr. Amber Lee is here to complete a two year ABVP Avian Residency.Dr Amber Lee has had a passion for all things exotic ever since she was a child and has kept and bred cockatiels for over 15 years. After graduating from The University of Melbourne, Australia, she spent some time in a small animal practice before completing an specialty internship at VCA Advanced Veterinary Care Center, here in Indianapolis. Dr Lee is very excited to start her residency in Avian Medicine and Surgery with Dr Lennox as her supervisor.

We Are Under Construction!

We've broken ground for our new expansion at the clinic! Construction crews have been hard at work and we already have the foundations in for our new waiting room complete. The storm last night turned the big hole into a swimming pool, but hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can continue with the project! Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more photos and updates!