Julia K. Whittington, DVM

3 strange visitors to an exotics doc's exam room

Dr. Julia Whittington explains the importance of taking the time to observe critical exotic pets before diving in with therapeutic measur

Respiratory disease in small exotic mammals is caused by a variety of etiologies but infectious causes predominate. Both upper and lower airway disease is seen and in rabbits and rodents, animals that are obligate nasal-breathers, upper respiratory disease can be as problematic as lower airway disease.

Emergency critical care and subsequent nursing care can mean the difference between life and death for a beloved pet. Critical care is an integral part of emergency management of disease in zoological species. A high mortality rate is inherent in exotic animal emergency medicine.

More and more people in todays society are choosing to own exotic pets in addition to or in lieu of the traditional dogs and cats commonly seen in private veterinary practice. Their small size and housing, ease of care, and human-animal bond potential make them the ideal pets.

Psittacine breeding has developed to fill the large demand for pet parrots created by the ban on importation. Many breeding pairs of birds are maintained in aviaries specifically to produce chicks for sale as pets.

Rabbits and rodents belong to the orders Lagomorpha and Rodentia respectively. Rodents are further divided into the suborders Myomorpha (rats, mice, gerbils, and hamsters), Caviomorpha (guinea pigs and chinchillas), and Sciuromopha (squirrels, chipmunks, and prairie dogs).

Soft tissue surgery is commonly performed on small exotic mammals for preventative health, control of reproduction, and to manage conditions warranting surgical intervention. The principles of surgery for dogs and cats also apply to cases involving exotic pets.

Providing veterinary care to exotic pets is challenging and rewarding, offering the veterinary technician the chance to work with a wide variety of species. There is an inherent challenge for those working with these pets given the large variety of species presented for care.

There are thousands of reptile species worldwide and more reptile species are kept as pets than any other taxa. For as many types of reptiles that are kept, there are as many natural history strategies that these species demonstrate in their wild habitat.

Urinary diseases are frequently encountered in exotic animal pets and an understanding of the renal physiology and pathology of these diseases is important for effective treatment.