Exotic pets need to have schedule care, often from a specialised vet | Leisure/Lifetime

Until finally we had our guinea pig, Jingles, I did not know significantly about vet treatment for compact animals other than canines and cats. When Jingles joined our relatives, I quickly realized that exotic animals require specialized care, typically not made available at a typical veterinarian’s exercise.

There are two common misconceptions about unique animals such as guinea pigs, birds, ferrets, rabbits and reptiles: They do not actually will need to go to the vet, and they are lower upkeep.

In actuality, exotic pets demand a good deal of care and commitment, and preventive treatment is specifically essential to their over-all health and effectively-remaining. In addition to appropriate housing and nutrition, a lot of of these pets will need vaccines, drugs and program checkups.

Pets these kinds of as birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits and reptiles require annual veterinary treatment, perhaps even more so than canines and cats due to the fact exotic pets cover signs of ailment. By the time indications are presenting, the illness can be so innovative that they might need hospitalization.

Several unique pets also are prone to health and fitness problems unique to their species. For case in point, woman rabbits, guinea pigs and rats are recognised to build ovarian and/or uterine cancer. And about 80% of all reptiles harbor some kind of intestinal parasite.

Heartworm ailment is a challenge in our area, and this is not just limited to pet dogs and cats. Ferrets can also get heartworms, so they also need to have to be on a regular preventive. Rabies vaccinations for ferrets are also mandated by the point out.

The treatment for exotic species can be really specialized. Which is why 12 pupils from the LSU School of Veterinary Medication recently bought some fingers-on working experience understanding how to manage some of these animals.

The Avian & Unique Animal Clinic of Louisiana in Metairie hosted the school’s Wildlife, Avian, Zoo and Unique Medication Club for a weekend clinic to master techniques on appropriately analyzing and caring for exotic species.

For 7 several years, Dr. Gregory Prosperous and his group have welcomed the club into the hospital to boost the studying in the vet faculty curriculum.

For the duration of the clinic, college students ended up taught handling expertise on rabbits, ferrets and parrots, and instructed on right approaches for getting blood samples, placing up X-rays and carrying out anesthesia on these species.

Avian & Unique Animal Clinic is Louisiana’s only veterinarian that supplies care completely to avian and exotic animals. It sees everything from parrots to rabbits and ferrets to a extensive assortment of reptiles, as very well as an array of smaller mammal exotic animals.

The clinic is encouraging to teach the future technology of veterinarians on how to care for these species.

Annually wellness checkups are the ideal preventive care attainable for any and all pets, including the exotic types. Really don’t wait until finally a pet is in an crisis situation to request out vet care.

Crisis exams can be pricey, and preventable diseases can promptly become lifetime-threatening if not treated in time.

Occasions

Might 13: Animal Rescue New Orleans will be at Petco, 3520 Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a canine adoption occasion to let the public fulfill adorable canines and puppies. For much more facts, email adopt@animalrescueneworleans.org. Each approved adoption involves a totally free #Barkbox bed and toy.

Traci D. Howerton is the volunteer coordinator for Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO), a nonprofit, volunteer-primarily based, no-eliminate shelter. For extra information and facts on ARNO, stop by www.animalrescueneworleans.org.