Feature: Exotics

UC Davis Exotics Veterinarians 
Passionate About Their Specialty

“While each patient has a unique story, I am always drawn to the bond between a family and their older parrot or tortoise that was raised by my client’s grandparents,” stated Dr. Krista Keller, discussing memorable moments in her career as an exotic animal veterinarian.

Practicing and teaching in one of the most comprehensive exotics services of any veterinary hospital in the world, Dr. Keller and five other exotics specialists lead a team in the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service that continues to grow its caseload, building capacity to serve more exotic animal owners and assist more referral partners in the care of their exotic patients.

In addition to regular appointments and procedures, the team also runs a dedicated emergency line of receiving for these species. A dedicated exotic animal veterinarian is available at UC Davis specifically for emergencies from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Beyond the parrots and tortoises Dr. Keller referenced, the service routinely sees rabbits, ferrets, koi, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, hamsters, snakes, lizards, chickens, toucans, and many other exotic animals in their thriving practice.

One of those was Teetle, an 80-year-old male California desert tortoise brought to UC Davis for treatment of a large mass—later determined to be an osteosarcoma—growing into his shell. Exotic pet specialists and soft tissue surgeons collaborated on a novel procedure to access the cancerous tumor. They had to remove a portion of his upper shell to minimize disruption of the supportive muscles of his lower back, vertebral column, and hind limbs. Teetle recovered well, and his owners say that he has more energy than ever since his surgery.

The Teaching Environment

Teetle was the talk of the hospital that day with dozens of students flocking to the service to observe his care.

Working in a teaching hospital is much more than just teaching students to care for patients. It is helping people at all levels, explained Dr. David Guzman, Chief of the Service. 

“The clients and their families, often in difficult and complicated situations; the students, to whom we are responsible to teach and inspire; the residents, who will be leading our field in the future and is our job to set them up for success; and our support staff, who are also in their own career and growth paths and share the love for our animals and medicine,” said Dr. Guzman. “They all play vital roles in our mission.”

There are six registered veterinary technicians and one veterinary assistant dedicated to the exotics service. They bring a wealth of knowledge about exotic companion animals and personal interests in these species.

"Our technical team excels in the highly specialized care that exotics species require," said Service Supervisor Erin Johnston, RVT. "They approach each patient, which could be anything from a tiny, fragile bird to a fractious 200-pound tortoise, with dedication, curiosity, and adaptability. The commitment they have to their patients and furthering exotics medicine shines through every day in their work. I'm proud to have a team that is so dedicated and skillful in the care of exotic companion animals."

Working in a teaching hospital is also being a resource for the community, both inside and outside the hospital. With dozens of specialty services, the hospital not only acts as a referral center for other veterinarians throughout California and beyond, but also to its own veterinary teams.

Dr. Guzman described the professional growth taking place every day as specialists across disciplines collaborate.

“The incredibly talented faculty and teams, in our own service and in others, work on some of the most challenging cases you can imagine and advancing our field,” said Dr. Guzman. “We are very fortunate to have access to amazing resources, specialists, and support staff throughout the veterinary school to provide the most advanced medicine and the best care for our patients.”

“At our teaching hospital, we have the resources, expertise, and collaboration opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible in exotic animal medicine,” said Dr. Hugues Beaufrère. “We can implement cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments and contribute to clinical research that not only benefits our patients but also helps advance the field globally. This ability to make an impact beyond the clinic is incredibly rewarding.”

The exotics service is also home to one of the most sought-after house officer programs in the country. With advanced training programs for veterinarians in the form of 3-year residencies and 1-year fellowships, exotics medicine at UC Davis is currently complemented by five veterinarians either training to become board certified in their specialty or gain valuable specialized experience to advance their careers. The 1-year Aquatic Animal Health fellowship is particularly unique in the growing field of veterinary medicine specifically for fish and other aquatic life.

Challenges of Exotics Medicine

While working with exotics has its rewards, it also has its challenges. A common theme amongst the team is the size and/or delicacy of some patients that require a trying balancing act. 

"If a patient is too small, how are you going to be able to medicate them properly with the medications we currently have (not made for exotic companion animals)," asked Dr. Michelle Hawkins. 

Animals that are too large also present obstacles, such as delivering anesthetic made for a dog to an exotics patient without causing any harm.

Dr. Amanda Wong remarked on working with very small patients where it may be difficult to perform diagnostic tests to determine injuries or diseases.

Dr. Beaufrère agrees. “Working with very small animals presents unique challenges, particularly during diagnostic or surgical procedures, which demand a specialized skill set.”

Another challenge is the limited evidence-based medical guidelines for some aspects of exotic companion animal care. Many times, that knowledge base comes from extrapolating concepts from more common domestic animals like dogs, cats, and horses. It also comes from research and decades of clinical evidence. However, there are fewer funding opportunities to conduct research into exotic companion animals compared to the more common pets. Thankfully, the service’s diverse caseload presents the faculty, residents, staff, and students with a plethora of learned experiences.

“While we have learned a lot and keep making additional discoveries within the realm of medicine for these species, there are still large knowledge gaps,” states Dr. Keller. “As these represent challenges that we come across daily, they also represent opportunities for us to create more information and collect and publish more data to positively impact the health of these animals. This latter reason is also a big part of why I wanted to become an exotic animal veterinarian, as there is opportunity for discovery.”

Because each patient treated is unique, Dr. Guzman explained, that knowledge base grows daily. Even though significant gaps remain, the team is determined to continue advancing the specialty.

“The sheer diversity of species we treat is both a challenge and a privilege,” said Dr. Beaufrère. “Each requires deep knowledge of species-specific anatomy, physiology, diseases, and management. Staying current with the ever-growing body of literature across birds, reptiles, small mammals, and other species is a constant task, but it’s essential to evidence-based medicine and practicing at the specialist level.”

Even the diversity within a species means the faculty members need to be knowledgeable about thousands of varieties of birds and fish. Dr. Esteban Soto leads the Aquatic Animal Health unit of the exotics service, and it’s possible he may encounter any number of the approximately 33,000 different types of fish in the world.

“While amazing, the diversity in animals we can have as patients, especially in aquatic care, can certainly be challenging,” said Dr. Soto. “Another unfortunate challenge is the few amounts of funding opportunities to conduct research in them.”

Rabbits and Parrots and Guinea Pigs, Oh My!

Orca and Strudel

Orca and Strudel are no strangers to the exotics service. The inseparable, bonded pair of rabbits visit regularly to have their teeth filed down. Both have dental malocclusion – their upper and lower teeth do not line up properly. This becomes a problem when their continually growing teeth are not naturally worn down from chewing. The resulting pain and potential health issues require a veterinarian to perform an occlusal adjustment. The need for these type of procedures is common among rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas, and is an area of expertise within the service that is performed with specialized equipment.

Orca, a 5-year-old female Dutch rabbit has had six adjustments, while Strudel, a 4-year-old male Lionhead rabbit, requires more care. His teeth exhibit abnormal growth – much faster than most rabbits. To keep his teeth at more symmetrical lengths, he is nearing his 14th adjustment. Outside of their teeth issues, Orca and Strudel are in excellent health, as their dedicated owner stays focused on their well-being and will do anything to provide the best life possible for them.

Bandit

Bandit, a 3-year-old ferret, was straining and vocalizing while attempting to urinate. An ultrasound revealed a large urinary stone in his bladder causing intermittent obstruction when he was urinating, as well as inflammation of his bladder. Due to the size and the presumptive type of stone, surgery to remove the stone was the only option for Bandit.

He was placed under general anesthesia and the stone removed from his bladder without complication. Bandit was hospitalized for three days and normal urination resumed. He became more playful and friendly as the days passed, and it was clear that removing the stone offered pain relief and comfort. Bandit recovered well with an excellent prognosis. After determining the type of stone affecting Bandit, his care team was able to offer guidance into dietary or husbandry changes that may help prevent a future stone from developing.

Teddy

Teddy, a 4-year-old guinea pig, presented to the service with crust around her nipples and blood found in her cage. Upon examination, an enlarged ovary was noted, as well as an abnormality in her uterus. An ultrasound showed multiple cysts in her right ovary, a thickened uterine lining, a mass in her uterus, a mass in her abdomen, and a stone in her ureter (urethrolithiasis).

To treat the urethrolithiasis, the stone was removed from her urethra using a minimally invasive technique without complication. Six weeks later, Teddy underwent a spay surgery under general anesthesia to remove her ovaries and uterus due to the cysts and mass previously found in her reproductive tract. She healed well from the surgery and continues to improve.

 

Ruby

Ruby, a 17-year-old grey parrot, was brought to the exotics service for a history of behavioral problems, including feather destruction. Many factors can lead to such behavior, including systemic illness and hormonal imbalances.

Ruby was given a thorough examination which led to the discovery of an egg in her coelomic cavity. Dystocia (egg binding – unable to expel an egg) was suspected and confirmed two weeks later when x-rays showed that the egg had not moved, indicating that surgery was a necessary next step.

Ruby underwent a salpingohysterectomy to remove her oviduct and uterus. The egg was also removed. Later, she received a treatment to control hormonal behaviors and prevent her from ovulating, thus suppressing additional egg formation. The team also helped Ruby’s owners by recommending several lifestyle changes to help reduce the feather destructive behavior and to improve Ruby’s quality of life. They report she is doing much better since her procedures.

Cooper’s Hawk

A Cooper’s Hawk, most likely hunting prey, was observed by a Good Samaritan flying into a bush, injuring itself in the process and unable to fly afterward. The hawk was brought to the UC Davis California Raptor Center (CRC) by county animal services and was treated by the exotics service for a multiple fragmented fracture in its wing. The surgery to correct was challenging due to the slanted nature of the fracture along the bone and the proximity to the wrist joint, and standard avian fracture repair techniques could not be implemented. 

The fracture was stabilized with surgical wire and a pin to maintain anatomic alignment. After 4 weeks, the pin was removed and the hawk continued its convalescence and physical reconditioning at CRC. A total of 69 days after its initial admission, the hawk was successfully released back into the residential neighborhood where it was found.

Cooper’s Hawks are notoriously challenging raptor patients due to their high-strung nature and propensity for self-injury in captivity. The CRC's successful management of this species is accomplished by housing them in soft-sided fabric hospital cages in quiet areas and protecting their tail feathers with tail guards. The CRC’s dedicated staff was patient and diligent throughout the hawk’s recovery, always focusing on the goal of releasing it back into the wild.

The Cooper’s Hawk is one of the most common raptors found in urban and suburban landscapes, especially in residential neighborhoods, and cases like this highlight how much wildlife has adapted to live alongside us and why caring for injured birds is an important part of community-driven, local conservation.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, a koi fish, has been a patient of the service for many years and is a wonderful example of the success UC Davis is having with using novel therapies to treat skin tumors/lesions in fish with treatments such as cryosurgery, photodynamic therapies, and topical therapies. Lady Gaga presented with an ocular lesion on the left eye. After diagnostic biopsies were collected during anesthesia, a diagnosis of chromatophoroma (malignant tumor) was made. Due to previous success in treating other fish patients, cryosurgery, followed with topical and systemic medication, the tumor was removed and progression was stopped. Although very little is known on the long-term success of treating this type of malignant cancer in fish, the Aquatic Animal Health unit of the exotics service and collaborators in other specialty services continue to explore novel therapies such as photodynamic therapy and CO2 laser therapies with the hope to improve quality of life and welfare for fish patients.