CHICAGO EXOTICS ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Welcome to Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital

Dear Chicago Exotics Clients and Referring Hospitals,

We would like to update you on recent developments concerning COVID-19.

COVID-19 Update 6/8/21

- Our hours adhere to our normal schedule, but we starting Phase one of opening on 6/14/2021

Referring hospitals – we are still accepting your referrals
Clients, at this time we are accepting healthy exams and surgeries along with the urgent care. The schedule is tight as staff is limited, so plan ahead! Please be patient, there may be a 3 week delay for routine healthy patient exams.
We have a zero tolerance for disrespectful behavior and foul language. Our wonderful staff is operating under Dr. Horton’s specific instructions and scheduling guidance. Please do not take your frustrations out on the staff.

We are looking forward to welcoming you back into our clinic! We know many of you have been looking forward to the day when you can be with your pet in the exam room. Beginning June 14, we will start the first phase of our reopening to the public.

We will have some specific rules in place for all our safety.

We will allow two clients, wearing a mask, per appointment room. We will allow 8 individuals at most in the hospital at one time.

This will only be for appointments scheduled with a doctor and euthanasias. We will not be fully open to the public during this first phase.

Clients will check in from your car and wait in your car until we have a room available.

We will then call you to come inside and escort you to the exam room.

All clients must always wear a mask when in building, covering your nose and mouth fully. Any client who cannot or does not wish to wear a mask, can continue to utilize our curbside service.

Clients who are Covid positive, have a pending Covid test, have had recent Covid exposure, or are experiencing Covid-like symptoms should have someone else bring your pet.

Any client who refuses to wear a mask once inside, will be asked to leave the premises and we will not be able to provide services for you or your pet.

Medication, food pickups, and technician services will remain curbside.

Anyone wishing to remain in your car, may still do so.

Masks will be required regardless of vaccination status.

Illinois will remove restrictions on 6/10/2021, but Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital continues to require you to wear a mask when interacting with our staff. Regardless of vaccine status (and I am so glad to have a team and clients who are all vaccinated), we are continuing to be extra vigilant for all of our safety. We are almost there as far as opening our clinic to our clients again and reaching the 70% vaccination status of the nation. We miss your smiling faces!!

Be healthy and safe,

Dr. Horton and the Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital Team

We provide veterinary care for avian and exotic animals. We have a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for avian and exotic animals! We are just 4 doors down from Blue Pearl in Skokie and continue to provide 24 hour care in conjunction with Blue Pearl Skokie and provide free transportation back and forth for our existing clients.

Exotic pets like rabbits, ferrets, reptiles, birds, fish, hedgehogs, and guinea pigs have special care needs and Chicago Exotics specializes in meeting those needs. We operate a full service avian and exotic animal hospital featuring Dr. Susan Horton, Dr. Melissa Giese, Dr. Stephanie Moy, Dr. Dana Varble, Dr. Kristin Valdes, Dr. Deanne Strat-Zenoni, and Dr. Jenifer Nix! Their extensive knowledge and expertise with exotic species combines the best of personal and clinical experience. Our location is in Skokie, Illinois. We provide service for the entire Chicago area as well as Southern Wisconsin and Western Indiana.

Our hospital has the capability of serving all sorts of animals from the smallest fish to the largest reptiles. Our warm exotic ICU features avian incubators, reptilian incubators (aquatic and not), fish and amphibian ICU tanks, avian nebulizer units, and inline oxygen for all cages. Outside the warm room, we have comfortable cages for all the soft fuzzy and not so fuzzy mammals and marsupials. We are especially bird friendly! Our in house diagnostic capability includes full blood and chemistry work, cytology, radiology, endoscopy, ultrasound, and surgery. We offer the opportunity for unique species to receive competent and compassionate veterinary care. Cases are seen by appointment, but emergency patients are gladly accepted as the need arises. We are no longer accepting personal checks for payment.

Now available: Acupuncture and Chiropractic medicine for exotics! Dr Strat has been practicing these forms of alternative medicine for many years. She now offers these therapeutic options every other Friday. Call for an appointment today!

Dr. Horton does provide house-call services for koi ponds and larger fish. She is also working on honey bee hive inspection calls and management. Chicago Exotics does provide inspections for USDA permit holders as well.

We are available for honey bee consultation. Dr. Horton has kept honey bees for many years. For information on the new rules regarding medicine for your bees, see http://www.beeculture.com/do-i-need-a-vet-for-my-bees/

Erchonia Laser therapy is available by appointment! Call and schedule your laser therapy today!!
Our Care Sheets section contains valuable information on caring for your pet. If one of the doctors sent you to this website for a handout, this is where you want to go.

Are you a vet looking for referral information? You will also need to fill out this referral sheet and send all pertinent lab work and imaging.

Are you a new client who needs new client form? Please also fill out an Avian, Mammalian, Amphibian, Fish, or Reptile history form before you come in. Just print then fill out these forms before your next visit and bring them with you. Please arrive 15 minutes early for your first appointment so that we can enter all this information into the computer.

Are you a veterinary student looking for an externship? See our externship page for more information!

Are you interested in joining our team? Take a look at our job page. We have jobs open for veterinarian, technician, and receptionist.

Have a look at our new blog section!

Check out Dr. Horton in this personal interview with Linda Harrison from HBD Chat!

Importing vaccines for Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease 2
Information supplied by Alicia McLaughlin, DVM
Co-medical director of the Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine in Bothell, WA
Updated 1/5/21
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease 2 (RHD2) is spreading throughout the southwestern United States. This deadly viral disease is highly contagious to domestic rabbits, and we now know that it can also infect native species of wild rabbits and hares (the current outbreak is the first documented case of this occurring). RHD2 is both stable and infectious in the environment for long periods of time, potentially surviving more than 3 months without a host. Recent outbreaks have occurred in Washington state and New York, in addition to the cases spreading throughout New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado. https://cms.agr.wa.gov/…/07915d2d-bfd5-4cbb-b4…/RHDFactsheet
While RHD2 may still be considered a “foreign animal disease,” it is likely going to remain in the US at this point unless we aggressively vaccinate at-risk populations. Unfortunately, there are currently no USDA licensed vaccines for this disease, although there are multiple effective and safe RHD2 vaccines available overseas.
We here at Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital are considering starting the process to import this vaccine. We need to know if our bunny owning clients would be interested in this vaccine. This virus isn’t in our area yet. But, we feel it is better to be prepared. Please respond to chicagoexoticspc@gmail.com if you would vaccinate your bunny should this vaccine become available through us.

Thanks! Susan Horton, DVM

Here is a link to more information on RHD2 https://rabbit.org/rhdv/

Additional disease resources:

Iowa State - www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/rabbit_hemorrhagic_disease.pdf

National Wildlife Health Center - https://www.usgs.gov/media/files/rabbit-hemorrhagicdisease-virus-2-confirmed-wild-rabbits-us

USDA – https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/sa-epidemiologyanimalhealth-ceah/ri • https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-rhdv2.pdf. • https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/maps/animal-health/rhd

EPA (Information on disinfectant products) • https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-and-us

Status/Situational Reports from RHDV2 Affected States:

Arizona - https://agriculture.az.gov/animals/rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease/rabbithemorrhagic-disease-fact-sheet

California - https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/Pets_Other_UnReg_Species.html#rhd

Colorado - https://ag.colorado.gov/animals/livestock-health/rabbit-hemorrhagic-diseasevirus-rhdv2

New Mexico - http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease-cause-forrabbit-mortality/

Texas Animal Health Commission - https://www.tahc.texas.gov/animal_health/rabbits/

Washington State- https://agr.wa.gov/departments/animals-livestock-and-pets/animalhealth/animal-diseases/rabbit-disease

Wildlife questions
Finding injured or immature wildlife in your yard? Check out this link for information on wildlife rehabilitation and orphans.
Red Door Animal Shelter has a nice page on wild bunnies, etc.

See this excellent article, "Why Not to Give a Rabbit for an Easter Gift" here.

This beautiful artwork was done by Audrey Migeotte and will be featured in an
art show in Paris this September. Click the image to see a larger version. She used one of Dr. Horton's pictures from our caresheet. All of the pictures on this website are copyrighted. Please contact us if you are interested in using them for your project.

Email: chicagoexoticspc@gmail.com