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. We know it’s a time of uncertainty, and we hope that providing reliable information and data can be helpful and comforting to many of you.

COVID-19 Update 1/4/21

- Our hours adhere to our normal schedule, but we are operating under the rules of quarantine

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.

Please be advised that Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital has implemented protocols because of concerns about spreading COVID-19. Our goal is to take care of your pets, while adhering to the recommendations of the CDC and limiting personal contact as much as possible during your visit. At Chicago Exotics, we want to be particularly cautious about COVID-19 to help protect you and your family as well as our staff.

We ask that no one with active COVID-19 visit the practice, as doing so could expose members of our team, as well as other clients, to the disease. Anyone with a fever of 100F, cough, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties (outside of their norm) should stay home
Telemedicine; Clients should feel free to email us your concerns and questions. We will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner.
We will be offering curbside drop-off/pick-up for both pets and medications -
- This is for ALL appointments
- We will use the phone for communication
Please come to your appointment on time. You will be asked to wait in your car while your pet is being treated.

If you cannot make it on time to your appointment, please be courteous to our other clients, patients, and staff. Call to cancel your appointment in advance so we can give another pet the slot. We do require 24 hours notice on your cancellation or else you will be subject to a fee.
Please clean your carrier as carefully as you can before your arrival with an alcohol-based solution.
Please respect social distancing recommendations and maintain a distance of 6 feet from others and refrain from handshakes.
Please wear a mask during all interactions
Please read the checklist below before your next appointment

At Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital, the health of you and your pet is extremely important to us, and while we love to see each and every one of you, your health and safety as well as our staff’s is of the utmost importance.

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.

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