About Us
About Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital
Chicago Exotics has been in business since
2000. We've been quickly establishing ourselves as the region's
premier exotic animal hospital. Our mission is to be the best
care facility in the Chicago land area for avian and exotic
animals.
We do offer 24 hour critical care services in
association with our emergency partners, Animal 911, located in
the same building.
Take a tour of the
facility.
Meet our Staff
Susan Horton, DVM, pictured with Misty the Black
Palm Cockatoo
Dr. Susan Horton is a University of Illinois
graduate. Her interest in birds and exotic animals followed her
into veterinary school where she worked for four years with the
Director of Exotic Animal Medicine at the veterinary college, Dr.
Kenneth Welle ABVP avian. With Dr. Welle, Dr. Horton gained valuable
experience and knowledge in the care of reptiles, birds, sugar
gliders, hedgehogs and other small mammals, as well as ostriches,
emus, and fish. Also while at the University of Illinois, Dr.
Horton took an elective course in reptile and aquatic medicine
through Texas A&M University (Aquamed) and the aquatic
rotation and University of Florida CVM, Gainesville. She
attends several of the yearly veterinary conferences on avian,
reptilian, and exotic animal medicine. Through these venues
she has continued her education in medicine, surgery, cytology,
radiology, and all other aspects of avian, reptilian, and exotic
animal medicine.
Dr. Horton has not confined her knowledge and expertise to the
walls of a veterinary hospital. Both Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd
Aquarium have used her services. She has also worked with
the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources in censusing the zoonotic
diseases (contractible by people) of the local and statewide
population of raccoons. She has lectured to the Northern Illinois
Parrot Society, the University of Illinois, and has been published
in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, Journal of
Herpetologic Medicine and Surgery, and "Invertebrate
Biology". She is a member of the Association of
Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians where she is co-chair for the
"What's your diagnosis?" section of the journal and
co-chair for the PR Committee, and she is also a member of the Association of
Avian Veterinarians, the Association of Exotic Mammal
Veterinarians, AAZV, and AVMA. She is an associate
editor for the Journal of Reptilian and Amphibian Medicine and the
Exotic DVM Magazine. The Red Door Animal Shelter, (http://www.reddoorshelter.org) uses her
rabbit expertise with their many wonderful bunnies. She is
also a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance. Through this
organization, she helps endangered Asian turtles by volunteering
time, medicine, and her home to foster turtles. Recently,
Dr. Horton took an endoscopy
class at University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Pictured
below with Dr. Horton is Boris the iguana.
Dr. Horton has her own assortment of exotic (and
not so exotic) pets including: an iguana, geckos, cockatiels,
frogs, fish, cats, and one dog. In her "spare" time, Dr.
Horton likes gardening, scuba diving, bird watching, camping, and
beading (and working on this website).
Dr. Horton appeared in a Chicago Magazine article
profiling Chicago's top veterinarians.
Justine Hammond, DVM
Dr. Hammond grew up in Southern New Hampshire in a
household with a wide variety of animals from dogs and cats to
parrots, chickens, horses, rabbits and sugar gliders, just to name a
few. She has always had
a love for animals and a desire to improve their lives.
Before Dr. Hammond was “Dr. Hammond”, she tried her hand
at zoo animal training and management at The Exotic Animal Training
and Management Program in Southern California.
While there, she spent two years zookeeping and training a
variety of zoo animals, including big cats, parrots and primates.
However, the decision was made that as a veterinarian; she
could impact and help so many more animals, so she embarked on a
career in veterinary medicine.
Dr. Hammond graduated from Tufts Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine in 2009. While
in veterinary school, Dr. Hammond completed numerous externships in
avian/ exotic medicine, zoological medicine and wildlife medicine.
Upon graduation, Dr. Hammond was awarded the 2009 faculty
award for excellence in avian medicine.
After graduating, she completed a year-long intensive
internship in avian/ exotic medicine at South Wilton Veterinary
Group in Connecticut.
Dr. Hammond joins Chicago Exotics as a full-time
associate. She lives
with her young pug, Augustus Gloop, and her cat, Miss Pittypat.
Her interests include reading, traveling and undertaking
artistic endeavors (for the not very artistic).
Maggie Wood, DVM
graduated from the University of Illinois veterinary school in
2001. While there, she
volunteered in the wildlife clinic and was active in several
student organizations including the avian and reptile clubs.
During her senior year of vet school, she participated in
four different exotics externships in addition to her regular
clinical rotations. Prior
to joining Chicago Exotics, she worked at another clinic for
several years where she also treated exotic pets.
Her favorite part of veterinary medicine is helping people
and their pets. In her
spare time, she enjoys reading, music, nature, travel,
and snowboarding.
Pictured above is Katy Parr,
DVM.
Dr. Parr graduated from Louisiana State
University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. While
there, she focused in exotic animal medicine, and was
involved in several of the school clubs. Dr. Parr was
President of the Wildlife, Avian, Zoo and Exotic Medicine club,
and Cochair of the Raptor and Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit for 2
years. Dr. Parr also completed several externships
during vet school, including the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Wildlife
Center of Virginia, and Niles Animal Hospital.
During these externships, Dr. Parr realized that her true passion
for practice was with clients and their exotic animal
companions. She enjoys supporting the bond that people
have with their pets.
When not at work Dr. Parr enjoys home brewing,
bike-riding, reading and yoga. She lives with an African
Grey Parrot named Monty and a cat named Juliet.
Deanne Strat-Zenoni,
DVM is one of
our part-time veterinarians. She loves exotic medicine, but
also practices emergency, acupuncture and chiropractic medicine. She
is pictured below holding a Lemur from the Torango Zoo.
Rebecca Dallwig, DVM
is one of our part-time veterinarians. She is a full time
resident of the Zoo Medicine Program of the University of
Illinois. This program is hosted by the Brookfield Zoo, the
Lincoln Park Zoo, and the John G Shedd Aquarium.
Kelly, pictured below, comes with lots of
avian experience. She also loves rabbits and guinea pigs.
Pictured Below is our full time technician Erica,
CVT. She is interested in exotics and wildlife! She
writes many or our caresheets!
Pictured above is
Rachel with a Lion head rabbit. Rachel has joined our full
time team of technicians. She is very interested in
animal behavior!
Holly joined
our technical staff in 2007. She has lots of large exotic animal
experience, just ask her about polar bears. Above, she is pictured
here with Abbie, a Senegal parrot. Below, she is
pictured with some of her favorite zoo animals.
Pictured below is Marcia. She works as a receptionist and an assistant.
You can see she likes chickens, but her favorite animals are
rabbits!! She is also involved with Red
Door Animal Shelter. She is a journalist when not
helping us.
Pictured above is Liz
with one of her favorite rabbits! Bunnies are her favorite
thing!! She is also a restaurateur, among other things.
Pictured below is Cindy
who has 15 years + experience as a veterinary technician! Also pictured below are some of her
horses!
Jessi, CVT has joined our staff as a
part-time technician. She is a graduate of the Fox Valley
technician
program and loves rats (and Ratsnakes)!!
Here is our full time receptionist
Lamor. She is pictured below with
some of her favorite reptiles.
I finally caught Tina
on film! She's pictured below with Lemiwinks, our mouse
mascot. Tina is one of
our daytime receptionists.
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