Exotic Veterinary Services

In many ways, reptile medicine can be quite different from medicine in our other companion animals. Since most illness in reptiles is secondary to husbandry related problems, we begin the appointment with a detailed examination of the care provided at home. Bringing a detailed photograph of the accommodations helps us to better visualize the pet’s environment and enclosure. We take this opportunity to suggest options or changes that may make it easier to care for your reptile as well as improve the overall health and well-being of your pet.

Since many reptiles also harbor diseases which can be transmitted to people, we take the time to educate you on these diseases and to discuss appropriate hygiene practices.

The Well Reptile Patient: Annual exams are recommended to assess the overall health of your reptile and to establish a relationship with both you and your pet. Bloodwork can be performed on most reptiles both to screen for underlying disease and to establish a baseline for the particular pet. Since many reptiles are wild-caught, they may harbor intestinal parasites. These parasites may not cause illness when the pet is otherwise healthy, but they may wreck havoc when the animal becomes stressed or ill. Routine fecal screening can identify many of these parasites, and dewormers can be administered before a problem occurs.

The Sick Reptile Patient: If your reptile is sick, we recommend an examination as soon as is possible. Just as in birds, once reptiles show signs of illness, they are often very sick. We offer drop off appointments if one of our schedule times is not feasible for the client. We offer laboratory testing (bloodwork, infectious disease testing, cultures, cytologies), radiographs, biopsies and surgical intervention for dystocia (egg-binding). We use laboratories that specialize in exotic animal clinical pathology so that the results can be trusted.

Hospitalized Patients:  Many sick reptiles need to be hospitalized for supportive therapy, IV fluid therapy, intravenous medications and nutritional support. We provide a warm, quiet, stress free environment that is appropriate for reptiles. We understand that reptiles experience stress from seeing other species that they feel are predators, therefore, we strive to provide an environment that is free from this stress.

When needed, referral to Texas A & M University is always an option for further testing, extensive surgical procedures or involved diagnostic procedures.