Your Rat is an Exotic
Animal kingdom. Caring for exotic pets a specialty field
BY CHERYL MILLER
CORRESPONDENT
Dr. Michael Doolen is on a mission.
Not content to simply treat the avian and exotic animals he sees on a daily basis at the Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital in Ocean Township, he also wants to educate their owners and the professionals who work with them.
"Most of the problems I see in exotics are due to the way we produce and manage them," says the doctor, who grew up on a horse ranch in Montana, and has been keeping, raising and breeding all species of animals all his life. He now specializes in avian and reptile medicine and surgery.
He estimates that 40 to 45 percent of his patients are rabbits and ferrets, another 40 to 45 percent are birds, and 10 percent are reptiles and other "pocket pets," which can be mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs and anything else "that can fit in your pocket."
Unlike a regular dog and cat practice, where about 75 percent of visits tend to be routine preventative care, like vaccinations and dentistry, about 75 percent of Doolen's patients tend be sick.
Problems arise when pet owners are unaware of their pets' origins, says Doolen.
"We need to look at their natural behaviors, see their behaviors in the wild state, instead of turning them into little humans," he says.
"Exotics are like a box of chocolates — you never know what you're going to get," he says, borrowing a phase from the movie "Forrest Gump."
Which is part of the reason he feels that exotics are growing as house pets, because "they're different, splashy, cool, interesting — and a lot of their owners have similar characteristics." Also, many residences don't allow dogs and cats, but will permit smaller animals.
And as exotic ownership grows, so does the medical field treating it. But it's still a smaller field than traditional veterinary science, Doolen says, and even smaller is the number of veterinarians solely treating exotics. Doolen estimates that about a third of his practice is referrals from other veterinarians lacking the knowledge to treat them.
Which is why he's made it his mission to educate them, and the public. He wants to "get more veterinarians comfortable with doing more exotics work." And he wants the public to understand that keeping these exotics as house pets is fine, "but we need to know how to do it so that the pets don't suffer the consequences.
...Dr. Doolen another Dr Dolitte? mmm...
BY CHERYL MILLER
CORRESPONDENT
Dr. Michael Doolen is on a mission.
Not content to simply treat the avian and exotic animals he sees on a daily basis at the Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital in Ocean Township, he also wants to educate their owners and the professionals who work with them.
"Most of the problems I see in exotics are due to the way we produce and manage them," says the doctor, who grew up on a horse ranch in Montana, and has been keeping, raising and breeding all species of animals all his life. He now specializes in avian and reptile medicine and surgery.
He estimates that 40 to 45 percent of his patients are rabbits and ferrets, another 40 to 45 percent are birds, and 10 percent are reptiles and other "pocket pets," which can be mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs and anything else "that can fit in your pocket."
Unlike a regular dog and cat practice, where about 75 percent of visits tend to be routine preventative care, like vaccinations and dentistry, about 75 percent of Doolen's patients tend be sick.
Problems arise when pet owners are unaware of their pets' origins, says Doolen.
"We need to look at their natural behaviors, see their behaviors in the wild state, instead of turning them into little humans," he says.
"Exotics are like a box of chocolates — you never know what you're going to get," he says, borrowing a phase from the movie "Forrest Gump."
Which is part of the reason he feels that exotics are growing as house pets, because "they're different, splashy, cool, interesting — and a lot of their owners have similar characteristics." Also, many residences don't allow dogs and cats, but will permit smaller animals.
And as exotic ownership grows, so does the medical field treating it. But it's still a smaller field than traditional veterinary science, Doolen says, and even smaller is the number of veterinarians solely treating exotics. Doolen estimates that about a third of his practice is referrals from other veterinarians lacking the knowledge to treat them.
Which is why he's made it his mission to educate them, and the public. He wants to "get more veterinarians comfortable with doing more exotics work." And he wants the public to understand that keeping these exotics as house pets is fine, "but we need to know how to do it so that the pets don't suffer the consequences.
...Dr. Doolen another Dr Dolitte? mmm...
posted by Lee at 7:51 PM
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