Wellness Services for Exotic Pets in Charleston
Exotic pets are, for the most part, prey animals. This means that it is their instinctual nature to regard restraint, handling, or examination as a threat. The fear response can trigger aggression as they try to escape, can cause them to injure themselves, and can even affect certain diagnostics. Bloodwork, radiographs, ultrasounds, and CT results are directly affected by the compliance of the patient.
In addition to special handling techniques to establish trust and security, pets sometimes need a little sedation or anesthesia for their comfort and safety prior to working with them. Sedation is customized for your pet’s specific weight, age, needs, and condition.
Comprehensive Physical Exam
Our experienced team of vets will observe the general appearance of your pet and examine most organ systems, including the heart, pulse, lungs or air sacs in birds, posture and movement, eyes and ears, nose and face, mouth, teeth and/or beak, body and muscle condition, skin, haircoat, plumage or scales, legs, and abdomen.
In some cases, you may not even be aware that our vets are conducting some parts of a routine physical examination, particularly if they do not detect any abnormalities.
Gentle Sedation: A Fear Free Approach
Exotic pets (especially prey species such as rabbits, birds, reptiles, and small mammals) can experience significant stress during handling and restraint. Stress can alter heart rate, breathing, and even body temperature, and may make examination or diagnostic testing more difficult or less accurate.
When appropriate, we use gentle, short-acting sedation to reduce fear, anxiety, struggling, and unnecessary restraint. Our protocols commonly include midazolam, which reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation, and butorphanol, a short-acting analgesic with additional calming effects. Depending on the patient and procedure, our doctors may add other medications to enhance comfort and safety, particularly for more involved procedures. Midazolam and several other medications we use can be reversed when appropriate. Some pets, particularly reptiles, may remain mildly sedated for several hours after going home.
Sedation is an important part of our Fear Free approach, allowing us to perform examinations, blood draws, imaging, and other procedures more safely, comfortably, and with less stress for your pet.
Complete Blood Count and Blood Chemistry
A complete blood count (CBC) is used to screen for anemia, infection, inflammation, and blood parasites. Blood chemistry testing is used to look for organ dysfunction related to conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and other disorders.
Fecal Analysis
A fecal analysis is used to screen for harmful internal parasites, bacteria, yeast, or worms. Learn more about our Diagnostics and Imaging services.
Senior Pet Exam
When your pet becomes a senior patient, even though they may still be young at heart, we recommend semiannual wellness visits and early disease blood screens.
Additional wellness screening tests may include chest or abdominal radiographs, ultrasound, or CT. Our next-generation CT scan provides a 3-D image of what is going on internally and, in most cases, an intravenous contrast agent is administered to highlight the tissues and organs.
Routine Care Helps Us Catch Changes Earlier
Your pet’s health relies on you. Regular wellness visits give our veterinarians the opportunity to monitor your exotic pet over time and diagnose and treat disease early, often before physical symptoms manifest.