Exotics and Zoological Medicine

The Zoological medicine service provides the medical care of exotic animals, whether they are exotic pets, wildlife species, or animals from public zoological parks and aquariums. The service veterinarians and staff believe that any animal should receive the highest quality medical care, regardless of the species. The term, exotic animal, is a catch-all term that refers to all animals not represented by common domestic animals, such as dogs, cats, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cattle, and poultry. Examples of exotic animals the service commonly provides medical care for include birds, such as parrots, raptors, waterfowl, poultry, and passerines; reptiles, such as snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, and crocodilians; small mammal pets, such as rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, mice, hedgehogs, and sugar gliders; fish, both pond and aquarium fish; and other mammals, such as exotic canids, felids, ursids, procyonids, and mustelids to name the most common ones. Faculty specialties and clinical diagnostic services providing consulting support for the zoological medicine service as needed arises from other services in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and State Diagnostic Laboratory. Additional specialist services in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital utilized by the service include complete diagnostic imaging services, such as radiology, ultrasound, MRI, CT, and nuclear medicine; diagnostic endoscopy, radiation therapy, and counseling for pet owners. Although poisonous snakes, skunks, and ratites are considered to be exotic animals, the service does not provide medical care for these species at this time due to insurance and facilities limitations. The Colorado Division of Wildlife [CODOW] has officially designated the Human Society of Larimer County as the official organization to receive and care specifically for all wildlife except raptorial birds [hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, etc] in Larimer County. Additionally, pet pot-bellied pigs are cared for by the food animal service at CSU, not the zoological medicine service, although the service is available for consultation