It’s true, we have to admit it. We are exotic, different, unique. However you want to put it. We all love animals. But some of us have gone a step further, making caring for them both a way of life and a livelihood. That is why we chose veterinary medicine. While most veterinary clinics focus on dogs and cats, we have chosen to provide quality veterinary care for the often overlooked exotic animals. Yes, as we said, we are different, even unique: our clinic was the first, and at the time of this article the only, veterinary clinic exclusively for exotic animals in Andalusia. And we have spared no effort in our team or equipment. Because our patients, your beloved companions, deserve the same care as other animals. Being inexpensive, very small or having a short life expectancy is no excuse. They deserve the best, and we are here to offer it.
Our veterinary team has received specific training in exotic animal care and continues to do so through regular courses. We belong to leading national and international exotic animal veterinary associations and subscribe to respected specialist publications. Everyone at the clinic, vets and nurses alike, loves animals, has adopted animals and supports exotic animal rescue organisations. Relieving suffering is rewarding, but preventing it through preventive medicine, which we consider essential, is even more satisfying. We would much rather prevent disease than treat it. When treatment is needed, however, we offer facilities designed specifically to treat exotic animals.
Although an exotic animal clinic stands out for the care, experience and knowledge of its professional team, whose training and daily work are dedicated to these animals, its facilities are what truly set it apart. Remember that an exotic animal clinic is not a dog and cat clinic. Nor is it a clinic for horses, cattle, goats or sheep. There is a reason for this. If we want your animals to show their normal behaviour during their stay, we must avoid disturbing them. In the wild, most of our patients are prey animals. They become frightened and stressed when they detect a predator by sight, smell or sound. A clinic seeking to offer the best care for exotic patients cannot allow dogs and cats into its facilities. We are sorry about that, because we love dogs and cats too. In fact, we have dogs and cats of our own, but even they must not disturb your beloved companions. When they need treatment, we take them to one of Málaga’s excellent dog and cat clinics.
We have not taken premises designed for dogs and cats and set aside a small corner for exotic animals. We have dedicated all our space and resources to them. The fact that we spent six months planning every detail of this clinic says it all.
These are some of the distinguishing features of a clinic specifically dedicated to the care of exotic animals:
- Our premises have no gaps where even the smallest animal could hide, and no exposed cables that could cause an accident. We love it when the animals you bring do not have to stay in cages. Other clinics need only worry about gaps big enough for a kitten. We have had to consider tiny, lightning-fast squirrels and macaws with extraordinarily powerful beaks.
- We have separate hospitalisation areas for mammals, birds and reptiles. Every species has particular needs, and we provide what they need to recover as well as possible.
- We keep predatory animals in separate hospitalisation areas from other animals. Can you imagine recovering from surgery in hospital and hearing a tiger roar in the next bed? That fear is what a guinea pig, parrot, rabbit or canary feels when it hears a dog barking or smells a cat. The same applies to a ferret, a snake or a bird of prey.
- We have numerous incubators for animals needing critical care. They allow us to control the temperature precisely while also providing oxygen therapy or even nebulisation treatments.
- Our infusion pumps can deliver the tiniest volumes you can imagine. Only the best equipment makes it possible to deliver continuous fluids to a hamster, chameleon or canary. Imagine the precision needed to administer 0.1 millilitres of fluid per hour.
- We have laboratory equipment adapted to the smallest species. We can carry out an immediate full blood analysis using just three drops of blood! We also perform cytology with various biological stains, pH measurements, fungal cultures, parasite testing and more. When necessary, we work with national and international laboratories specialising in exotic animals.
- Our scales are extremely precise. Ordinary scales often measure in increments of 10 grams. Ours are accurate to one gram, and some to 0.1 grams! When patients weigh three or four grams, accurate weighing is essential to calculate the correct treatment doses.
- We have magnifiers that let us see the smallest structures in our smallest patients. Some of our patients measure only a few centimetres, and we need precision for diagnosis and treatment.
- Our surgical equipment allows delicate tissue handling alongside monitoring of vital signs. Surgical instruments used for dogs and cats are generally too large for exotic species. Our instruments are therefore very fine and delicate. The same applies to monitoring equipment. Exotic species often have very high heart and breathing rates and need exceptionally precise equipment. We have capnographs, anaesthetic gas monitors, pulse monitors, thermometers, oximeters, electrocardiographs and blood pressure monitors: everything needed to monitor anaesthesia safely, whatever the patient’s size.
We want to earn your trust. We know we can offer what you need because, as you have seen, we are different, unique, exotic. At the time this article was written, we were Andalusia’s only veterinary clinic exclusively for exotic animals, and we are here to help you. Come and meet us and see the difference.
