About the Center and our services:

Too many exotic pet owners mistakenly think that they should take their exotic pets to the veterinarian only if they are sick. In fact, many exotic species are prey animals which means they tend to hide their illness until they are very sick (or they would not survive in the wild!).

At the Veterinary Center, Dr. Hess and her staff work one-on-one with you to educate you about preventative medicine – how to care for your extraordinary animals to prevent them from becoming sick. All exotic pets, just like cats and dogs, should have annual check-ups.

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The Veterinary Center offers complete medical and surgical care for exotic pets, including:

  • Preventative health care and wellness check-ups – teaching you about the most appropriate food, housing, cage bedding, environmental temperature, light, vaccinations, and other factors your exotic pet needs to stay healthy.
  • Post-purchase examinations – checking your new exotic pet to make sure that he/she is healthy, which is especially important if you already have other exotic animals at home.
  • Geriatric care – educating you about the special needs of the older exotic pet.
  • Grooming – performing basic grooming services such as nail trimming for all species, wing and beak trimming for birds, and beak trimming for turtles and tortoises.
  • Diagnostic services for illness – performing comprehensive diagnostic testing to screen for and treat disease, including blood testing, fecal analysis, digital x-rays, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and ultrasound.
  • Surgery – providing comprehensive surgical care with state-of-the-art surgical monitoring (including electrocardiography and blood pressure monitoring) and the safest anesthesia. Surgeries range from commonly performed spays and neuters to complicated procedures involving endoscopy, radiosurgery, and orthopedics.
  • Hospitalization – housing all sick patients comfortably in the hospital in specialized cages designed for exotic species that provide oxygen, heat, and nebulized (vaporized) medication, if necessary. A technician is available to check on critically ill pets at night, and after the hospital closes, Dr. Hess and her staff are able to monitor all pets in the hospital via closed circuit cameras. All patients with contagious disease are hospitalized in a separate isolation area, with its own separate air duct system, to minimize spread of infection. The ventilation system also has been fitted with a special ultraviolet filter to eliminate airborne pathogens.
  • Dental care – providing complete dental care, using instruments specially designed for rabbits, rodents, and ferrets, including teeth cleaning to prevent disease to surgical treatment of impacted and abscessed teeth.  All patients undergoing dental procedures are treated gently and receive medication for pain relief.
  • Boarding – pets can board at the Veterinary Center only after they have been examined to help ensure that all boarding pets are healthy. After hours, Dr. Hess and her staff are able to monitor all boarding pets from outside the hospital via closed circuit cameras.  Please visit the boarding page to learn more about boarding at the Veterinary Center.
  • Emergency services – After 7pm during the week, and on Saturdays after 1pm through Mondays at 8am, the hospital is closed. If you think you have a true emergency, Dr. Hess is available by phone 24 hours a day for consultations to help you decide whether your exotic pet needs emergency care. While Dr. Hess is able to treat many of her own patients on an emergency basis at the Veterinary Center, for critically ill pets that require care when the Center is closed, Dr. Hess has an affiliation with 24-hour emergency clinics in Westchester County, NY, that she works in association with to treat life-threatening emergencies. Thus, you and your exotic pet will never be left stranded in case of emergency.
  • Behavior counseling – working with exotic pet behavior issues is one of Dr. Hess’ special interests.  She offers a full behavior modification program to help with problems including biting, screaming, self-destructive behavior, and other issues.
  • Pet Products – the Veterinary Center offers a wide selection of veterinarian-recommended foods and supplies, available for purchase both at the Veterinary Center and here: VCBE Online Store.
  • Other services – the Veterinary Center also offers DNA sexing, microchipping, examination for domestic and international travel requiring health certificates, and a wide variety of exotic pet foods for sale at the hospital.