Dr. Jenkins 
Dr. Jenkins and the Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital are on the cover of the May 2013 edition of San Diego Pets Magazine. You can find San Diego Pets Magazine in most San Diego area pet stores, animal boarding facilities, and even many grocery stores. or you can find it on line. The article … Read more
December 01, 2011 It is with great sadness that we bring you the news that our beautiful Laura. the Yellow-Naped Amazon that has lived in our lobby for the last several years, passed away today. Laura spent her first 30+ years living with a San Diego County resident. When her first owner died she came … Read more
The critically ill avian patient The most commonly presented avian emergency is that of the critically ill bird. Most often these are birds are found on the bottom of the cage with little if any history of prior signs of illness. The symptoms, visual examination, and initial diagnostics will often establish the direction of treatment … Read more
When they are very young Vaccinations Kits (young ferrets) should be vaccinated for distemper at 8,* 12 and 16 weeks of age then at one year of age. Reactions to the licenced distemper vaccine are common. Discuss the benefits and risks of vaccination and observe your ferret in the veterinarian’s office for at least 20 … Read more
Pain is poorly understood in avian species. The prevention and alleviation of pain are important for a number of reasons, including humane considerations and the prevention of undesirable metabolic and behavioral side effects because of pain. Criteria that may be used to determine whether a patient is in pain are as follows: Would the inciting … Read more
Insulinoma One of the most common and most devastating of ferret diseases is cancer of the insulin-producing cells called an insulinoma. Other names for this tumor are beta-cell carcinoma or pancreatic endocrine carcinoma. This cancer occurs when the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin (beta-cells) grow out of control. The disease in the ferret … Read more
Calculation of Energy Required for the Avian Patient The generally recognized formula for calculation of metabolic rate is: MR (kcal) = K(Wkg0.75)** Active metabolic rate is somewhat greater than that of a resting bird. For simplicity we will use the value 1.5. Active MR (kcal) = 1.5 X MR (kcal)*** An adjustment factor for growth, … Read more
The following is a brief outline of the diseases of commonly kept Passerine species, their common presentations, how they are transmitted, their treatment and most importantly their prevention. I. Viral A. Avian pox 1. Three forms a. Dry (skin) b. Diphtheric (wet) c. Respiratory (acute) 2. Mortality 20-100% 3. Morbidity may be high … Read more