About Us
About Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital
Chicago Exotics has been in business since
2000. We've been quickly establishing ourselves as the region's
premier exotic animal hospital. Our mission is to be the best
care facility in the Chicago land area for avian and exotic
animals.
We do offer 24 hour critical care services in
association with our emergency partners, Animal 911, located in
the same building.
Take a tour of the
facility.
Meet our Staff
Susan Horton, DVM, pictured with Misty the Black
Palm Cockatoo
Dr. Susan Horton is a University of Illinois
graduate. Her interest in birds and exotic animals followed her
into veterinary school where she worked for four years with the
Director of Exotic Animal Medicine at the veterinary college, Dr.
Kenneth Welle ABVP avian. With Dr. Welle, Dr. Horton gained valuable
experience and knowledge in the care of reptiles, birds, sugar
gliders, hedgehogs and other small mammals, as well as ostriches,
emus, and fish. Also while at the University of Illinois, Dr.
Horton took an elective course in reptile and aquatic medicine
through Texas A&M University (Aquamed) and the aquatic
rotation and University of Florida CVM, Gainesville. She
attends several of the yearly veterinary conferences on avian,
reptilian, and exotic animal medicine. Through these venues
she has continued her education in medicine, surgery, cytology,
radiology, and all other aspects of avian, reptilian, and exotic
animal medicine.
Dr. Horton has not confined her knowledge and expertise to the
walls of a veterinary hospital. Both Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd
Aquarium have used her services. She has also worked with
the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources in censusing the zoonotic
diseases (contractible by people) of the local and statewide
population of raccoons. She has lectured to the Northern Illinois
Parrot Society, the University of Illinois, and has been published
in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, Journal of
Herpetologic Medicine and Surgery, and "Invertebrate
Biology". She is a member of the Association of
Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians where she is co-chair for the
"What's your diagnosis?" section of the journal and
co-chair for the PR Committee, and she is also a member of the Association of
Avian Veterinarians, the Association of Exotic Mammal
Veterinarians, AAZV, and AVMA.
The Red Door Animal Shelter, (http://www.reddoorshelter.org) uses her
rabbit expertise with their many wonderful bunnies. She is
also a member of the Turtle Survival Alliance. Through this
organization, she helps endangered Asian turtles by volunteering
time, medicine, and her home to foster turtles. Recently,
Dr. Horton and Alyssa took an endoscopy
class at University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Pictured
below with Dr. Horton is Boris the iguana.
Dr. Horton has her own assortment of exotic (and
not so exotic) pets including: an iguana, geckos, cockatiels,
frogs, fish, cats, and two dogs. In her "spare" time, Dr.
Horton likes gardening, scuba diving, bird watching, camping, and
beading (and working on this website).
Recently Dr. Horton appeared in a Chicago Magazine article
profiling Chicago's top veterinarians.
Meet Dr. Shonali Jethani
and Erwin.
Dr. Jethani graduated for the University of
Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001 with Honors.
Prior to graduation, she had been an active member of the
university's Wildlife Ward. The Wildlife Ward is a student
run organization that treats injured wildlife. Dr. Jethani
spent here summers in undergrad working with Dr. Horton and
learning about exotic animal medicine. She also completed a
3 week externship in exotic animal medicine at the Animal Medical
Center in New York. She started working as a part time
associate at Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital in 2003. Her
interests outside of medicine include reading, hiking, and
spending time with friends and family. At home she has a
Senegal Parrot named Abbie and a Chow mix named Shelby. Erwin
(pictured above) is a recovering feather picker and self
mutilator.
Welcome Karen S Kearns,
DVM Dipl ACZM.
Dr. Kearns is a graduate of
Cornell
University
’s
College
of
Veterinary Medicine
, and she completed a residency in Avian and Zoological Medicine at
the
University
of
Tennessee
. She has spent the past
15 years as a veterinarian for all sizes and types of animals.
Birds and primates are among the species which she has
published scientific papers on in Zoo Biology, the Journal of Zoo
and Wildlife Medicine, and the leading medical textbook for
veterinarians of zoo/wildlife species, Fowler’s Zoo and Wildlife
Medicine. She has
presented several papers at the annual meetings of the American
Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and the International
Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM.)
As a board certified veterinary specialist with the
American
College
of Zoological Medicine (ACZM), she has trained several veterinary
residents and students in both avian and exotic pet medicine, and in
zoo/wildlife medicine. She
is co-chair of the Education Committee for the AAZV, and currently
is in charge of writing the Avian section of the annual ACZM Board
Certification exam.
Much of her career has been spent as a full-time veterinarian
for zoos such as the San Diego Zoo, the Columbus Zoo, and the
Brookfield Zoo. She also
returned briefly to Cornell as a faculty member, teaching exotic pet
and avian medicine to veterinary students and residents, and has
worked in private practice with exotic pets and birds, as well as
with dogs, cats, and small mammals.
During her career she feels privileged to have been able to
participate in several wildlife conservation projects, including
translocation of the endangered Turks and Caicos Iguanas, care and
release of a rehabilitated Florida manatee, teaching workshops and
chimpanzee sanctuary work with a Ugandan veterinary colleague in
Africa, and serving as the veterinary escort for Hua-Mei, the first
giant panda born in the U.S., when she was transported to China to
participate in a captive breeding program.
Her favorite animal is her 12 year-old Dalmatian, Casey--
currently her only pet.
She is pictured below with a baby Panda,
a Red Wolf, and a baby Gorilla.
Dr. Deanne Strat-Zenoni is one of
our part-time veterinarians. She loves exotic medicine, but
also practices acupuncture and chiropractic medicine.
Pictured below is Dr.
Grabowski. She joins our staff in June,
2008. More information will be posted soon. Her
special interest is avian medicine!
Here is Alyssa with a
Turkey. She
is a Bel Rea licensed CVT and comes with lots of exotic and avian
experience. We are glad to have her.
Kelly, pictured below, comes with lots of
avian experience. She also loves rabbits and guinea pigs.
Pictured Below is our full time technician Donna.
Mostly she loves the Cubs and the Bears.
Holly recently joined
our technical staff. She has lots of large exotic animal
experience, just ask her about polar bears. Above, she is pictured
here with Abbie, Dr. Jethani's Senegal parrot. Below, she is
pictured with some of her favorite zoo animals.
Back for her last
summer (junior and senior years of vet school a wait her) is
Steph. She's a fun and dynamic part of our team!
Pictured below is
Marcia. She works as a receptionist and an assistant.
You can see she likes chickens, but her favorite animals are
rabbits!! She is also involved with Red
Door Animal Shelter. She is a journalist when not
helping us.
Joining our team as a
full time receptionist is Lamor. She is pictured below with
some of her favorite reptiles.
I finally caught Tina
on film! She's pictured below with Lemiwinks, our mouse
mascot. Tina is one of
our daytime receptionists and she loves her bunny, Bradley, pictured
left.
Izumi works on Saturday
at the front desk. She is most amazing. Congratulations on
your new baby boy Izumi!!!
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