Thank you for choosing our practice and allowing us to care for your special pet’s special needs. We understand that this can be a very worrisome and stressful time for you and your pet. Because we appreciate and share your concern for your pet, it is our goal to alleviate any uneasiness by keeping you well informed of your pet’s condition throughout his/her stay in our hospital.

Services Offered
A host of diagnostic services are available including radiography and in-house laboratory testing, exotics specific disease testing, endoscopy, laparoscopy, ultrasonography, fluoroscopy, and even computed tomography (CT scans) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).  We also address many of the unique problems encountered in exotic species, such as behavior, nutrition, and husbandry counseling

We offer a full range of surgical procedures to benefit your pet. Trauma repair, orthopedic procedures, reproductive emergencies, and diagnostic surgical procedures are but a few of our standard surgical offerings. Traditional surgery, magnified microsurgery, and endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures utilize the most modern equipment to minimize the surgical time, trauma and risk to your pet.  Hysterectomies on parakeets, C-sections in iguanas, adrenal gland tumor removal in ferrets, and air bladder procedures on fish are just a few examples of procedures commonly performed by our North Coast doctors.

If your pet is hospitalized:
Unless otherwise arranged, you will receive a phone call each morning to let you know his/her status. You can expect to hear from us between 8 and 10am but if you haven’t, assume that everything is fine.  Because we are part of an emergency hospital, patients sometimes require immediate attention, which may lead to a schedule change or prevent us from calling you as early as we would like. Be assured that we will call you as soon as possible.

While the hospital is open 24 hours a day, the North Coast Bird and Exotic Specialties staff is generally in the hospital from 8 AM a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; as well as 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays. We urge you to pick up your pet while the exotics service is in the hospital. The regular hospital staff is able to release pets from the hospital until 8 p.m. When your pet is discharged and we are here in the hospital, we will make every effort to talk with you and answer any questions that you may have. Any questions or concerns that you have when the exotics service is not in, either at discharge or anytime there after, can be directed to one of the many qualified emergency doctors associated with Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital. They are competent to care for your pet in our absence and they are able to contact your doctor if necessary.

Thank you again for trusting us to take care of your important family member. We will do everything possible to make your pet’s stay with us comfortable. Please let us know how we can be of any further assistance to you.

Emergencies
Since exotic pets are so adept at hiding there early symptoms…emergencies are common.  Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is open daily around-the-clock to take care of your emergency needs.  Avian/exotic emergencies presenting during hours that North Coast staff is on-site will be handled by us directly.  After-hours emergencies will be initially handled by our experienced emergency hospital veterinary staff with our consultation as needed.  Hospitalized exotic pets will be handled by North Coast staff.  North Coast staff is either on-site or always on-call to provide the best care possible for your avian/exotic pet.

	Gary Riggs DVM, ABVP: Avian Dr. Riggs is Board Certified in Avian Practice and one of the first 20 veterinarians to become board certified in the specialty’s charter class. He has over 25 years experience caring for a wide variety of dog, cat, zoo, exotic, avian, and wildlife species. Dr. Riggs has been associated with the Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital since 1981, and is a member of the Metropolitan Veterinary Referral Group. He is the owner of the Barberton Veterinary Clinic and started the Norton based Bird and Exotic Specialty Hospital in 1993. Dr. Riggs also operates the Animal Clinic: Wadsworth and NorthCoast Bird & Exotic Specialties, an avian/exotic animal referral and emergency clinic located in the Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital. In addition to private practice, Dr. Riggs served as a zoo consulting veterinarian for over 20 years. Within the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Dr. Riggs served as the Veterinary Advisor for the white winged wood duck Species Survival Plan and was chairman of the Veterinary Advisory Group.  Dr. Riggs serves on the Association of Avian Veterinarians Conservation committee and is the association state liaison for Ohio. Dr. Riggs is a member of the board of directors of both Friends of Metro Parks and PEAC (parrot education and adoption centers) of Akron/Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Riggs’ area of research includes diagnosis and prevention of avian tuberculosis. Dr. Riggs lectures nationally and internationally on a variety of avian and exotic topics and is veterinary advisor for The University of Akron, Metro Parks Serving Summit County, Stark Parks, Medina Raptor Center, and Noah’s Lost Ark: exotic animal sanctuary. Dr. Riggs is a founding member of Wild4Ever (www.wild4ever.com) a 501(C)(3) non-profit local and worldwide wildlife conservation foundation.  Wild4Ever supports local wildlife rehabilitation, offers conservation scholarships for local individuals and groups, and supports conservation efforts locally and globally.
	Sabrina Keigley DVM Originally from West Virginia, Dr. Keigley graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. Dr. Keigley has worked in general practice dog and cat medicine and surgery since graduation and likes to consider each pet as an individual with its own special needs.  In addition to traditional state-of-the art veterinary medicine, Dr. Keigley has a special interest in the use of western herbs, nutritional therapy, and acupuncture as a resource for total pet care.  Dr. Keigley enjoys spending time with her two sons, collie, greyhound, and two cats.
	Lauren Terihay DVM Originally from Texas, Dr. Terihay now calls Ohio home and graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. Dr. Terihay enjoys dog and cat medicine and surgery as well as spending time with her husband, son, dog and cat and enjoying the great outdoors.