Evergreen Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital

02/10/2025

Fantastic and cute explanation of adrenal disease in ferrets.

01/10/2025

Avian flu update
TLDR: avoid direct contact with wild birds, do not feed raw, unpasteurized food to your pets, keep pets indoors as much as possible if you can.

Due to the rise of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Washington State, we are striving to spread awareness of the virus and share prevention tips to help keep your pets safe. The
health and safety of all our pets is of the utmost importance.
Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza (HPAI), also known as “Avian Flu” or “Bird Flu”, is a viral infection that mainly spreads between birds, especially wild migratory water birds and domestic
poultry, but also can spread to humans and other animals.
Please be aware that there is no vaccine currently available.

Transmission
Birds shed the virus in their bodily fluids, which can then be acquired by:
-Direct or close contact with infected animals
- Inhalation
- Touching something that has the virus on it and then touching one’s mouth, eyes, or nose
- Eating sick or dead birds, ingesting unpasteurized milk from infected cows, or eating raw
meat. (Cats have a higher risk of infection than dogs.)
Symptoms
Infected birds or other pets may show one or more of the following signs:
- Low energy or appetite
- Purple discoloration or swelling of various body parts
- Reduced egg production or soft-shelled/misshapen eggs
- Nasal discharge, coughing, or sneezing
- Lack of coordination
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Difficulty breathing
- Neurologic signs, like tremors, seizures, incoordination, or blindness
- Sudden death with no prior signs
Monitor your pet for signs of illness, especially if they have had recent exposure to sick or dead birds. Immediately contact your veterinarian if you notice any of these signs to help you
determine the best course of action.

Prevention
Precautions to prevent your pet from getting Avian Flu:
- Avoid direct contact between wild birds and yourself.
- Avoid direct contact between wild birds and your pets.
- Do not touch sick or dead wild birds.
- Thoroughly wash your hands before and after handling your pet and after any
encounters with poultry, livestock, or wild birds.
- Keep food, drinking water, equipment, and other supplies secure out of reach of wild
birds or rodents.
- Keep your pets indoors and supervise them closely, especially if Avian Flu outbreaks
have recently been reported in your area.
-Avoid feeding pets raw meat (poultry, beef) or unpasteurized raw milk. Only freeze-dried
raw commercial pet foods that are pasteurized are safe. Do not feed freeze-dried raw
that has not been pasteurized.
-Keep dogs and cats from chasing wild birds.
Immediately contact your veterinarian if you think your pet may have been exposed to the virus and is symptomatic. If you believe your pet is at risk and are planning to come to the clinic for an appointment, call ahead of your visit to alert the medical team of your pet’s potential exposure so appropriate precautions can be taken. Our clinic will be taking extra measures to ensure the health and safety of all our patients. You may be asked questions about the housing of your pet, their potential exposure to wild animals, and any recent health concerns prior to admitting the patient into the clinic. Any pet that is perceived at risk must follow strict safety and isolation protocols in order to be admitted. For more information regarding Avian Influenza, you may also check these trusted resources: CDC, American Veterinary Medical Association and the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

12/06/2024

This is not the dragon you seek!

12/04/2024

Message for University Place clients: please exercise some patience with reception today. We are down to one receptionist where we would normally have 3. If you have a non-urgent request or query, please email rather than call. Thank you!
[email protected]

12/02/2024

We work with some amazing animal charities and rescue organizations. We are collecting supplies for them at each of our clinics if you would like to drop something off! Please also consider direct donations to the charities on Giving Tuesday or consider making a donation toward their vet bills at the clinic.
Thank you for your generosity!

10/22/2024

Teddy enjoying post- anesthetic snacks! And he seems to have forgiven us for neutering him. 😊

10/10/2024

We would like to extend a special welcome to our newest veterinarian, Dr Sneha Krishnan. She is a UW alum who is returning to the Puget Sound area after time in Colorado, Connecticut, Tennessee and New York City. She has extensive experience with our exotic species and particularly with urgent care situations. She is available for appointments at both the Kirkland and University Place clinics!

09/20/2024

Once again we need to ask for patience from all of our clients. University Place is coping with a single receptionist for 3 doctors and she’s already on overtime. We are still working through injuries and illness. We are doing the best we can. People getting angry and calling Kirkland to rant about how frustrated they are with the lack of response from University Place isn’t helping. Please email [email protected] if you have a question or need a med refill. If the question is urgent, you may call or copy Kirkland on your email and we will do our best to help.

09/09/2024

Half of our staff at University Place is out sick. Please be patient if you are waiting for a response from a doctor, technician or assistant. We are having to move appointments and will not have capacity for urgent care appointments this week. Sorry!
Everyone get vaccinated! Please wear masks in crowded places, including our clinic.
Thank you!

09/04/2024

Fun video of a caregiver at the Louisville zoo involved in the Blackfooted Ferret breeding and release program and an article about domesticated ferrets as pets.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/pets/2024/08/30/ferrets-pets-domesticated-history/74951579007/

(As an aside - the article states that Distemper is 100% fatal in ferrets. What it doesn't emphasize is that ferrets that are up-to-date on vaccination can survive a distemper outbreak. Has your ferret had his/her booster?)

There are several famous examples of art depicting humans with pet ferrets from hundreds of years ago.

08/08/2024

We had a server failure yesterday (Wednesday, 7th Aug). We are back up and running this morning. However if you called and made an appointment yesterday, we may have lost those appointments. Could you please reach out and be sure we have your appointment on the schedule? Thank you!!

07/23/2024

Sami is really getting into his lunch!

06/13/2024

Not our usual patient! This cutie was running loose in the neighborhood of our University Place clinic. If you know the owner, please have them contact us! She has a collar and tag, but no microchip.

06/04/2024

Have you had your vaccinations and implant this year?

05/31/2024

If anyone is trying to get through to University Place, our phones are down. The technician is working on fixing the problem we’ve been having for the last couple weeks. Please email us if you need anything!
[email protected]

05/14/2024

Apologies to anyone who is trying to reach our University Place clinic. Our phones have been on the fritz off and on. Please email enquiries and appointment requests to [email protected]
Thanks! Sorry!!

05/07/2024

There are internet outages in the University Place area. As a result, our clinic is having severe connectivity issues! If you are trying to call us or are waiting for an email reply, please have patience, we will respond as soon as we are able!

03/31/2024

This story, about the challenges of traveling internationally with pets, is very relevant to many of our clients. Things to take into account if you are planning to move out of the country or to a state with entry restrictions like Hawaii!

Pet Movers - Freakonomics