Avian & Exotic - Vet in East Greenwich

Love Knows No Size

Avian and exotic medicine with a board-certified specialist.

We Love Them All

We provide expert veterinary care for a wide variety of companion animals, including birds, small mammals, and reptiles.  Our patients include bearded dragons, chameleons, chickens, chinchillas, cockatiels, ducks, fish, frogs, geckos, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, parakeets, parrots, rabbits, rats, songbirds, sugar gliders, tegu lizards, snakes, tortoises and turtles. Please note we do NOT see farm animals, large carnivores, primates, or venomous reptiles. We accept injured or sick local wildlife ONLY after hours (5pm-9am). We follow state protocols for these patients, stabilizing them if possible and transferring them the next day to the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island. We see patients by appointments for wellness visits as well as for injuries and illnesses and as referrals. For returning clients, we offer nail, beak, and wing trims for birds, and incisor trims for rabbits and guinea pigs. We also provide consultation and follow-up visits for EXOTICS patients seen through the OSVS ER service.

Our Exotics specialist is board-certified by the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM.) Our technicians have years of experience, and work in our ER and ICU. Many of our ER doctors also have a special interest in exotics. We are fully equipped to carry out routine diagnostic testing, including on-site lab work and imaging, and treatment procedures, including dentistry, endoscopy, intensive care, and surgery. We also have access to the other specialty services at OSVS, including Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, Radiology/Imaging (CT, MRI, and Ultrasound), and Surgery.

Our ER Service is always available, and all our ER doctors are trained in emergency medicine for birds, small mammals, and reptiles. On weekends and after hours, our specialist is available for consultation and patients admitted to the ER are transferred to the Exotics Service as soon as possible. Our hospital ward is specially designed to meet the various needs of our patients. Hospitalized patients are monitored 24 hours per day and, when necessary, are placed in intensive care with continuous oxygen therapy also available. We believe in teamwork and pledge to provide the best possible veterinary care for your pet by combining our skills with yours. For your pet’s safety, please bring your pet to Ocean State Veterinary Specialists in an appropriate carrier or harness.

The Exotics Specialist at OSVS is Lucy H. Spelman, DVM, DACZM

Dr. Spelman has a background in zoo and wildlife medicine as well as companion animal pet practice. She is also an educator - she teaches biology and science communication at RISD – and author. She co-authored a collection of 28 stories, The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes, and wrote the text for the best-selling National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia for kids. She is on the Boards of Creature Conserve, Inc, Foster Parrots, Inc., and the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island.