Dr. Kimberly Mickley is a Rare Veterinary Bird - Emmaus, PA Patch

In the field of veterinary medicine, Dr. Kimberly Mickley is a rare bird.

Trained to care for exotic pets -- especially birds -- she is one of 139 certified avian specialists certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the world, one of four in Pennsylvania? and the only one practicing in the Lehigh Valley.

A graduate of Iowa State veterinary college, Mickley interned and completed a two-year residency in exotic birds in Boston before accepting a position at the Lehigh Valley Animal Hospital in Upper Macungie, expanding the local hospital?s expertise in treating furry, feathered and scaly friends.

Asked why she chose the Lehigh Valley, instead of bird-specie-havens such as Columbia, Peru or Brazil, the Fogelsville-born, Emmaus High graduate said she basically flocked to where she had roosted.

?My husband and I grew up here and the majority of our families live in the area,? she said. ?I feel there is a strong need for specialized care for exotic animals in the surrounding area.?

That appears to be the case. Since joining LVAH last October, Mickley has? seen pets ranging from parakeets and macaws to rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, guinea pigs, rats, turtles, lizards and snakes.

She pokes them, draws blood from them, even X-rays and operates on them. At a recent office visit, Mickley examined Lower Macungie Township resident Wendy Rushatz?s seven-year-old ferret, Diane.?

Holding the member of the weasel family by the scruff of its neck, Mickley checked Diane for lumps or other evidence of the fairly common type of cancer with which she was diagnosed more than a year ago. Mickley also listened to Diane?s heart and drew blood to test sugar levels.

Returning minutes later with the lab results, the specialist told Rushatz her pet?s blood sugar was normal -- not an easy feat for a ferret whose cancer causes fainting from sugar lows. The women, who attended rival high schools and became fast friends, cheered.

?Other vets would have just put her on prednisone,? Rushatz said, lauding Mickley?s expertise and willingness to try other medicines, including homeopathic, which seemed to be working.

Mickley became interested in exotic pets while working as a licensed veterinary technician in New Jersey and seeking medical/surgical care for her pet cockatoo, KeiLonnie.

?I drove five hours to have her cared for,? she said. ?If it wasn?t for this veterinarian, KeiLonnie may not be with me. He inspired me to pursue my love for exotic animal medicine and to treat them with the care and respect we treat our dog and cat friends.?

Mickley and her husband have an exotic pet menagerie of their own at home in Alburtis. In addition to the cockatoo, they own a cockatiel, parakeet, Jack Russell terrier, two cats, tropical fish and a tree frog.?? The tree frog, aptly named ?Frogger,? was rescued from a house in Boston where reptiles had been hoarded in unsanitary conditions. ???

?This little critter needed a home, not a house,? she said, comparing his new digs to a ?condo? rather than an apartment. Although she does not know Frogger?s age, Mickley said tree frogs generally live about 15 years, some as long as 20.

Area residents who want to bring their exotic pets to Mickley can make appointments with her at the hospital Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and every other Saturday. ? ? ? ? ? ?

Source: http://emmaus.patch.com/articles/dr-kimberly-mickley-is-a-rare-veterinary-bird-feeccd1e

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