veterinary center for birds and exotics

What veterinary center for birds and exotics does

The Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics (VCBE) is a single-location, specialty veterinary hospital founded in 2010 by Dr. Laurie Hess in Bedford Hills, NY, dedicated exclusively to birds and exotic pets — no cats or dogs. The practice serves owners of parrots, reptiles, amphibians, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, mini pigs, and similar species across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It holds American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accreditation, a credential VCBE states makes it the only avian-specialty practice in New York to have received it.

VCBE delivers a full suite of services through six veterinarians (one ABVP board-certified in avian practice, two ABVP residents, and residency-trained specialists) plus licensed veterinary technicians and support staff. Clinical capabilities span wellness and preventive care, surgery with advanced anesthetic monitoring, dental care, emergency consultations (24/7 by phone), nutrition and behavior counseling, boarding, grooming, geriatric care, microchipping, and travel health certificates. The technology stack includes digital x-ray, ultrasonography, echocardiography, CT scanning, endoscopy, electrosurgery, cold laser therapy, PiezoWave2T shockwave, an in-house laboratory calibrated for small exotic patients, and specialized hospitalization cages with oxygen, heat, IV, and nebulization capability. External specialists in radiology (Animal Medical Center), internal medicine (Cornell University Veterinary Specialists), and ophthalmology provide on-site or remote consultation.

Revenue is generated entirely through fee-for-service veterinary care, boarding, and grooming, with quote-based pricing per case and CareCredit as a third-party financing option. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a physical clinic, phone scheduling, and the PetDesk mobile app, supplemented by an aggressive content-marketing presence (YouTube, blog, social media) and national media appearances by Dr. Hess. The business is privately held, founder-owned, and operates without outside investment or parent company.

Name

veterinary center for birds and exotics

Legal name

Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics

Website

https://avianexoticsvet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics is a single-location, AAHA-accredited specialty veterinary hospital in Bedford Hills, NY, founded in 2010 by Dr. Laurie Hess to provide full-service medical, surgical, boarding, and grooming care exclusively to birds and exotic pets across the NY/CT/NJ/PA region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exotic Pet Veterinary Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Exotic Companion Animal Veterinary Clinics (Birds/Reptiles/Small Mammals) (HLAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bird Grooming & Boarding (Avian) (HSANAKAB), Exotic Pet Grooming (Non-Canine/Feline) (HSANAKAE), Exotic Pet Boarding (Facility-Based) (HSANAKAF)

Keywords

• Avian veterinary care
• Exotic pet medicine
• Bird veterinary services
• Exotic animal surgery
• Specialty animal hospital

Headquarters

HQ city

Bedford Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Veterinary Medical Services: Revenue from comprehensive medical care including wellness examinations, preventive care, diagnostics, surgery, dental care, emergency services, and specialized treatments for birds and exotic pets
2. Boarding Services: Revenue from boarding birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians with specialized accommodations including heated tanks for reptiles and temperature-controlled environments
3. Grooming Services: Nail trimming, wing trimming, beak trimming, and therapeutic grooming for exotic pets performed by experienced veterinarians and technicians
4. Travel and Microchip Services: Microchipping and health certificates for domestic and international travel

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics provides specialized veterinary medical, surgical, and boarding care exclusively for birds and exotic pets (no cats or dogs). Services span wellness exams, preventive care, nutrition and behavior counseling, surgery, advanced imaging, dental care, emergency consultations, grooming, geriatric care, and travel-related documentation, delivered by board-certified and residency-trained exotic animal veterinarians.

Product overview

The Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics is a specialized avian and exotic pet animal hospital offering comprehensive veterinary services through a single, integrated practice model. The center provides a full spectrum of care including wellness examinations and preventive care, surgery with advanced anesthetic monitoring, 24-hour emergency consultations, nutrition and behavior counseling, boarding, grooming, dental care, geriatric care, travel-related services (microchipping and health certificates), advanced imaging (digital X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan), cold laser therapy, deslorelin implants, acupuncture, and comprehensive pain management. All services are delivered by board-certified or residency-trained veterinarians specializing exclusively in birds and exotic pets, with support from licensed veterinary technicians and specialists in internal medicine, radiology, and ophthalmology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exotic Pet Exams & Preventive Care Comprehensive annual wellness examinations and preventive care check-ups for birds and exotic pets, including physical exams, species-specific blood and stool tests, nutrition counseling, and behavioral consultations.
• Surgery & Hospitalization Full surgical services for birds and exotic pets ranging from routine spays and neuters to complex procedures including endoscopy, radiosurgery, and orthopedics, with state-of-the-art anesthetic monitoring and fiberoptic endoscopic intubation.
• Emergency Services 24-hour emergency consultation services by phone, with affiliation to three local 24-hour emergency clinics; veterinarians available around the clock for emergency guidance and treatment coordination.
• Nutrition and Behavior Counseling Species-specific nutritional recommendations and behavioral counseling services, including the Great Pellet Exchange program that helps pet owners transition birds to balanced pelleted diets.
• Boarding Boarding services for birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians with specialized cages, temperature control, daily feeding monitoring, and webcam supervision for pet owners; heated tanks available for reptiles.
• Grooming Grooming services including nail trimming, wing trimming, beak trimming, and therapeutic grooming for exotic pets, with unlimited repeat visits at reduced cost following annual examinations.
• Dental Care Complete dental care for ferrets, rabbits, rodents, and other exotic species, including teeth cleaning, trimming, and surgical treatment for impacted, overgrown, infected, or abscessed teeth using species-specific instruments.
• Geriatric Care Specialized medical care for senior exotic pets, including diagnostic testing, pre-surgical assessments, and gentle grooming accommodations for age-related conditions such as arthritis.
• Travel-Related Services Travel-related services including microchipping for permanent identification and health/travel certificates for domestic and international travel, provided by USDA-accredited veterinarians.
• Imaging Services Advanced diagnostic imaging including digital X-ray, ultrasonography, echocardiography, and CT scans, interpreted by board-certified veterinary specialists with results typically reported within 24-48 hours.
• Cold Laser Therapy Cold laser therapy for treating chronic non-healing wounds, inflammatory conditions, joint pain, post-surgical pain, muscle strains, tendon/ligament injuries, arthritis, and bone fractures in exotic pets.
• Deslorelin Implants Deslorelin (Suprelorin F) hormone implant placement for treating adrenal gland disease in ferrets and for controlling sexually-motivated feather picking and egg-laying in birds.
• Acupuncture Integrative acupuncture using dry needling, aquapuncture, electroacupuncture, and moxibustion for pain management and treatment of systemic diseases in exotic animals.
• Pain Management Comprehensive pain management combining medication, cold laser therapy, acupuncture, and PiezoWave2 shockwave treatment for acute and chronic pain conditions in exotic pets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Emergency consultations available 24/7 by phone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Marnin Forman, DVM, DACVIM (Cornell University Veterinary Specialists)supportingTechnology or IntegrationStaff internist from Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, CT who visits the clinic to perform abdominal ultrasound examinations. Board-certified by American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine with training in nephrology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, pulmonology, immunology, hematology, critical care medicine, nutrition, and infectious disease management.
• Anthony J. Fischetti, DVM, MS, DACVR (Animal Medical Center)supportingTechnology or IntegrationHead of Diagnostic Imaging Service at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. Board-certified by American College of Veterinary Radiologists with expertise in x-rays, CT scans, MRI, and abdominal ultrasonography. Reviews digital x-rays and CT scan results from the clinic, typically reporting findings within 24-48 hours.
• Kerry Heuter, DVM, DACVIMsupportingTechnology or IntegrationStaff internal medicine specialist with special training in dialysis. Proficient in gastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, rhinoscopy, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, ultrasound and many other procedures. Research and clinical interests include nephrology, urology, endoscopy and teaching.
• Dr. Jane Cho, DVM, DACVOsupportingTechnology or IntegrationComparative Ophthalmology specialist who completed DVM from Cornell University and 3-year residency at Cornell. Board Certified Member of American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Served as Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University Hospital for Animals and elected to Board of Regents of ACVO. Provides specialized eye care for complicated bird and exotic pet cases.
• CareCreditsupportingOthersHealthcare financing option promoted on website for pet owners to manage veterinary care costs through payment plans.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Center for Avian & Exotic Medicine: A specialty avian and exotic-only veterinary practice in the NYC metro area offering comprehensive medical, surgical, and boarding services for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Directly comparable as a fellow dedicated exotic-only specialty clinic in the Northeast US.
• Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital: A specialty exotic-only veterinary hospital offering comprehensive care for birds, reptiles, small mammals, and amphibians with advanced diagnostics. Comparable as a similarly-positioned dedicated exotic specialty practice, though operating in a different geography.
• Long Island Bird & Exotics Veterinary Clinic: A specialty avian and exotic pet practice on Long Island, NY providing medical, surgical, and boarding care exclusively for birds and exotic animals. Same service model and patient population as VCBE within the broader NY market.
• Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital of Georgia: A specialty avian and exotic veterinary practice focused exclusively on non-traditional pets including birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Directly comparable business model as a dedicated exotic-only clinic with advanced diagnostics.

Broad incumbents

• Animal Medical Center: A large, multi-specialty veterinary teaching hospital in NYC with an established Avian & Exotic Pet Medicine service and board-certified specialists (including diagnostic imaging support for VCBE). Comparable as a broader specialty referral provider serving the same exotic patient population.
• Petco Veterinary Services: Petco operates in-store veterinary clinics (including a former employer of VCBE founder Dr. Hess) and offers exotic pet care as part of a broader retail vet portfolio. Indirect competitor for routine exotic wellness visits.
• BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital: A specialty and emergency veterinary hospital chain (Mars Petcare) with exotic pet capabilities at select locations. Comparable as a larger specialty/emergency incumbent serving overlapping exotic patient needs in the Northeast.
• Angell Animal Medical Center: A large specialty referral hospital in Boston affiliated with MSPCA offering avian/exotics specialty services and an internship pipeline that trains exotic veterinarians (including VCBE's Dr. Hampton). Overlaps in the exotic specialty referral market.
• VCA Animal Hospitals: The largest network of veterinary hospitals in the US (owned by Mars Petcare), with some locations offering exotic pet services. Comparable as a broad incumbent in specialty veterinary services, though VCA does not specialize in exotics the way VCBE does.

Others

• Chewy (Chewy Health / Vet Care): Online pet retailer that has expanded into pharmacy and veterinary telehealth services and previously employed Dr. Hess as Lead Exotic Pet Veterinarian. Adjacent ecosystem player in pet care; not a direct clinical competitor but influences client expectations and exotic pet content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/birdexoticvet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHrq3EwErIU49VYS6PtfI7Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/AvianEx0ticsVet
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_exotic_pet_vet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterinary-center-for-birds-and-exotics

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about veterinary center for birds and exotics