Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital

They were wonderful & compassionate! After an extremely horrible experience at another Pet Hospital earlier that same day, Avian & Exotic came through and helped us with a very difficult and painful transition on short notice. They were accommodating, understanding and compassionate. I cannot say enough wonderful things about them, particularly the receptionist — she was great! But even the other staff that weren’t involved with us were so respectful and appropriate during their limited interaction with us made it very clear they were equally fantastic.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this clinic. Dr Stout is WONDERFUL and has cared for my rats over the past year and a half. She is caring, patient, and very knowledgeable. She took the time to do additional research for my rat’s care when he wasn’t responding well to the first round of medication. She knew about his personality, medical history and our bond to make the best medical recommendations for us. She returned by worried phone calls on several occasions and was there for me and my ratties every step of the way. My only regret is not coming to her sooner.

I have a lovebird that was picking his feathers from anxiety. I showed up at their office as soon as they opened, crying in my pajamas when my lovebird bit himself in the middle of night. ;(;(:(The emergency vet open at night was not equipped for birds. Dr. Jenkins’ staff was so empathetic and were very knowledgeable about how to handle delicate birds… and people! Dr. Jenkins took his time and was very thorough. He answered all of my questions and went above and beyond to educate me. This is my first bird and I didn’t have a avian regular vet before. I hope Dr. Jenkins will help me take care of many more birds to come! Btw… Tookie is doing great and his new feathers are blooming now. :) 10 out of 5 stars!

They sure took good care of my two skinnypigs. Friendly staff and confidence to the doctor.

To summarize this place in a single word: unprofessional. Dr. Jenkins may bill himself as an expert in avian/​exotic medicine, but expertise is not an excuse for the rude and disorganized way that he handles himself and his clinic.
I recently moved to San Diego and brought my bunny (who has multiple medical issues) with me. I was definitely looking for a rabbit-​experienced vet to continue to care for her. From looking at the reviews here and the clinic’s website, I started off with high hopes, but found this place a huge disappointment.
I arrived at our appointment 20 minutes early and brought a copy of my rabbit’s old vet records with me. Dr. Jenkins showed up almost an hour late with no excuse — we were the first appointment after lunch, so it’s not like he was running late from previous clients. He didn’t apologize for being late, or even introduce himself and shake my hand. Then I watched him spend the spent the next 20 minutes flipping through my rabbit’s records, so he obviously wasn’t late because he’d been diligently reviewing our records.
He kept snickering at our (excellent) previous vet’s treatment decisions — incredibly unprofessional. He also asked where I moved from — let’s just say it’s a city that’s been in the news for political reasons a lot over the the past year. He immediately started sh*t-talking my previous city, and made some strong and uncomfortable political statements. Like, I know San Diego is great, and I don’t need my veterinarian to agree with me politically, but seriously. Is this how you establish rapport with a client?
Dr. Jenkins did not bother to ask about my rabbit’s past medical history, past surgeries, or current medications. This is a crucial part of getting to know your patient, and he clearly didn’t care to know my rabbit at all.
My rabbit’s most acute problem at the time was urine sludge, and Dr. Jenkins said we needed to do a urinalysis as well as a urine culture to detect any rare pathogens that might be giving my rabbit a bladder infection and causing sludge. I agreed. A routine UA and urine culture are usually not expensive, so imagine my surprise when I checked out at the front desk and was handed a bill of over $ 200. I did end up paying for the tests, but it would have been nice to have gotten a cost estimate first, instead of just being handed an unexpectedly large bill.
When he examined my rabbit, he picked her up around her middle without supporting her hind legs. You DON’T do this to a rabbit; they can kick their hind legs and injure their spines if their hindquarters aren’t supported. My rabbit was squealing and struggling in his hands as he dangled her several feet above the floor. He was VERY careless and rough with handling her, much more than he had to be to get a good exam. What he did wasn’t just mean, it was dangerous. And my poor rabbit had diarrhea and fur loss for the next day from the stress.
There was a vet assistant in the room, by the way, but she wasn’t doing any assisting. She literally leaned back against the wall and sat on her hands and watched Dr. Jenkins mishandle my rabbit.
I got a call about a week later from Dr. Jenkins about the lab results — they were negative, so infection wasn’t the explanation for why my rabbit was having sludge. He had left a voicemail and hadn’t included any instructions on what to do next or when to follow up, so I called back to ask these questions. Each time the front desk said he wasn’t available, but they’d take a message and he’d return my call as soon as possible. Yeah — I called four times over two weeks, and never got a call back. I’d already been uncomfortable with the thought of taking my rabbit back to Dr. Jenkins, and this was the point where I gave up and decided to look somewhere else.
The only good thing I have to say about this place — the rabbit boarding room looked very quiet and peaceful, since the bunnies have their own room away from other animals and frightening noises and smells.
Don’t go here unless you don’t have a choice — and there are a lot of better choices available in San Diego. Dr. Jenkins is a jerk, and being an «expert» doesn’t excuse his unprofessional and bad behavior. If you’re looking for quality, professional, compassionate vets to care for your rabbit, the docs at Acacia Animal Hospital in Escondido are an infinitely better choice.

These people killed our 17 year old parakeet we boarded her for a few hours came to pick her up after she got her stomach drained from her cancer when we saw her we knew something was wrong she wasn’t playing wasn’t singing she was breathing hard and didn’t want to move we told the man there she wasn’t acting like her self what happened he said she’s old bullshit they hurt her she suffered because of them today oct/​9/​15 She has died if you want your pet to die bring them here

Just had a fabulous experience at Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital! Late this afternoon, I stumbled upon a tiny adult bird standing on the sidewalk at a very busy shopping center. I am not sure how it had not already been stepped on. Since it had no fear of humans, I knew it was either a very sick wild bird, or someone’s escaped pet. It was certainly not a wild breed I recognized, and I am a birder (bird watcher). Nearby Governor Animal Clinic kindly provided me with something to transport it in, but they don’t treat birds there.
Project Wildlife was closed already, so I frantically called local veterinarians. (I wasn’t even sure whether it was wild or domestic, which would determine who could treat it.) The vet clinics either did not treat birds, or were too busy for a walk-​in. Honestly, I got very little sympathy from these folks (except for Governor Animal Clinic), and one place said to «leave it there or put it in a tree” – clearly the wrong advice for this situation.
I was also concerned about the costs of treatment since my dog is scheduled for surgery later this week. Finally I called Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital. Chris, the receptionist, was very kind and understanding over the phone. He first said that in order for them treat it, someone would have to claim ownership. I quickly answered that I would, figuring that maybe I just wouldn’t eat ’til my next paycheck. ;) I did not mention any concerns about costs to Chris, but he then said, «If you relinquish it to us, we will treat it and find it a home.» I said, «It’s a deal!»
Even though it was late in the day, they not only took the bird in, but gave me a tour of their large and sophisticated facility and all its pets – birds, lizards, turtles, and more. The vet, who was treating another bird at the time, came forward and introduced himself, as did the tech. We determined that my bird was a domestic one, although Chris made clear they would have treated it for the night even if it were wild. (They would have then sent it to Project Wildlife for rehabilitation.) On top of that, the tiny fella had already perked up and looked like he would be okay!
Thanks, Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital! Now I want to get a pet bird just so I can go back!

I brought my bunny here for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and kind the staff is. I also was surprised at how knowledgable the vets are there on rabbits. They also offered me a little tour of the entire place to show me where my rabbit would be kept, etc. I LOVED that. I always feel like not knowing what the back looks like is a bit scary. But they keep it very nice and the animals are very comfortable. I also found out they board rabbits! Awesome!

i have not personally met these people that work here but I hear great things. Also, anytime I have a question they are always there to answer it over the phone. Very professional and they will give you other options if you can not budget them.

We went here today for the first time and had a great experience. We didn’t have to wait long at all and ALL of the staff was friendly and helpful! Dr. Stout was so gentle and caring with our furry little guy, and she didn’t try to over sell things and answered all of our questions and gave us advice. The one thing I really liked was that she even gave us the option to look around to price check for the medicine she offered. Overall the whole experience was great!

I brought both my rabbits here and had one of them spayed here as well. I honestly have to say that the clinic has the most friendliest staff I’ve ever met. They all really care about the animals and their being. When I spayed my little one here I was scared because it was my first time getting one of my rabbits spayed and they really made it easy to trust them because of their knowledge and experience. The doctor was kind enough to call me AFTER the procedure to tell me everything went well! Who does that?! He does! And I thought that was incredibly nice and going above and beyond my expectations. This is definitely my go-​to vet. I’ve gone to other vets where they see rabbits, but NONE compared to this place.

So Dr. Exotic didn’t like hearing my worried mommy cries, he wouldn’t even let me speak. It was like:
Me– So sometimes he makes these noises, and–
Dr.Exotic– «Yeah rabbits make lot’s of noises I wouldn’t even consider blah blah…
Me– Yeah but what if–
Dr.Exotic– [insert highly intelligent, scientific words together, which form sentences, which conclude probable causes for sound frequencies rabbits create, that shut me right up, here]
Me– Ok. …But what if–
Dr.Exotic– You have a perfectly normal rabbit.
:) He DID make me feel better though, and my little cutie is pretty normal. I do love this place, and if you have rabbits, this is the place to buy your timothy hay from. I’m freakin here twice a week picking up a box of fresh hay, each box is $ 15. But sometimes they are all out, so call right before you need to head over to double check stock.
— Proud worried mom of 2 honey bunnies.

We have been going to Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital (AEAH) for seven years, ever since we ended up saving Maverick the Bunny from a questionable pet store here in the San Diego area.
We had never been bunny owners, but we knew we needed a knowledgeable and experienced group of trained professionals to teach us how to best take care of our new bundle of fur and pointy-​eared joy. Along with the San Diego House Rabbit Society, AEAH thankfully came through for us on that task with flying colors.
During the past seven years, Dr. Jenkins and his staff were always there for us.
From the annual check ups, to the periodic nail trimmings, to the three times Mav had gastrointestinal issues, and, to the most difficult visit we recently had to make, AEHA has always shown us nothing but the ideal mix of professionalism and understanding.
We recently had to let Maverick go because he had developed a progressive disorder that affected his mobility to the point where he not only couldn’t hop anymore, but he could even barely crawl. And, what’s worse, he couldn’t show any of his usual enthusiasm while trying to cope with the pain he was in.
Saying goodbye to Mav was one of the most painful and heartbreaking decisions we ever had to make, but the staff at AEAH were extremely considerate and heartfelt toward helping us through that process.
And though it might sound strange to say, the sorrow of saying goodbye to Maverick was also compounded by realizing that we were going to be saying goodbye to Dr. Jenkins and AEAH, that kind little one-​stop-​shop for all of our Mini-​Rex rabbit needs that had always been there over the past seven years.
Today, however, we received a letter from Dr. Jenkins and his staff.
It was a copy of that lovely poem «The Rainbow Bridge,» which has for so long served as such a great comfort to anybody who has had to say goodbye to a beloved pet.
There was no mention of «If you ever get another rabbit, please keep us in mind.» It was just a really sweet print-​out of a beautiful poem, and it came when we needed it most.
Also, everybody from the clinic signed it.
That’s the kind of kindness and compassion that nobody expects from a vet, but it is the kind of heartfelt service you’ll experience when you visit AEAH.
For now, Michelle and I are still in mourning over the loss of our beloved Maverick, and we’re not sure if we’ll ever get to a place where we can recover from such a loss, so as to allow our hearts to be vulnerable once again, and maybe get to the point where we’re ready to welcome another adorable bunny into our family.
I would like to think that will happen eventually, but we’re learning that the process of grieving over a deceased pet is one that can’t be easily rationalized. Rather, it is an entirely organic and emotional process that can only reach completion through the passage of time: Time spent remembering all of the wonderful days spent with such a rambunctious bunny we loved so much.
One thing we ARE sure of, however, is that if we ever do decide to open our hearts up again, and to return to that level of vulnerability that comes with knowing we humans are more likely-​than-​not to outlive the adorable creatures we adopt, we know that we will be sure to head right back to Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital as soon as that little bunny is in our hands.
Because, like those of us who are crazy enough to care about small creatures who most of society either writes-​off as nuisances or (even worse) food, the kind and friendly staff at Avian also cares about God’s most vulnerable creatures.
And we’re pretty sure that Maverick the Bunny would have appreciated that, too.

My wait was minimal the vet was thorough and the prices are reasonable. What more could you really need? AND may baby is feeling better thanks to the wonderful staff.

I am TRULY disappointed in Dr. Jenkins, after decades of using his services as my avian veterinarian. I have entrusted him with friends birds, which I was pet sitting, referred a friend who has a huge aviary with 100’s of birds, referred friends who purchased birds and wanted an avian specialist. After all of these years, I thought of him as an upstanding, community oriented, avian loving veterinarian.
As mentioned above, after entrusting him with my avian family, in December I moved to Albuquerque. My budgie became quite ill in April, and required emergency vet services. The avian doc we saw diagnosed my bird with a Xanthomas tumor. She was not willing to remove the tumor, but after mentioning Dr. Jenkins name, she stated she was quite familiar with him and felt he might be willing to remove the tumor.
Three emails, 2 phones calls later, there was not 1 response from Dr. Jenkins. Not a note of advice, offer to operate should I return to San Diego, nor a note of sympathy. This morning my little friend died. Of course I am devastated, and also quite disappointed that after the decades of birds that passed through his office via myself or references, and the notoriety that he seems to maintain within the avian veterinarian community across the west, I would assume that I might have heard something from him, some quick email response, anything.
There are other avian vet choices in the San Diego area, I would now suggest looking for someone who truly cares.

Wonderful staff and a very knowledgeable doctor. They are not pushy about using their items they sell there but they do inform you on what your pet needs and the best food, vitamins to give them!
I took my little Georgie to get neutered, hes a short haired guinea pig, and they advised me I could get a discount by taking him soon after his exam so I would not have to pay for another exam. They could have just recharged me for the exam but instead helped me out.
I hope my little guy is going to be ok, I pick him up this afternoon.

Dr Jenkins is the bunny-​whisperer. I brought my 7 year old Lop in to see why he had such a runny eye. Dr Jenkins allowed me to watch as he cleaned out my bunnies tear duct and checked his ears. Turns out my little Mr. Buns was sick, but he’s got the right medicine’s thanks to Dr Jenkins to make a full recovery.
I’d say, for the exam and all the meds we got, the price wasn’t that bad either. I feel safe and confident knowing that my rabbit’s in the right hands. Thanks Dr Jenkins, and his wonderful staff!

Never EVER use dr jenkins for avian friends. He nearly killed my sun conure. And did kill my friends. He ripped her bird of the cage (for a routine exam) ended up BREAKING her wing then against the owners demands (knowing her bird had a bad reaction to some anesthetics) gave the bird injections and her poor baby died immediately within mins. I have since hard throughout the bird community that he is constantly giving out injections for people to give their birds for common colds and their birds ended up getting worse.
He may be board certified but I would. t take any of my birds There again… especially after
for the sake of your birds use dr. Loudis or cecill. Its a farther drive but worth leaving with your bird alive.

I went to Dr. Jenkins 20 years ago, when my bearded dragon, Hercules, was very sick. I rescued him from a boy who stepped on his head and injured him. He said he didn’t want him anymore cause he got a «new bearded dragon.»
Hercules had a huge hematoma on his head, and blood was gushing out of his mouth. However there were no injuries I could see.
Dr. Jenkins took a blood test and found that the child had never given the bearded dragon any sunlight, so it had no Vitamin K in its body and was bleeding to death.
Fast forward to less than two weeks ago and a couple trips with other exotics in between, and Dr. Jenkins once again saved the life of another one of my babies. This time, it was an iguana I rescued, named Athena.
She was getting larger and larger and stopped eating. I brought her in and he took an x-​ray. She had a HUGE stone in her bladder and was forming about 30 infertile eggs inside.
I was nervous about this enormous stone and the fact that he had to remove the eggs (they were still yolks forming inside her) and fixing her at the same time.
It’s been almost two weeks, and Athena is finally becoming the loving iguana she should have been.
Dr. Jenkins once again saved the life of one of my babies, and his wife and staff are all fantastic! I would not take my reptile, rabbit or bird ANYWHERE else in the world.
Thank you so much for the thousands of lives you’ve saved for over 23 years so far, Dr. Jenkins. God Bless you!

Dr Jenkins just told me this is his 52^nd year caring for bunnies! I trust this place so much with my little Sunny Bunny. I bring her here for everything from a nail trim to baths and boarding. They have wonderful kennels with grass and toys and snacks for your exotic pet while you are on vacation. I feel really lucky to have a great place like this to help care for my pet.