• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here
  • This forum is for advice about initial treatment given to your injured/sick bird until a qualified avian veterinarian is available.
    THIS IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE VET CARE

Avian Vets in Chicago Area!

taxidermynerd

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/11/16
Messages
5,171
Location
Chicago Area, IL, USA
Real Name
Bee (they/he)
Regular vet:

Glenwood Village Pet Hospital
Website: Glenwood Village Pet Hospital - Glenwood, IL

Emergency Vet:

Midwest Animal Emergency Hospital
Website: Emergency Veterinarian serving Chicago area, exotic pets, birds, reptiles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
These are the vets I take Chirp to. At GVPH, I see Dr. Hernandez normally, but I've also seen Dr. Parr before, when Chirp broke a blood feather. They're both excellent! They take dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and almost any other small animal you could think of. They don't have emergency hours though, so that might be something to take into consideration.

Midwest Emergency Hospital was where we took Chirp when he flew into a wall. You just call to let them know you're on your way, no appointment necessary. They're open 24/7, and they have facilities on site for surgery and testing. They have a warm room for birds and other exotics that need supplemental heat. They also have cages/tanks that can be supplemented with oxygen if need be.

They have 2 sets of hours. One set is regular office hours, and the other is emergency hours. They have 2 different numbers, one for appointments and one for emergencies. The staff is wonderful, the facility is very clean, and it's not in a bad area.

Those are the vets I use! Personally, I think they're both excellent and they've always been very good to Chirp.
 

Macaw Lover

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
1/29/10
Messages
3,970
Real Name
Renee'
Dr Sakas or Dr Scott McDonald are the THE best in the Chicago area. The knowledge these two have is unbelievable, been practicing for way over 30 years each. If you have a bird with issues, Sakas is the one you want to head to. Scott travels a lot doing clinics now so to see and treat on a daily basis, that won't happen.

Keep in mind with Midwest, it depends on which dr is covering after hours as not all the drs there are specialized in avian. I lucked out years ago when Jody became egg bound (again) and I could not reach any of the other vets around, that is where I headed to on a Saturday, about 9:00 at night.
 

SandraK

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Joined
3/21/11
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Palm Coast, FL. Carioca'55 when RJ was in GB.
Real Name
Sandra
Dr. Sakas' office doesn't have ER hours though. Both Dr. Sakas and Dr. Abete are very good with fids and the new vet, Dr. Yang, is also very very nice.

There is one ER called CARE that I would not go to. The last time I took a bird there, after having called to make sure they had staff that would see a bird they sprang a vet tech on me "because she had birds". No avian vet available. I'd also asked about discount for multiple birds and payment options and was told flat out "no" (this was before I found out they didn't have an avian vet).

I used to take my guinea pig, Mr. Pig, there years ago (10+) because they were the only place that dealt with "exotics" but after they expanded they changed. This is strictly my personal opinion based on my experience with them. They were wonderful with Mr. Pig (who was so big they had to use a scale larger than the usual guinea pig one).
 

MandaExotics

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
6/21/10
Messages
2,569
Location
SE United States
Real Name
Amanda
Apparently people in my area don't tend to go to exotic vets...

It means my vet is over an hour away (so long as traffic is good). That is unfortunate but it is what it is. I'm glad there seems to be much better options over there though.
 

CrazyBirdChick

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
12/10/15
Messages
7,162
Location
Chicago , Illinois
Real Name
Diane
Which emergency avian vet do you guys think is the best in the Chicago area?

I know one thing - NEVER EVER go to midwest bird and exotic hospital in Elmwood park!
 

Macawnutz

Seriously Nutz!
Super Administrator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/21/11
Messages
32,900
Location
Wisconsin
Real Name
Sarah
First I suggest calling your your vet to ask which 24 hour facility they prefer. Some regular vets do have on call ER visits if you call after hours.

Midwest is the big 24 hour one near Chicago, ER for animals is the 24 hour WI one. If you need a vet after hours sometimes there is no other choice. They are fantastic facilities for what they are. Be ready for the prices to be higher and for all possible tests to be run. The 24 clinics mean business as most cases are life and death.
 

CrazyBirdChick

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Joined
12/10/15
Messages
7,162
Location
Chicago , Illinois
Real Name
Diane
Sorry, somehow I thought taxidermynerd was reffering to another er. I just realized it's the same one I was cautioning against. I'm so glad you had a good experience with Chirp there but I regret going there so much. I really believe my soul bird would still be alive today had I not went there.

I think my vet reccomends Blue pearl but I didn't know at the time when I needed them. :(

Just want to be prepared incase of emergency next time and thought maybe someone here had some recommendations. Hopefully I will never need to go though.

Thanks very much
 

SandraK

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Joined
3/21/11
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Palm Coast, FL. Carioca'55 when RJ was in GB.
Real Name
Sandra
There is another ER vet in Buffalo Grove, but it doesn't indicate whether they treat birds or not. Emergency Animal Clinic | 24-Hours a Day, 365 Days a Year

I did have a cat treated there when my then regular vet found that she had cancer in her head affecting her nasal passage and sinuses.
 

Macaw Lover

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
1/29/10
Messages
3,970
Real Name
Renee'
Ness out in Lisle has emergency hrs but only for his established patients.

 

taxidermynerd

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/11/16
Messages
5,171
Location
Chicago Area, IL, USA
Real Name
Bee (they/he)
Just wanted to come back to this thread to say, almost 3 years after making this thread: Dr. Hernandez is really a fantastic vet. In light of Chirp's recent health troubles and terminal diagnosis, Dr Hernandez has been so helpful and supportive. She sees us as more than a case number, she knows what it's like. Where other vets might have said to stop trying, she is going the distance for us. I really can't imagine having any other vet.
 
Top