I read an article linked from this site that mentioned a vet in Vernon Hills IL - my town. I wrote him and asked him to tell me a bit about himself. I received the following. Do you all think he'll do??
Ryan:
I am a lifelong herp nerd and became a vet so I could work with reptiles. Luckily I like dogs and cats too. I've been treating reptiles as a vet for over 30 years and have a large reptile clientele. I wrote 6 chapters and contributed hundreds of photos to Doug Mader's Reptile Medicine and Surgery, Second Edition textbook and I have a number of other scientific publications on herp medicine. I am in my 7th year as the Exotics Coordinator for the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), a huge continuing education conference attended by over 6,000 veterinarians every year. I coordinate the Reptile, Avian, Exotic Companion Mammal, Zoo, Wildlife and Aquatics Medicine programs for that conference. Prior to that I served as the NAVC Reptile Program Chair three times, each a three-year commitment. I am a charter member of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (arav.org) and attend their continuing education conference devoted to advances in herp medicine every year. I am the veterinarian for Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest (be sure to attend their Reptile Rampage show March 11; google that for more info). I've been a member of the Chicago Herpetological Society since 1977 (chicagoherp.org). I go on several field herping trips every year and keep a collection of herps myself, mostly snakes, the oldest of which is a 22-year old Cornsnake raised from an egg..
We see reptiles on an almost daily basis and have for decades. We see many tortoises (most recently a 38-year-old yellowfoot last Thursday that needed sedation to get it to come out of the shell for beak trim and routine blood tests), and certainly have seen many Greeks over the years. I would be happy to see yours. I also have an associate, Dr. Eve Cheung, who treats exotics and usually is in the office when I am not.
I hope that is enough experience for you.
There are only a handful of vets in Illinois who are experienced and competent in treating herps; luckily you live in a town that has two.
I look forward to meeting you and your tortoises.
Sincerely,
Steve Barten, DVM
Ryan:
I am a lifelong herp nerd and became a vet so I could work with reptiles. Luckily I like dogs and cats too. I've been treating reptiles as a vet for over 30 years and have a large reptile clientele. I wrote 6 chapters and contributed hundreds of photos to Doug Mader's Reptile Medicine and Surgery, Second Edition textbook and I have a number of other scientific publications on herp medicine. I am in my 7th year as the Exotics Coordinator for the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), a huge continuing education conference attended by over 6,000 veterinarians every year. I coordinate the Reptile, Avian, Exotic Companion Mammal, Zoo, Wildlife and Aquatics Medicine programs for that conference. Prior to that I served as the NAVC Reptile Program Chair three times, each a three-year commitment. I am a charter member of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (arav.org) and attend their continuing education conference devoted to advances in herp medicine every year. I am the veterinarian for Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest (be sure to attend their Reptile Rampage show March 11; google that for more info). I've been a member of the Chicago Herpetological Society since 1977 (chicagoherp.org). I go on several field herping trips every year and keep a collection of herps myself, mostly snakes, the oldest of which is a 22-year old Cornsnake raised from an egg..
We see reptiles on an almost daily basis and have for decades. We see many tortoises (most recently a 38-year-old yellowfoot last Thursday that needed sedation to get it to come out of the shell for beak trim and routine blood tests), and certainly have seen many Greeks over the years. I would be happy to see yours. I also have an associate, Dr. Eve Cheung, who treats exotics and usually is in the office when I am not.
I hope that is enough experience for you.
There are only a handful of vets in Illinois who are experienced and competent in treating herps; luckily you live in a town that has two.I look forward to meeting you and your tortoises.
Sincerely,
Steve Barten, DVM
