The Center for Bird & Exotic Animal Medicine

Dr Strunk took great care of my two snakes. One developed suspected pneumonia, the other came to me with pre existing condition that left his lower jaw with a hole due to previous owner neglecting to follow through with treatment. They are both doing well and healed nicely. The ladies upfront are kind of quiet :) they’re pleasant when checking in and out but just very quiet. The assistants and techs are great to talk with and helpful. The clinic itself is clean. The only negative thing I would like to note is when I brought the second snake in, they said they were going to flush his wound and any discharge that they were able to swab would be looked at under a scope, they were to call me next day to inform me of what they found. I never did get a call so I am guessing nothing was found? I should have called to question it but I never did. Overall everything was great.

We are so thankful we found this place! They have brought so much relief to our bird! The doctors are amazing and the support staff is wonderful! Thank you!

I took my chicken there to treat for impacted crop and it took 3 hours just to flush her out and I have to say my chicken isn’t feeling better and they weren’t very informative. Waste of my time and money especially because she’s still lethargic. I’m disappointed and will not be back.

My duck had a medical emergency in the evening, and I am so thankful to have found this clinic open 24 hours a day! The receptionists were so kind on the phone, and everyone helped my duck the moment we arrived. Dr. Music was wonderful. Her assistant was amazing. I felt very comfortable leaving my beloved duck there overnight. She perked right up with their wonderful care and is on the mend. Thank you!

I recently moved to the area and knew I wanted to have an avian vet (not just any vet) for my cockatiel Tooki. Since I knew I might be traveling for work and need a place to board him until I make friends in the area, I was willing to make the hike to Bothell from Issaquah. I could tell from the first very visit that he was in good hands.
The initial technician spoke to him and handled him like he was her own pet and the vet was just as compassionate and thorough with her examination too. I’ve brought him to be boarded a handful of times (sometimes at the last minute) and each time the staff remember him (even that he loves matzoh!)
I only wish the place was closer to where I live/​work but as long as I know he’s in good hands, they’re worth it.

BEST VET EVER!!! I have never been so impressed with a Veterinary clinic as I have been with the Center for Bird and Exotic Animal Medicine! Their staff is kind, caring, and knowledgeable on a myriad of different species. We have taken our bearded dragon here twice when he was sick to see Dr. Music and she has always gone above and beyond to answer all of my questions and to make sure that my baby got the best care possible. Everyone is so extremely helpful and I have never felt rushed in any of our appointments. Five stars for a vet crew that makes me leave with a smile on my face every time I see them. :)

I had to have my pet euthanized and they were so kind and made the process as easy as possible. It is clear they care about the animals and also worked with my budget.

I have been bringing my red tailed boa here for about a year. The staff is always friendly, courteous, and professional, and the doctors are very compassionate and really good with him. They do their best to provide options that work for my budget and still meet my animal’s needs, and I’ve always been able to get urgent appointments when I need them. The vet this week stayed late to finish a procedure because she knew I drive a long ways to get there and didn’t want me to have to come back. They’re really amazing people and I wouldn’t take my pets anywhere else.

I just had to bring my sick guinea pig in after hours and have him (unexpectantly) euthanized. They were AMAZING. Compassionate, caring, truthful. They didn’t try to upsell me. I couldn’t ask for more!!!

Love this clinic, especially the fact that it’s a 24 hour emergency clinic! Really saved my rabbit when she acting strange. Turned out to be pretty life threatening and I left her there for the night. She is doing amazing now and I was so happy that they saved her, it was extremely expensive though. I did kind of feel like they kept trying to add more to my bill even though I reminded them multiple times that I could not afford it. The vet that night even tried to have her go into surgery that would cost $ 2000 more on my already $ 1200 price quote. Asked them to just keep her overnight and see what she was like in the morning, I don’t know what they did but it saved her! I had a very sweet vet the next day who helped me stay way under my budget and she really seemed to care! I’m so grateful for these guys!

I’ve had Meroga, my pet bearded dragon, for around six or seven years now. He’s always had a very clean bill of health and I’ve never had to take him in to see a vet before. He eats a good diet in an environment with all the proper temperature ranges and lighting requirements for a bearded dragon. He’s lazy, friendly, and altogether the chillest pet I’ve ever had – not to mention my best animal friend.
One day I came home from work and Meroga’s tank decorations were all toppled over and he was hiding behind one of his logs. I was worried he might have hit his head, but he seemed normal, if a bit uneasy. I rearranged all of his decorations so they were back where they belonged and went along with my night while keeping an eye on him.
A couple of hours later, Meroga seemed off. He was twisting around a lot and seemed almost neurotic and afraid. He’s normally very relaxed and low key, so I was worried about his sudden frantic behavior. I took him out of the tank and held onto him for a while, but he didn’t seem to calm down and I was starting to get really concerned.
I’d never taken Meroga to a vet before and the Center for Bird & Exotic Animal Medicine was the first one a search brought up and boy am I glad it did! They encouraged me and my fiancé to bring Meroga in on an emergency call. Only a few minutes after we got off of the phone with them, Meroga had a seizure while he was in my hands. I am SO GLAD I called when I did!
The staff working there were friendly and professional. Dr. McLaughlin buzzed us in the moment we showed up and took us into one of the examination rooms. She was kind, considerate, and patient despite the fact that I was still crying uncontrollably! She handled Meroga with all the gentleness and care that she would show a pet of her own. She listened to everything we had to say and explained Meroga’s diagnosis to us and answered all the questions we had.
A lot of the other reviewers have complained about the prices for this vet, but I found that to be absolutely untrue. We paid a $ 150 for an after hours emergency call (which is to be expected) and Meroga got subcutaneous fluids, a full examination, X-​rays, NeoCal calcium supplements, and a CBC panel (to check for infections just in case). The total of our emergency visit? $ 480, which is a small price to pay for the ease of mind that they gave us (plus Dr. McLaughlin and Dr. Music’s demonstration of how to give Meroga his NeoCal!).
Complete and utter lifesavers that had true compassion for my situation and really cared for my pet the way I wanted him to be cared for. I hopefully won’t be visiting them again, but if I do have to take Meroga back I know he’ll be in the best hands!

It’s such a cute clinic, I’m so glad I found a clinic who’s able to help me with my axolotl! I was so worried about him and not very many clinics at all do salamanders. I would of rated a five star if the ladies at the front desk made it feel more welcoming because it was pretty quiet unlike the other vets I take my dogs to… Meaning the ladies were very quiet. Lol, but of course I’ll be coming back! Since the vet tech and doctor were pretty great with my creature. Haha

This is a fantastic clinic! I don’t have any exotic pets but when I visited the facility, they gave me a full tour! They even had a patient in boarding who sang opera! They obviously care deeply for their patients and their clients and if I were an exotic pet owner, I would commute to bring my scaly, feathery, fin loving babies here!

After my most recent visit to C-​Beam, I felt the need to come back here and update my review. We recently got a new bird, a beautiful little lovebird named Papaya, so we brought her in to establish care. Dr. Holford is no longer with the clinic, and a friend recommended we see Dr. Music, so we scheduled with her — and are SO glad we did. Dr. Music is one of the nicest vets I have ever met, and she reminded me so much of the vet I take my kitties to for care right now. She found that perfect level of explaining things to us in a clear way, but also taking into account that we are experienced bird owners. And while yes, I do feel like C-​Beam can be quite fond of their extra services (and therefor extra money), Dr. Music was great at letting us know that anything we wanted to do was up to us, no pressure, and I do not feel like we were judged for not wanting to do all services. The new CLAW plan can really save money if you look into it — we did it for Papaya since this is her first year with us, and we received a discount on some optional testing we wanted to pursue (like chlaymidia and PBFD testing, as well as DNA sexing). I’m not sure if we’ll continue it into her second year of care, but for now it was a great choice.
I was briefly tempted to give four stars — only because although the receptionist was more friendly this time, we did have to hang around for 10 – 15 minutes to get checked out while she tried to figure out our charges, and she finally got up and asked someone about it after a 10 minute wait. Was a little extreme! But other than that, our second visit to C-​Beam was very pleasant, and I’ll definitely be requesting — and recommending! — Dr. Music in the future.

I have never seen a vet clinic operate with more care. Our guinea pig needed a number of surgeries and ongoing in and out patient care. Dr. Strunk and the entire staff put his health and well being ahead of business and logistics and did everything in their power to restore him to health… which they did! We are so grateful to Dr. Strunk and all of the others who gave so much of themselves to this furry little family member of ours. I honestly do not think he would be around had he been in anyone else’s hands.

I brought in a wild caught rubber boa several months ago. It hadn’t eaten in 7 months but was active. The doctor told me it was a male and we needed to change «his» diet. He told me they don’t eat baby mice often and mostly eat crickets and worms. The snake is 30 inches long. Males commonly grow to 18 – 20 inches and 22 inches would be the max. Rubber boas exclusively eat mice. They are nest robbers. I’ve had several of them in the past and I feel if I followed his instructions, it would have died. If you don’t know what you are talking about, don’t make things up! I only wanted to get a fecal smear for parasites and they wanted to make multiple appointments. Quacks!

I wanted to share my experience with this vet today… I’ve always been suspicious of this clinic. Between the faulty logic around the constant requirements for blood work to the questionable prescription of antibiotics and anti-​inflammatory medications, something just does not seem right. While I believe the staff cares about animals, this practice loses credibility when it feels like they use every opportunity to up sell. We will not be going back,

READ THIS REVIEW!
When I needed a vet ASAP for my very sick hamster this place didnt have the best reviews. I am correcting that RIGHT NOW. All I can say is: thank God that other place didn’t take care credit! They referred me here and I got my little Freya the best care I have ever received from any vet, ever! First of all, Dr. Music (how great is that name? It suits her cheerful personality too!) is the only vet ever to actually call me without prompting, on multiple occasions. Yes, she called motvated only by her own concern and desire to check in on Freya, on MULTIPLE occasions! This is unheard of! She is very knowledgable, very clear and very concise with her directions. I didnt have a lot of cash for my baby, she felt me out about what procedures I am comfortable performing myself, gave very clear directions and worked on a cost effective solution for us.
She also shared some great ideas to improve Freya’s quality of life — namely the Hamster Fluff Playroom (see the photo). Freya loves it!
Annie, the vet assistant, was also extremely knowledgable and very friendly! Freya doens’t like going to the vet, but she is actually ok with both of these wonderful professionals. That says a lot from a little ham!
Freya is the latest in a long line of exotic pets that I have shared my life with — my travel schedule and hours prevent me from owning a more traditional dog or cat — and for the rest of my time in this area I will NEVER take my fur babys to another vet. I am serious as a heart attack here. If Dr. Music saw people she would be my GP. I am not kidding.
Let me be clear: you will receive unparalleled care for your fur babys here. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY! You will be blown away!

I have been here a couple of times now. My regular vet suggested going here because my hedgehog likes to chew on himself for no reason at all.
The doctors have been more than helpful, they have done just about everything to help my hedgie out. They aren’t afraid of handling him and have done everything they can think of and even have contacted other people to see if they have heard of the chewing on self issue.
The front desk staff is awesome and they are familiar with my hedgie and his chewing problem.
Overall, they have been very helpful. I’m so glad I gave them a try because they have been awesome!

I waited a few days before writing this review so that I could try to be as objective as possible. There are some very good things about this clinic, to be sure. To begin, I love the assistants/​technicians. They are wonderful. I also found the weekend hours to be convenient, I didn’t have to wait long for appointments, and the building is clean and welcoming. I appreciated the many follow up calls I got.
My biggest complaint is with the actual veterinary care my bird received. I saw three different doctors throughout my ordeal, which lasted several weeks. Two of the three had a lousy bedside manner. They were abrasive, insensitive, and mildly accusatory. They didn’t seem to communicate with each other at all, and I felt like it was my duty to explain the entire medical history during each appointment. They also failed to address my chief concerns. I left more than once feeling that my visits were a waste of time. They simply didn’t listen.
We followed the at-​home medical instructions as best we could, but our bird needed euthanasia in the end. I will always wonder if it was just bad luck, or if another vet might have been able to save our bird with a different medical approach. If our early concerns had been taken seriously, how might things be different now?
Finally, the euthanasia was very difficult. It felt clumsy and rushed. The front desk staff kept barging into the room to have me sign payment papers while I was trying to spend the last precious minutes left that I had with my beloved pet. The doctor said I could take my time, but then she kept entering the room to check whether I was ready to proceed. She did not have a gentle touch with my bird at all. I also wonder if my bird was adequately sedated before being euthanized. She cried — seemingly in pain — when the lethal drugs were injected. This broke my heart.
I am left with many regrets and questions about my choice to use this clinic. Maybe the outcome would have been different elsewhere, and maybe not. But I have endured the euthanasia procedure for many pets in the past, and this was by far the toughest one I have ever watched. I especially regret not at least getting a second opinion before choosing to proceed with the euthanasia. In hindsight, I felt a little bullied by the demeanor and words of the doctor. It’s possible her opinion was medically sound, but it’s also possible that she didn’t give me all my options. I won’t return to this clinic again.

Nice clinic. Front desk staff was meh. The techs and doctor were really nice. I felt like it was a bit of a hard sell though. They really wanted me to their Claw Program. It was around $ 30.00 to $ 50.00 per month. It included a big work up of tests for my bunny. I just wanted a simple exam and nail trim. Overall they were nice. My bunny didn’t seem to mind being there for over an hour. They gave him a treat. I’m sure I will go back. But $ 300.00 for xrays seem a bit excessive.

Finally, a place where my pets aren’t considered secondary to cats and dogs. I can’t rave enough, they do excellent work and the Doctors are very knowledgeable. I have two iguanas, a green and a rhino, both of which have been well taken care of here on numerous visits. Typically, in my previous experience with veterinarians, I have had about the same degree of comprehension in regards to husbandry, if not more. Here, I was surprised to learn a lot of new things about their dietary needs as well as the UVA/​UVB lights recommended for quality and lasting output. They did thorough examinations of them both and gave them the necessary treatment at a fair cost. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone with reptiles.

I am torn with this place. I have a serious love/​hate relationship with this place. It was hard to decide what rating to give them, but finally decided to rate them two stars. Here are my reasons why:
Staff — The front desk, depending on who you get, can be amazingly sweet helpful and friendly. Other times, they are cranky, irritated, rude, and so incredibly mean to you. It’s shocking to see certain receptionists are still working there, or at all for that matter. Certain receptionists have absolutely no customer service skills or common courtesies. Unfortunately, the mean nasty ones are the ones that make going to this place unbearable. It’s also random at to which ones are there. I usually try to stick to days where there’s the nice ones…
Technicians — Incredibly nice and friendly. Total sales people. They don’t know much about animals. I doubt that they actually deal with the animals since they are always taken in the backroom. My guess… there’s an actual technician in the back who does the work and the ones you see are the ones that try to upsell more medical services to you. Each time, I’ve gone there a «technician» comes in and says: «The doctor recommends we do a full physical exam.» They lay the quote…$ 400/​bird. Uh… my birds started sneezing RIGHT after I visited here. My best guess from my years as a pre-​med student… they probably got something there. I doubt it’s something at home since NOTHING has changed in their diet, environment, home, or stress levels. Genetic defect, you say. I love my birds but if Darwinism gave them a defect, then they weren’t meant to procreate.
Doctors — The vets are actually really nice, super helpful, really knowledgeable, and patient. They answer all my questions, and my husband’s questions. When they find out my husband never had birds before, each one took the time to answer his questions, explains things thoroughly, explain things in terms he’d understand, and always provided more details for us to read up more on. They all offered their contact information so we can ask more questions. They are the reasons why I keep coming back.
While the vets make this place worth coming back, their front desk reception and technicians are the face of this establishment. They make it hard to want to pick up the phone and set an appointment. You NEVER know which receptionist you’re going to get and what mood they’re going to be in! You never know if you’re going to fee like a kid in detention. The front desk and supporting staff help make going to the vet feel safer, calmer, and confident that your pet will receive the best care. How? Well, if they treat you the customer poorly AND you’re the one paying… how will they treat the poor animals who can’t fight back, talk back, or defend themselves? You and your pet are the customer. If you don’t get the best service, what guarantee you have that your pet will? Ask yourself that.
This is the reason why I opted for two stars and finally moved away to a better vet.

My oh my this place is wonderful! My chameleon had been acting «off» and I called to make an appointment on a Tuesday morning. The reception staff was so attentive on the phone, I believe I spoke with Pam who was quick to asked where I lived and if I could be there by 8:40a because they had an appt open! I told her I lived up the traffic stream but was on my way! When I arrived, I was greeted by Pam (?) and Becky with smiles and hellos and asked to fill out some paperwork. Within 10 minutes I was shocked to see 10 eggs in my chameleons carrier (she’s an only child, no boys allowed) we all had a good laugh! The LVT brought us in to the room, got Pascals weight and history and said the Doc would be right in.
*enter Dr. Medlin* he was professionally, thoughtful, and totally understanding about this crazy woman standing In front of him. He asked about her cage, food, heat, everything relevant to her care. Then told me sounds like you’re doing a good job, and then gave me suggestions how I could be doing even better and more importantly how to get Pascal through this. After an hour of discussion and looking at pictures of the calcium supplement he recommended and the light I needed to pick up, we wrapped up our appointment but not before every question/​concern/​issue was handled. We went on our merry way with some medications and not before the wonderful reception staff gave Pascal a little hand warmer to keep her warm on her drive home.
He told me to email him with any questions which I promptly did the same day! His responses were quick and he never once seemed inconvenienced that he had to answer more questions even though this was a week before Christmas… He even went out if his way to follow up with me on almost a weekly basis, just to see how she was doing.
In the end, Pascal laid about 75 eggs, and with the guidance and help of Dr. Medlin, she is back to herself and healthier then before.
I will tell you all that I am a LVT at an emergency clinic in Kirkland (we see cats and dogs) so my standards are probably a little higher then they should be. This clinic met and exceeded my standards and expectations with flying colors. :-)

Oh, what a sad day.
We were referred here by Hawks Prairie Vet, who usually sees our exotics. We called at 10:30 this morning, pressed «1» for emergency (as instructed), were put on hold, and then about 4 minutes later someone answered the phone.
My husband at this point talked to a woman on the phone, explaining our emergency scenario– and we were told the earliest they could get us in was 4. He asked if there was any way to get in earlier– as it WAS AN EMERGENCY, and was told no. She told us to keep our degu warm and try to force feed water in the meantime.
Fast forward, I’ve been carrying my poor degu in a mobile nest in my pocket all day for warmth, and we begin the hour and a half drive to Bothell. The degu was responsive the whole way up, doing normal degu things. We get there– finally– and NO ONE GREETED US. I sit down, expecting to be called up– 5 minutes, nothing. Finally I go up to the desk… the girl at the counter didn’t even look up at me.
«Hi, we’re supposed to have an appointment at 4:00 and were told early to come fill out some paper work»
«-mouses about on the computer– Oh, did you have the Tegu?»
«No, it’s a degu???»
«Oh, well– fill this out in your seat or you can stand here if you want.»
I returned to my seat and started filling out the paperwork, handing the degu to my husband. Once I finished, I handed the paper to him to sign– as he was the «primary caretaker». He handed me back the degu, and I noticed her stop breathing. I rushed her up to the desk and one girl who had been going between the back and the front rushed her into the back.
I was notably distraught, the girl at the counter didn’t offer any condolences, instruct us to go melt down somewhere else, or ANYTHING. Not a word. (I did hear her, however, while I was filling our paperwork, tell someone on the phone that if it was an emergency they could get their animal in as soon as they got there. Which was COMPLETELY contrary to what we were told.)
I went outside to bawl my eyes out, and a couple minutes later the person who took my degu to the back came out, told us our beloved pet was gone and that the vet could still talk to us if we wanted. I told her the scenario, and expressed my frustration. She set us up in a exam room, and we talked to Dr. Enloe– who was very sympathetic and assured us that she’d have a talk with the office manager. She set us up with a free paw print memorial and a cardboard box «coffin». Dr. Enloe is the only reason this place even gets ONE star in my book.
Long story short, no– I don’t think they killed my degu, but I would have much preferred if they’d at LEAST given me the option (that they appear to give everyone else with emergencies) to come in right away. Whether anything could’ve been done, or if there was nothing that they could do, after an animal dies it’s too late to find out.
NO ONE should have to deal with the lack of care, tact, and professionalism my family had to deal with today. It’d be great if they actually followed the 2^nd of their ‘basic philosophies’- I see from the reviews that I’m not the first person to have to deal with this type of behavior.