Look for us in the Independent Tribune
~posted 04.20.2005

printer friendly

An article was done that should be in the paper this week (perhaps Wednesday, April 20th) featuring our new facility.

Pick up a copy of the article around Cabarrus County – or read it in your daily delivery of the Independent Tribune!

Click on

Here is the link to the article

to read the article. Special thanks to Heidi, Satchmo and Jazzy for participating in the article. The pics should be great – so go get a copy of the actual paper!

Please find the text of the article below:

Exotics need doctors, too

By Barbara Jones
bjones@independenttribune.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

KANNAPOLIS – Heidi Lipscomb drives from New London to Kannapolis every time she needs to take her kids to the doctor.

That’s because it’s so hard to find doctors who specialize in treating her “kids” – two very colorful eclectus parrots.

“Avian vets are hard to come by,” Lipscomb said. “I’m lucky to have one so close.“

Jazzy, a 4-year-old female with bright red feathers, and Satchmo, a 3-year-old bright green parrot, have been seeing Dr. Chris Griffin for at least two years.

Griffin started his career in Kannapolis at South Ridge Veterinary Hospital, and then opened his own exotic animal veterinary clinic in the same building with the Cabarrus Emergency Veterinary Clinic.

On Monday he celebrated the opening of his clinic in its own building, located at 2100 Lane St..

Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital sees pet birds, rodents and reptiles.

Griffin is a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, which means he is licensed to specialize in treating birds.

When Lipscomb brought Jazzy and Satchmo in to be seen Tuesday afternoon, Griffin conducted examinations on the birds and discovered a tiny dent in Jazzy’s beak where she has probably ran into something.

Jazzy got car sick and vomited on the way over and both the birds were a little tense at first, but Griffin soon had them calmed down. The veterinarian took his time talking to the birds and the owner about what was best for them.

“We try not to stress them at all, which means we take a longer,” Griffin said.

Griffin did routine blood work and took stool samples from the parrots and trimmed their wings and nails. He also gave them vaccines for polyoma disease, an avian disease that can kill birds.

“It’s just a precaution,” he said.

Lipscomb said the birds are the only children she has, and she is willing to do what it takes to make sure they are healthy and happy.

“They’re like permanent 2-year-olds,” she said. “I feed them, bathe them and wake them up in the mornings.”

Having a veterinarian who specializes in avian and exotic animals is essential to Lipscomb and her birds.

It was especially essential last year when Jazzy tried to lay her first egg and the egg became trapped in her body.

“I thought she was going to die,” Lipscomb said.

Now Jazzy receives hormone shots from Griffin to keep her eggs from forming.

Griffin has had training and experience with exotic animals in various parts of the world, including the Caribbean, St. Martin, New York and Boston.

Griffin knows he could make four times the revenue of clients if he saw dogs and cats, but he plans to stick with the exotic animals he loves.

“I want to provide excellent service in a field where there isn’t that much service available,” he said.

Griffin also feels he can have more of an impact on exotic pets. Owners willing to bring them to a vet are usually also more willing to do what it takes at home to have healthy, happy animals.

“We stress client education,” Griffin said. “Getting good information on care can be difficult for some of these species.”

The majority of Griffin’s clients are parrots, but he also sees a large amount of rabbits, rats and guinea pigs.

“We provide something that’s very different and fairly unique for our area,” he said.

Griffin and his staff are very excited about their new facility, which has a surgical suite, two exam rooms, a lab, a treatment area, an X-ray room, a hospitalization room and an isolation room.

Griffin also got a new state-of-the-art, high frequency X-ray machine made just for small animals. He uses video endoscopes to exam the inside of ears and mouths to exploratory visual assessments on the inside of birds.

And because the building was once a house, it comes with a bathroom complete with a shower and a break room with a newer model range.

The building has large windows that let in a lot of natural light, and Griffin’s office has sliding glass doors that lead to a deck.

All the medical records are electronic, so eventually computers will be placed in each exam room.

Before the veterinary office moved in, the building was an accountant’s office, so Griffin spent three months remodeling it into something viable for animals.

“I’ve been a part of almost every phase of rebuilding,” he said.

Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital is open Monday through Friday. For more information, call 704-932-8111.

• Contact Barbara Jones at bjones@independenttribune.com or at 704-789-9140.

About Us | What We Do | Appointments | News | FAQ | Contact Us | Site Map

2100 Lane Street, Kannapolis, NC 28083 • (704) 932.8111 tel • (704) 932.1197 fax
Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital ©2003-2005