Heidi L. Hoefer, DVM, DABVP

Adjunct Professor, Avian and Exotic Animal Medicine

Dr. Heidi Hoefer has been practicing avian and exotic medicine exclusively since 1988. She received her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 and then pursued a small animal internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City, Dr. Hoefer went on to complete a residency in exotic pet medicine and surgery. She was a staff veterinarian in the exotics department at AMC for 10 years and then worked in private practice until her retirement in 2023. Dr. Hoefer teaches avian and exotic mammal medicine at RUSVM and is a mentor to the students of the ZEW and Avian Clubs.

Education

Biology, Colorado State University (BSc)
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

Certifications

Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Avian Specialty since 1993
ABVP Exotic Companion Mammal since 2025

Achievements

Formation of an ABVP Avian Residency program at the Animal Medical Center, 1993, and at Island Exotic Veterinary Care 2003. Training and Mentorship of 11 post-graduate avian and exotic resident veterinarians, all of whom achieved board-certification.
Founder of Island Exotic Veterinary Care, New York’s first exclusively bird and exotic pet hospital, established 2007, with ownership transferred in 2022.

Publication Highlights

Wiggin P, Hoefer HL: Uric acid ingluviolith in a budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) J Avian Med Surg, 38(3): 167-177, 2024

Hoefer HL: Ferrets: Gastrointestinal disease. In Quesenberry KE, Mans, C and Orcutt, CO (Eds): Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 4rd Edition. Philadelphia, Elsevier 2020.

Hoefer HL, Levitan D: Perforating foreign body in the ventriculus of an umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba) J Avian Med Surg, 27(2): 128-135, 2013.

Hoefer HL: Management of gastrointestinal tract foreign bodies in pet birds. Exotic DVM 7.3: 24-27, 2005

Stefanacci JD, Hoefer HL: Radiology and Ultrasound. In Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW (Eds): Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 2nd Edition. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 2004.

Hoefer HL: A clinical approach to mycobacteriosis in pet birds. Exotic DVM 7.3: 35-40, 2005

Hoefer HL: Guinea pig urolithiasis. Exotic DVM 6.2:23-26, 2004

Simone-Freilicher EA, Hoefer HL: Hedgehog care and husbandry. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 7(4): 257-268, 2004.

Hess L, Bartick T, Hoefer H: Clostridium tertium infection in a Moluccan cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) with megacolon. 12(1):30-35, 1998.

Washko RM, Hoefer H, Kiehn TE, Armstrong D, Dorsinville G, Frieden TR: Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a green-winged macaw (Ara chloroptera): report with public health implications. J Clin Microbiol 36(4):1101-2, 1998.

Antinoff N, Hoefer HL, Rosenthal KL, Bartick TE: Smooth muscle neoplasia of suspected oviductal origin in the cloaca of a Blue-Fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva). J Avian Med Surg 11(4):268-272, 1997.

Caplan ER, Peterson ME, Mullen HS, Quesenberry KE, Rosenthal KL, Hoefer HL, Moroff SD: Diagnosis and treatment of insulin-secreting pancreatic islet cell tumors in ferrets: 57 cases (1986-1994). J Am Vet Med Assoc 209(10):1741-5, 1996.

Kiehn TE, Hoefer H, Bottger EC, Ross R, Wong M, Edwards F, Antinoff N, Armstrong D: Mycobacterium genavense infections in pet animals. J Clin Microbiol 34(7):1840-2, 1996.