The center sees about 10 patients on a typical day. While there are no statistics on ownership of exotic pets in New York (especially illegal ones), Ms. Tibbetts said that more owners seemed to be seeking medical care.

“In the past, they were just considered ‘caged pets’ and most people didn’t even consider taking them to the vet,” she said. Most owners do not carry insurance, though it is available, Dr. Pilny said.

Dr. Pilny’s next surgery was an ovariohysterectomy on a guinea pig. Her owners had brought her in because she was losing fur on her flanks. Dr. Pilny noticed that the fur loss was identical on both sides. Symmetrical alopecia is caused by a hormonal imbalance, which was probably in turn caused by ovarian cysts. Cut, snip, slice, sew, done. Fifteen minutes.

Ms. Tibbetts poked her head in again. “What did you find?” she asked.

“Nothing too exciting,” Dr. Pilny said. “A little cyst on the left ovary, a little inflammation.” He admired his handiwork.

“The thing that matters most to the owners is how they look when they pick them up from surgery,” Dr. Pilny said. “No matter how lifesaving or complicated the surgery, what matters is when they pick the pet up and say, ‘Look at that incision.’”

Dr. Pilny ate lunch at his desk. He called the duck’s owner and told him the surgery had gone reasonably well.

“Maybe it buys her a good eight months or a year or something,” he told Mr. Orbe. “I don’t necessarily think she’s cured, but I think this helped a lot.”