How To Find A Good Rabbit Vet
Introduction
The following may seem like a lot of work to go through to find a veterinarian, but your rabbits’ well being depends upon finding the most experienced veterinary care available. We hope that within another few years, veterinarian schools will begin to understand rabbits well enough so that veterinarians can be properly trained before they run across a rabbit in their practice. The other problem is that veterinarians not trained in rabbit medicine should be responsible enough to refer you to another veterinarian. Instead many just see the green of your money and say to themselves, “sure I’m a vet, I can see your pet, after all it’s only a rabbit”. When you find a veterinarian who is honest enough to refer you to someone else, be sure to refer people to him/her and if you have cats or dogs, give him that business. It’s really great to work with an honest vet!
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How do I Start the Search?
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Start the search before you have an emergency!
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Check for veterinarians who advertise as “exotic” (includes, rabbits & rodents). Then randomly select 5 veterinarians who do NOT advertise as avian or exotic.
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Call these veterinarians and ask how many rabbits they typically see as patients in one month. If they only see a few, keep looking.
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At this point you should have either a clear “winner” or several veterinarians to choose from. The next step is to phone the vet. Let the front office person know that you are concerned with finding the very best veterinarian to care for your rabbit and that you would like to speak directly to the doctor at his/her convenience. Leave both your work and home phone number and specific times that the veterinarian can get hold of you (and be there) or ask what would be a good time for you to call back (when the veterinarian is between appointments).
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What screening questions should I ask?
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Read Surgery Considerations to familiarize yourself with rabbit-specific surgery needs and suggested questions to ask the vet.
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See the House Rabbit Society’s list of questions to ask the vet about spaying and neutering.
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Ask how many rabbits are seen at the clinic each week.
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Ask how many rabbits are spayed or neutered each week.
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Ask if they know which antibiotics are dangerous for rabbits (amoxicillin and most of the “…cillin” drugs like penicillin. Also see below).
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Casually ask about preventing hairballs. Q: “What’s the best way to prevent hairballs?” A: “Provide your rabbit with hay every day, preferably 24 hours a day. Provide daily exercise and brush frequently.”
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Ask if food has to be removed the night before surgery. The answer should be “no”. Rabbits should never be fasted.
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You might also want to ask which conferences they’ve attended lately that had talks about rabbit medicine and what journals they read. We want our veterinarians to be up on the latest in rabbit treatment. If you don’t get the “right” answers to the above questions, continue your search.
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What shouldn’t I do?
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Do not make your choice based on how close the veterinarian is to your home (unless that veterinarian is the clear “winner”). Paying money to a veterinarian who does not know anything (or very little) about rabbits is just throwing your money away and can cost the life of your companion.
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Don’t assume that just because a veterinarian works with breeders or local 4-H clubs, that they are experienced with house rabbits or the medical needs of older rabbits. Unfortunately, such veterinarians often tend to approach rabbits as stock animals rather than as beloved companions. They may never have done a spay or neuter and “treatment” of any difficulty may amount to euthanasia (when dealing with stock or show animals, the financial bottom line is often the primary consideration).
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List of Antibiotics that should never be given to rabbits (even one dose of the following can be deadly): Amoxicillin, lincomycin, clindamycin.
by Kathleen Wilsbach and Sandi Ackerman, House Rabbit Society
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html
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