Having trouble finding the right vet

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

Well its almost that time for my bunnies to be spayed and I have been calling around to different ‘rabbit savvy’ vets to find the best one. I have been asking them all kinds of questions and none of them seem to be giving be great answers. Most of them are like ” um.. spaying bunnies? I havent seen that in a while.” – kinda scares me.

Well the vet i took them to for their check up has been seeing exotics for 30 years and he is really nice. The only thing is the girl in the office says she has worked there 6 months and has never seen a bunny altered there yet. 6 months is a long time with no practice. But really he seems to be the best option in my area. What do you guys think? I really want the best i can get for my buns.

also i e-mailed the closest rabbit rescue to see if they could recommend someone in my area. haven’t heard back yet.

[Sarita]

Where in Oklahoma do you live?

[Sarita]

Did you see Heartland Rabbit Rescues vet list?

Here’s a link.

http://www.heartlandrabbitrescue.org/vets.htm

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

thanks sarita! I looked all over their website and couldn’t find their vet list. Just missed it i guess. I did already call one of those in my area and they seemed not familiar with rabbits but i’ll be sure to call the other 2.

i’m in oklahoma city by the way

[Sarita]

If you don’t find one in Oklahoma City (which I hope you do) – I can refer you to mine in Dallas if you are willing to drive to Dallas one day.

The vet list was hidden in a weird place, it took me awhile to find it too.

[MooBunnay]

Sometimes those sites don’t get updated as often as the rescues would like – so it probably wouldn’t hurt to email them and ask them if there is a vet that they currently recommend – or ask them about the vet that you are unsure about. Usually they will have opinions on some of the vets in the area. Good luck! And its great that you are doing so much research on the vet – its so important to have a vet that you trust.

[KatnipCrzy]

I know this sounds odd…..but the fact that the vet has not spayed a bunny in awhile could have nothing to do with the vets abilities. 

I work at a vet clinic- and we have spayed and neutered bunnies in the past.  I had my bunny spayed about a month ago.  And ironically enough- we had not altered a bunny since probably last fall- but 2 other bunnies were spayed/neutered within a WEEK of mine being spayed.  So timing does have somthing to do with it sometimes.

And it really seems to depend on the area where you live.  Here in Michigan- we have rescues- but not like they seem to have on the West Coast.  I think the education and attitude towards rabbits has not caught on like it has in other areas yet.  I know that ferrets and gerbils are illegal in CA- maybe that is why they seem to have more Bunny rescues and education???

If the vet is limited by the number of house rabbit owners in the area- don’t hold that against them.  We have house bunny clients at  the clinic where I work- but if the rabbits are healthy we don’t seem them very often other than nail trims, etc.  A bunny is only spayed/neutered once…so hopefully it will never need surgery again. 

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

good point katnip     I really do like that vet (they see all my other pets)and they are pretty reasonable on price. I don’t think house bunnies are popular here so yes, that could be why.

[Kellybelly]

How much do they charge for your bunny? I am having a hard time finding anyone under 250 dollars for my girl bunny. I have to make some more calls. But just wanted an idea of what yours is costing.

[Beka27]

definitely call around kellygirl… 250 is at the high end for most areas i think. my bun’s spay was less than that, about 190 out the door, so you might choose to drive a bit further if you can get a better price, but with the way the gas prices are skyrocketing, it might not even be worth it. it is very important to find a rabbit savvy vet. rabbits are very delicate and they need a vet that understands them.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

They are going to charge me $150(includes pain meds and all) each bunny. Another place i called close buy was going to charge me $250 per bun. Quite a difference since i have to pay for 2 at one time.

[skunklionshow]

Kellygirl:  Where are you in the philly area?  I live near UPenn and my vet is in Glenolden.  I believe Jessica’s spay cost me about $200 w/ the additional care needed when she wouldn’t start eating again.  That also included her initial exam & all meds.  My practice usually gives you 2 quotes a high end and low end.  I love my practice and they have an excellent small animal reputation.  Let me know if you need more information.  Where did you obtain price quotes from? 

Poe:  I was reading rabbits USA and noticed that they had more vets listed in their vet directory than I found on other rabbit vet sites.  They have Banfield the Pet Hospital listed in OK city:  8358 N Rockwell Ave ph.  405-720-1051.  I don’t know if any of these other cities are near you:  Broken Arrow, Edmond, Tulsa?  If so let me know. 

I know that I trust my practice, even though my regular vet isn’t the most experienced bunny person on staff, actually that would be Dr. Bowers.  However, he does obtain input from her when/if needed.  I like going to a practice where I trust the vet as well as where I can take the entire menagerie.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

Edmond is an option. everything else is really far from here and with gas prices, i’d rather not go too far

[Sarita]

Honestly those vets listed in Rabbits USA aren’t always that rabbit saavy – any vet can put their name in that publication.

$150 is a very reasonable price in my opinion though.

[skunklionshow]

It’s funny b/c the HRS site does not list my vet, but Rabbits USA does.  HRS lists UPENN, but Upenn will only see rabbits through their ER and not for routine care or spays/neuters.  UPENN is right down my street and even their rabbit specialists don’t do regular care/ treatment.  So I think the lists can go both ways….

So here’s the info for Edmond:  Acre View Pet Hospital & Laser Center: 1900S Bryant Ave PH 405-348-0808 and website:  http://www.acrewview.com

I agree w/ Sarita that $150 is not a bad deal.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

So do you all think that my vet i usually see, that is going to charge me $150 per bun, with 30 years experience in exotics, but hasn’t done a bunny spay in 6 months would be a good choice? I really like him and he loved the bunnies last time i brought them in. Every place i call dosen’t see bunnies too often. I think alot of people here don’t think they need to take their bunny to the vet. I never knew till i read this forum.

[Sarita]

Yes, I think so. Just because he hasn’t done one in 6 months only means he hasn’t done one in 6 months. If he has 30 years of experience in exotics and has done successful rabbit spays and neuters before I would go for it.

[Beka27]

plus, if you know him and you’re comfortable with him… if he was not sure of his skill, i’d hope he would refer you to someone else. after 30 years, i’m guessing he could do a spay with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back… lol.

[COOKIE'N FLUFF MOMMA]

Thanks for all the advice guys! It made me feel alot better about my decision I”ll probably make the appointment for around the beggining of July, after the holiday. I’m very lucky that i can take all 5 of my pets to the same vet ,so he can get to know my whole family. I need to post some pics of my other 3 kids soon. hehe

[skunklionshow]

I think that Katnip really called it well…just b/c a practice hasn’t done spay/neuter in awhile, it doesn’t mean they are out of practice or a lesser used vet.  I agree that it likely has to do w/ timing, the economy, and other things.  It’s my understanding w/ rabbits that the issue has more to do w/ the experience w/ the anesthesia.  Most vets get their anesthesia down to a science w/ their prefered formulas etc.   Though I have heard that vets inexperienced w/ rabbits have difficulty w/ locating rabbit testes, since they’re internal and not external.  My guess w/ that is it isn’t covered in animal anatomy class?  Though I remember my ex studying for his vet tech degree and he had to learn anatomy of every stinkin’ animal.

I know for me it was very important to find a vet that treats rabbits & cats.  I really prefer a one stop shopping and a practice that I can develop a relationship w/.  I trust my practice all the way.   I like the people and vets.  They have newer vets as well as the more experienced vets, which is OK, plus my practice is open 7 days a week and up to 9:30 (appt time) on weeknights.

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