first time vet visit coming up – what to expect?

[pa_snoborder]

hello.  just a quick question to help me out with a situation.  as i’m sure you all have went through this before i’m wondering what to expect at the vet? this is the first time i’ve taken her and i’m scared to death.  i know all bunnies/vets aren’t the same but with a first time visit what did you all go though?  were you nervous?  scared?  how did you get your bunny to the vet?  in the cage or in a carrier?  i just fear that once i get rowdy into the carrier she will already be pissed with me and that’s before we get to the vet.  so i’m worried that after the visit, all the poking and prodding that rowdy will be going though she will be so angry with me that she will never want anything to do with me.  like she’s only going to nip me from that moment on. 

anyone relate to this?  can you relate your first time vet stories? 

 

thanks. 

dave (rowdy)

[Monkeybun]

My first visit tot he vet with Monkey was fairly uneventful. SHe was all right in the carrier, wasn’t impressed with the car ride much tho. At the vet she was a bit nervous but my vet deals with tons of bunnies, so he knew just how to handle her. She was a little irked at me when we got home, but her favorite raisins cures all evils I do lol.

[MimzMum]

I just sent my lop male, Mimzy, to the vet the other day. I’ve had him for over two years. His last trip in about a month ago was a difficult one because it was his first dental appointment where they had to give him some sleep and file his teeth, so he came back a little harrowed. When he realized the carrier was sitting on the bed waiting for him the other morning, he went in willingly at first, then when I opened the door again for a second to give him his toy, he jumped out and into my lap as if to say, “No mummy…dun send me back der agin!” 0_o About broke my heart. lol…I guess it’s an experience that actually brings some bunnies closer to their owners.

It never gets any easier for me, especially since it was an early morning appointment and I had to get him trussed up in his carrier and then hand him over to the hubby to drive there. (winter snow is turning to ice on the roads here, so my driving skills are nonexistent at this time of year)

I have a hard time remembering my first trip in, except for the worry. I know I’ve felt that way every time. But I agree with Monkeybun that pretty much anything we do that grieves our bunnies can be amended with their favorite treat afterwards. Mimzy is quite fond of his doctor, and literally melts in her hands. She is great with my other two also. It helps to know they are going to a rabbit savvy vet.

I always take my small animals into the vet in carriers. It’s for their safety and yours…plus any other pets who are waiting to see the doctor. (Plus it makes it easier to dissuade young children waiting there from poking at your pet…I’ve had to shoo a few away with, “Shhh…bunny is sleeping.” Then I can position myself in between them and the carrier.

I would also take a list of questions to ask, and don’t hesitate even with ones you may think are silly. It’s what you pay the doctor for. And you will undoubtedly forget something you know you wanted to say when you get there. It’s the same way with my own doctor and me when I go to see him, so I always bring a list of woes.

I always put in a litterbox, some hay, attach a water bottle to the outside and bring a few treats to give. Plus I put Mimzy’s favorite toy in with him, a plush carrot. If he’s going to be long at the vets, I make sure we both snuggle with the carrot the night before so-should he have to be long away from me-he has my scent somewhere nearby.

If you have a little time to spend with Rowdy before and after, she may come to see that even vet day is a good day because she gets to be with you!

[Beka27]

First visits are a great way to have that baseline record of your pet, get to know the vet and the staff, and get any of those questions answered that you are not 100% sure about. The vet will do a general exam, look at ears, teeth, palpate the belly, weigh the bunny. This is a good opportunity to be shown how to trim nails if you are uncomfortable with the process. My buns are not big fans of the vet… but it’s not the end of the world with them. They’re a little annoyed when they get home, but by dinnertime, all is fine.

Many of us have dealt with multiple “savvy” vets… not all vets are right for all people. So this is as much a chance for you to evaluate their services, as they are evaluating your bunny. If you are not completely happy or comfortable with them, keep looking at other vets. It is a good idea to know of t least a couple in your area… just in case.

[pa_snoborder]

thanks for your responses. i guess we’ll just have to see how it goes.

[Balefulregards]

we go to an exotics vet – so there is always a wide variety of animals in the waiting room – everything from rabbits to reptiles to squirrels to any bird you can imagine! Everyone has their pet in some type of carrier.

In the practice I use, I have seen 3 of the 4 vets. They are all “savvy” , but I have preferences as to which vet I like. The female vet who saw Jackson a week ago is my favorite.

We do the baseline chat – eating, popping – what they are having for salads and how much they are eating, how much ( if any) are they getting for pellets – how much Hay the two of them consume, any litter training issues. Then she does the physical exam – talking to me and the rabbit through it. What she is feeling or looking for in each area. I laughed last visit when she lifted Jacksons bum up and gave him a good sniff ( anal glands).

I know at the end of the first visit, Coco went from being mad at me, to leaping into my arms after being released by the Vet – the “Hey! Don’t let that stranger Touch me”. She went back to being mad in the car and required bribery later on – but it was the first glimpse of “You are my human, and I am Your rabbit” from her.

[BinkyBunny]

My rabbits have gotten better about going to the vets, where now they will at least munch on little bunny treat (that they have at our vets office) where before they would be so stressed, they wouldn’t even touch their favorites at the vet.

I also bring a carrier with some hay to munch on. I provide a thick towel or bedding because as luck will always have it, they will pee in the carrier, and it helps to have something absorbent that will help wick it away.

The vet will normally check the whole body for lumps and abnormalities, check eyes, front incisors and back molars, they’ll check temp, etc.

No bunny will be up for all of that and when you get home, it won’t be unusual for yours to sleep and rest a bit more afterward as they recover from the stress. Vivian did a Binkythe very first time I brought her back home for the vet, and THEN she rested, but the rest of my bunnies have always got home and went straight into rest mode.

Good Luck and keep us updated with how it went.

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