A good Vet is one that ..........

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missy

missy

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The fact that it's not always easy to find a "good" Vet is a topic which comes up time and time again. I'm interested to know what makes a "good" one, in your opinion. Obviously we all want our piggies to live happily and healthily until a ripe old age, so what should we look for, when expert qualified veterinary help is needed?

There are some good Vets around, so what makes them stand out?

Let's build up a wishlist for "The Perfect Vet"! :(|)

Your choice of Vet is a personal decision. I understand that not everyone wants to, or is able to, visit a "specialist" or well-known piggy Vet, for one reason or another. This thread is not intended to make anyone feel inadequate or overly anxious about whether or not their own Vet is experienced/skilled/cavy-savvy enough.....but perhaps comparing notes and sharing thoughts might prompt us to think more about the important choices we make, when we place our trust in these professionals.

All comments welcome, either on a general note or specifically guinea pig related....

I'll start....

A good Vet is one that....really listens and takes notice of what I tell them. Sounds obvious but I want to feel that they genuinely care about me and my pet and, after all, I know my animals best and my account could give important clues to aid diagnosis.
 
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A good vet is one that truly loves his/her own job and really cares about the animals, not for the $$money$$ but for the good of the animal.
 
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... has lots of good experience in dealing with small pets

...but doesn't baffle us with science and explains things throughly in layman's terms with all available options

...and understands that our animals are not 'Just a guinea pig grrrr' but a much loved family member
 
A good vet is one that acts in their best interest for you pet.
Talks to your pet and dont just poke them around without saying anything.
One that loves animals as much as I do drool...
Tries their best to help.
 
I love my vet, and think she is a good vet, as she remembers every animals name and history without even looking at her records each time she sees them. She doesn't do appointments, so its not like she looks before you come!
 
I love my vet, and think she is a good vet, as she remembers every animals name and history without even looking at her records each time she sees them. She doesn't do appointments, so its not like she looks before you come!
 
I agree with everything said. It's not about vets knowing everything. It is about vets being willing to listen and learn. A good vet is one open to and actively interested in working with the owner and other vets to progress their skills and knowledge with guinea pigs.

The problem I had with vets was that none were particularly interested in what I had to say. I had one vet who immediately recognised that I knew what I was talking about, as a result we worked "together" on getting a diagnosis and future care agreed on for my pig. Another vet openly admitted to me that she had not the skill or experience to diagnose heart problems in guinea pigs but that she would read through and save the notes from Guinea Lynx anyway. Both of these vets were "good" vets in my mind and I haven't a bad word to say about them, even though one could not necessarily do for me what I expected of them and one had an idea that I didn't agree with. Point is, they listened to me.
 
I also agree with everything said. I guess that being passionate about their profession should be at the heart of it all.....and if the passion is there, then the rest of these good traits/behaviours should naturally follow.

I don't know what kind of ongoing professional monitoring/screening/reviewing Vets have to undergo, (in order to check that they're still up to the job), but it sounds like all we need to do is periodically hook them up to a "passion-ometer" so we can weed out all those who aren't absolutely committed to being the best they can. Simple!

Just wondering....does anyone ever give feedback to their Vet, with regard to their performance (either good or bad)? Or are there any Vet practices which actively encourage their clients to give feedback? (perhaps via a comments box or customer satisfaction questionnaire etc).

It seems bizarre that I've never been asked for my comments with regard to the care given by my Vet, whereas Kwik-Fit Customer Service ring me up after I've had a cheap tyre fitted, to check that I've been well looked after! mallethead
 
I think a good vet would be someone who will try his best to make your pet alive instead of just putting them down straight away like he/she would fight for your pet until there is not much else they can do
 
The problem is even when you find a vet (and in our case a nurse) you like piggies for some reason are still classed as "exotic" and it is difficult to find someone who is fully confident and experienced with them - not to mention the fact piggies dont fair well under anesthetic.

If they dont display the sympstoms they dont get diagnosed and then its too late. No matter how caring and sympathetic the vet the lack of a good understanding in guinea pig health and illness is astounding taking into account they have been common household pets for decades now.

For this reason after having lost our wonderful, amazing piglet pal Gordon to a "mystery" (I think respetory infection without the sneezing, coughing and runny nose) illness my boyfriend now refuses to have another as he doesnt want to go through the heartbreak again.
 
anjelise said:
.....For this reason after having lost our wonderful, amazing piglet pal Gordon to a "mystery" (I think respetory infection without the sneezing, coughing and runny nose) illness my boyfriend now refuses to have another as he doesnt want to go through the heartbreak again.
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That's so sad and I can really empathise. I went through a similar thing and placed my trust in a Vet who basically just wasn't clued up when it comes to guineas and I didn't know any better. At that time I had no idea that guineas were classed as exotics etc. It's not until I joined this Forum, looking for help with my desperately sick piggy, that I discovered how bad my Vet actually was.

Sadly it was too late to save my Totti but I've since switched to a Vet recommended here, who, as well as having a special interest in guineas and plenty of experience with them, is very willing to listen to me (and the advice of more experienced people here) and to try new things.

I'm so sorry that you lost Gordon and your bf feels unable to have any more pigs. When I lost Totti I felt like I couldn't continue to keep pigs because the grief was overwhelming. Naturally, losing a much-loved piggy will be a devastating blow anyway, regardless of circumstances, but wondering whether or not their death could've been avoided, is something which I found all consuming and almost impossible to deal with. I unwittingly placed my trust in a Vet who was neither interested in fighting for my piggy, nor was she equipped with the skills/knowledge/expertise to do so. I did eventually decide to continue keeping pigs (and am so glad I did) but I'll never know whether or not Totti's death was untimely and that guilt 'eats away' at me all the time, even now. I just have to remember that I did what I could at the time, with the relatively limited knowledge and experience I had.

I would just urge anyone with niggles, doubts or concerns about their Vet to really think about whether or not they might be better off switching to a new Vet, before it's too late. This Forum is a great place to ask for recommendations.
 
I was really impressed when my vets phoned me the day after Teddy's op to see how he was getting on, even though I had him booked in for a post-op appointment the next day.
A good vet also listens to the owners concerns and doesnt speak down to you.

I'm so glad I have found the vet I am with, apparently people come from as far as Cornwall to see them.
 
A good vet apologises nose to nose in a baby voice to little pigs with broken legs for making them squeak.
A good vet will dance round a dark room with a UV light when rabbits eyes look better.
A good vet will cry over the loss of the cat who died in her arms but will try to hide it when she tells you that she did all she could.
I feel lucky to have had some of the vets I have had
 
piggyme234 said:
A good vet apologises nose to nose in a baby voice to little pigs with broken legs for making them squeak.
A good vet will dance round a dark room with a UV light when rabbits eyes look better.
A good vet will cry over the loss of the cat who died in her arms but will try to hide it when she tells you that she did all she could.
I feel lucky to have had some of the vets I have had
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You're very fortunate to have had such wonderful Vets - they sound like really lovely people.

I know a good "bedside manner" isn't the only important thing, but the small things and simple gestures really can make a BIG difference, especially at the most difficult of times. Someone mentioned on a different thread, the other day, that their Vet had sent them a card, following the death of their piggy. I thought that was lovely.
 
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