Finding A Vet I Can Trust

[unkinz]

I've been thinking about finding a new vet for when I get new piggies. The vet I used in the past makes me a bit nervous, my little Missy was on medication with her for an ear infection, wasn't really doing great, she was very lethargic and stopped eating. I started force feeding her, and called the vet again, who didn't seem very concerned. The next day she died, while having what seemed like a seizure. I trusted the vet, she seems very knowledgeable, and was great otherwise, but sometimes I worry. Was something terribly wrong with my sweet Missy? Was it something the vet should have been able to diagnose? Seizures can't be normal.

With this in mind, I've been wondering how you can tell your vet is cavy-savy? I'm afraid since I'm in the USA the vet locator on here isn't much use for me. Does anyone have some questions for me to ask my vet or some way to tell she is qualified to take care of my piggies? I want to be able to trust someone.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Swissgreys]

Firstly I am really sorry you lost your sweet Missy.

When I am looking for a vet I tend to try and be quite conversational about it and ask things like ; Do you see a lot of piggies here? Do you see them weekly, monthly, etc? I am thinking of having one of my pigs spayed. How often do you spay piggies? etc.

I use my local vet who is not a piggy specialist, and she admitted that, but she also has close ties with a specialist vet and if ever there was a question about anything she would contact them directly or I could take my guinea pigs there.
This actually happened with one of the rabbits, and she admitted she wasn't sure what the problem was, and immediately e-mailed x-rays and test results to the specialist who called me back within a couple of hours.
On the plus side, because she isn't an expert, she tends to be open to listening to my opinion on how things should be done which is nice.

 

[DM030819]

The Guinea Lynx website is based in the US and there is a recommended vet section on there. If there aren't any on there, post and ask someone on there. I'm sure someone could point you in the right direction.

@CraftyCavies

I'm in the UK so can't offer any actual vet names but here's what I did when I moved to a different part of the UK.

I Googled "guinea pig vets Leicester" and I contacted all of them and asked if they did see guinea pigs regularly, what conditions have they treat in pigs, what surgeries they have done and would any of their vets class themselves as exotic vets or guinea pig specialists.

They were all very honest. Of course all of them said they see guinea pigs but many said it wasn't often, and the majority said they weren't specialists. They did offer advice on where to try though.

When I had a short list I made an appointment at them all and took along one of the pigs for a wellness check. I just said that they were newly adopted and so I didn't have a previous vet. I used asked them to give them a little check over to see if they seemed in good health.

Meeting the vet is very important in my opinion, you can see how they interact with a pig.

If the US is like the UK it's likely that you might have to try a bit further afield. The vet I use is 1 hour drive but through my search I have found a vet who is nowhere near guinea pig specialised but I could rely on for basic treatment (like tending to a bite wound).

 

[Wiebke]

Lethargy and total loss of appetite is always an alarm sign for an emergency in guinea pigs. it is difficult to say whether the seizure happened as part of multiple organ failure, a stroke or something else going on, that was closing down the body. But I am sorry; it makes you feel so power- and helpless, as well as deeply upset!

Here is the new Guinea Lynx list of recommended US vets; it is now much better accessible: Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List

 

[Freela]

When trying to find a vet who is knowledgeable about guinea pigs, I have typically called up vets who advertise as treating exotics/"pocket pets" and have asked if they regularly see guinea pigs and if they are familiar with performing some common medical and surgical procedures (i.e. spays and neuters, dental surgeries, abscess drainage and removal, etc.) Most vets will say that they DO see guinea pigs, but you want to find one that sees them fairly regularly. I also am reassured when they often do other small-animal surgeries and dentistry (for instance, a lot of vets in my area see rabbits more than they see guinea pigs for dentistry... but it's still a lot more relevant than only seeing dogs and cats.) I have managed to find a vet who I absolutely love, but it did take some searching and trial and error. Best of luck finding someone you trust... it's good to search early before you need it, as it can be hard to find someone in a pinch!