How do you know if a vet is cavy savvy?!

[CPHill]

I'm getting little Blacky neutered in may and want to make sure the vet is cavy savvy and used to piggies, but, how do you know if they are? This is probably a silly question but I don't have local piggy friends so am going to what seems a well established vet. I'm in Bridgwater in Somerset if anyone can recommend? I am planning on Blake's vet.

 

[mstori]

word of mouth! completely the best way to find out
I'm not from your area but sure someone will be able to advise..

heres a link to a thread which may be of use

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1788

Tori x

 

[Shellza]

The first vets I went to for a quote said to me "Oh guinea pigs...we've never done them before." That's how you know they're not cavy savvy . It was word of mouth for me though. I went to my local rescue and asked and they told me the best place to go.

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

Definitely word of mouth. Even if a vet has an 'exotics expert', don't take this to mean that they know what they are doing! One vets wanted to put one of my pigs to sleep seven months before he eventually passed away! Thankfully I found an excellent vet shortly after the others suggested that idea!

 

[Jules7]

Just be really blunt like I am and ask them directly how many piggies they see/have operated on, etc. If its close, I would call in for a visit and have a chat with one of the nurses. You will soon get a 'feel' for how GP savvy they are. Good luck

 

[Pepperdog]

I used to go to the quantock vet center at the back of sainsburys with my gerbils and pepper, they were very good vets and I knew them well because they also were the farms vets and goats are such a specialised area too, plus one of them used to help out at secret world. You could ask them as well, I wish I hadnt moved surgeries because I really liked them (and they knew how good I was with animals so we had mutual respect), but having moved to weston, bridgwater was a fair trip to take pepper.

I see on the list there is one in briddgy listed, I might see about registering mine there if none of the weston vets are any good.

Sorry to go off on a tangent but I know how frustrating it can be to find a vet that is knowledgeable in certain fields of expertise. Finding a greyhound savy vet is just as frustrating, I will start a thread in other animals to explain so I dont clog this one up