Okay, Slight Vet Panic...

[TheCavySlave]

So, not sure where to put this, BUT...
Well. Last time they had a checkup they went to Pets1st. But I'm not sure how cavy knowledgable they are, and in an emergency I want to make sure our boys will be in good hands. I've tried the vet locator but, well, I'm not sure any of them are very close.
I could try emailing Pets1st, or phoning up, but really I want to be prepared, find a cavy experienced vet BEFORE any medical emergency. Any ideas?

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi only just seen this. do you have any rescues nearby? If you do you could ask them who they use/ recommend. That's how I found my vets

 

[DM030819]

When I first moved to Leicester I was in a bit of a panic trying to find a guinea pig vet as I had a pig with arthritis and needed a good vet.

As soon as I arrived I searched the internet for recommendations and reviews.

I also contacted all of the vets in the area by email explaining that I was looking for an experienced guinea pig specialised vet for my pigs.

The majority of them replied. They were very honest and lots said that they didn't have anyone specialised. Others said that they aren't specialised but see lots of pigs. One did reply saying that they had an exotics vet, so I tried them out.

I also made appointments with some of the others just to see what I thought of them. You don't have to stay with a vet once you've registered.

It can be a bit time consuming and costly but I would recommend trying out a few. Take one of your pigs who is healthy and say you just want a health check.

Hopefully you can either find a good pig vet, or at least a good vet who will listen to you and try out things if they don't have the experience with pigs.

Good emergency vets are more difficult to find. You're pretty much stuck with whoever is available there. Most vets don't have their own on site and so you need to use the central one for your area. Ours isn't a specialised pig vet but thankfully the few times I've had to go there has been a vet there that will listen to me and do what I ask of them.