Red flag vet?

[Ramia]

Stripe gained a hundred grams in 4 months.

I called his new vet and asked if I should up his .33 metacam for CBS. They are not exotic vets. They said to leave the dose as is.

I had doubts as Dr Cervantes, his usual exotic vet, usually ups his dose every hundred grams. So I called her, so she said to give .36.

Should I see this as a first red flag for the new vet practice? Should I even give them a chance?

 

[Truffolo]

They might be OK for really routine things, but your exotic vet has performed well in the past

 

[piggieminder]

I agree with Truffolo. I have a general vets for easy things like hay pokes but I see the slightly further away and expensive exotic vets for things that need diagnosing and medication dosages.

 

[AidaB]

We are similar, super local vet for simple appointments. More knowledgeable vet, further away, for those moments when you need someone who truly understands guinea pigs.
Our more knowledgeable vet’s is also cheaper than our local vets!

 

[Freela]

If it's possible to see an exotics vet, I would see the exotics vet. My only exception would be in an after-hours emergency where anything is better than nothing. Guinea pigs aren't just small dogs or cats, they are an entirely different species with different requirements, and if you have the option to see someone who knows they physiology and all the dos and don't, why not take advantage of that?

Once I had one of my hamsters at the vet, and the vet told me about another client who had to take their hamster to an after-hours emergency vet that didn't know a lot about hamsters- the hamster had a minor injury, which the vet was able to address, but the vet was also really worried that the hamster had a "large mass" that the owner hadn't reported, which turned out to just be food that the hamster put in the cheek pouches on the way to the vet. The emergency vet either didn't know or forgot to consider that hamsters hide food in their cheeks, or else was so used to dealing with emergencies only that a very typical, benign cause was overlooked entirely. The point was that emergency vets can handle generic injuries, but can be WAY off base when it comes down to even basic things with species that they aren't familiar with or don't see on a regular basis. It's a good argument for seeing someone who knows your animal's species well whenever it's possible to do so.