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Questions to identify a bunny savvy vet???

giantbunnymummy

Warren Veteran
I'm just about to start ringing round vets to try and find Daisy a more bunny savvy one than my current vet (who doesn't advise spaying :?)

I thought I'd act dumb (ok - maybe no need to act :lol:) and ask about spaying as if I knew nothing at all, to try and weed out the rubbish vets who advise starving pre op etc.

So, before I start I thought I'd better check what I think I know about spaying!

Am i right in thinking:
1) A metacam injection should always be given post op for pain relief
2) The recommended anaesthetic for bunnies is isofluorine
3) Metaclop should be given to stimulate the gut before bunny comes home

Any suggestions for other questions I should/could ask to help identify a bunny savvy vet?
 
Great idea starting this thread! I am not sure how bunny savy my local vets are and have no idea how to tell so could do with some pointers!
 
Thanks! :wave:
I've read so much (sometimes contradictory) info on here re: metaclop and metacam that I thought i'd better check that it is best practice to always administer them.
 
Ask them about vaccinations. Whether rabbits need to be wormed or no. You could also ask about preoperative treatment in rabbits, ie they should keep eating.
 
You could ask how many rabbits they see on an average week. How many neuters they have done so far this month. How many bunnies they have lost to a GA in the past year.
 
What type of stitching they use, do they recommend vaccinations for ALL rabbits and how often do they recommend the Myxi vaccine.
 
A very basic but good question is to ask how risky a neuter is for a bun..if the vets reply is " quite risky we lose quite a few "..then go elsewhere
We had one person who's vet told her they lose about 1 in 20 buns they neuter:shock::shock::(
 
Summary!

Questions to identify a bunny savvy vet:

General
1) How many rabbits do you see on an average week?
2) Do rabbits need vaccinating? What for and how often do they need the vacs?
3) Do they need worming? (Maybe contentious now given confusion over panacur :?)
4) Is stasis the same thing as bloat?

Neutering-specific
5) How risky is a neuter for a rabbit? How many bunnies were lost to a GA in the past year?
6) How many neuters have you done so far this month/in an average month?
7) Pre-operative treatment: should rabbits be starved?
8 Do rabbits need painkillers after the operation?
9) Do they need a gut stimulant injection?
10) What type of stitching is used? (Dissolvable internal sutures are best or a combination of these and glue).
 
A very basic but good question is to ask how risky a neuter is for a bun..if the vets reply is " quite risky we lose quite a few "..then go elsewhere
We had one person who's vet told her they lose about 1 in 20 buns they neuter:shock::shock::(

Not a vet, but a colleague at a petshop I used to work at would tell people never to get a female spayed as they usually died :shock: After that I soon started intercepting all the people looking at bunnies before she spotted them (and handed them our company leaflet with RR's address sneakily written on the back :lol:)


I wouldn't worry about acting dumb to the vets - you're paying for a 'service' and you're entitled to ask questions. If they get annoyed at that then that rules them out straight away really, in my books! Fair enough that they've been to Uni and all that but a good vet realises that opinions and treatments change from when they studied them, or that the 'recommended' treatment isn't necessarily the best. Mine listen to me, read printouts from RU (and most important, do further research on it themselves - I wouldn't want a vet treating on blind faith of an internet printout either). If I'm unhappy, I question them - and either we try something else or they give good reason for their opinion and we work out a treatment that satisfies both of us
 
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Summary!

Questions to identify a bunny savvy vet:

General
1) How many rabbits do you see on an average week?
2) Do rabbits need vaccinating? What for and how often do they need the vacs?
3) Do they need worming? (Maybe contentious now given confusion over panacur :?)
4) Is stasis the same thing as bloat?

Neutering-specific
5) How risky is a neuter for a rabbit? How many bunnies were lost to a GA in the past year?
6) How many neuters have you done so far this month/in an average month?
7) Pre-operative treatment: should rabbits be starved?
8 Do rabbits need painkillers after the operation?
9) Do they need a gut stimulant injection?
10) What type of stitching is used? (Dissolvable internal sutures are best or a combination of these and glue).

excellent set of questions.
One (predictable) disagreement - I don't think worming is necessary. Although it does have its benefits in some circumstances.

Clarification on q.7 - No, never starve
Clarification on q.8-9 - yes and yes

Additional info for q.8-9 - the bun should be sent home with additional pain relief meds (essential to use) and gut stimulant (just in case it is necessary)
 
I think instead of asking about worming, you would be better to ask their opinions on the treatment and prevention of EC. Unfortunately opinions are very varied amongst even the most bunny savvy vets at the moment so I wouldn't necessarily conclude the vets are not experienced based upon that answer alone.

Also, if you ask about worming, they may think you mean against intestinal pin worms which are really rare in bunnies.

Hopefully I can get through the rest of the day without mentioning worms again now :mrgreen:. :lol:
 
Wow this is a very useful thread! :D I'm writing these down!

I hope you get some good responses to your questions, though I tend to find reception staff are either fountains of knowledge or less intelligent than a plank of wood with such things :shock: (to quote when I last called them as I was unsure about an emergency:- "Well you can tell me the symptoms but I won't be able to tell you what they mean or if it's an emergency" - hence why I need to call around for a new vet :evil: )
 
I hope you get some good responses to your questions, though I tend to find reception staff are either fountains of knowledge or less intelligent than a plank of wood with such things

Don't know why I posted this in a new thread earlier, but yes, have had success already with my first phonecall :D

The receptionist did her best with all my general questions on vaccs etc. She said they very rarely lose rabbits under GA, and when pressed said that the statistic they have is approx 1 in every 120 - does that sound about right?

She put me through to a really nice practice nurse (who used to work with Francis Harcourt-Brown!!). She said all the right things re: pre and post-operative procedures, and said they see lots of rabbits and always advise neutering/spaying.

Daisy has a check-up appt tomorrow, so fingers crossed the vet is as good as the nurse!
 
excellent set of questions.
One (predictable) disagreement - I don't think worming is necessary. Although it does have its benefits in some circumstances.

Clarification on q.7 - No, never starve
Clarification on q.8-9 - yes and yes

Additional info for q.8-9 - the bun should be sent home with additional pain relief meds (essential to use) and gut stimulant (just in case it is necessary)

Just further things on question 7, I asked my vet if she recommended fasting before surgery, and she responded yes, but only 2 hours before. She explained that rabbits can't vomit, and that isn't the issue, but that things can remain in their mouth and throat for a couple hours after eating, and this could lead to a risk of aspirating.

My vet's answers weren't perfectly aligned with things I've learned online, but she always had a strong explanation to back up the things she said. (Ex. She doesn't use isoflourene, but another type of the same that puts the rabbits down faster and wakes them up quicker, allowing them to eat sooner after the surgery which helps with recovery. She was upfront with me that it's more expensive, but she thinks it's well worth the extra cost.)

Just make sure to hear your vet out and keep asking questions!
 
What a great thread!

I am going to ring the vets up tomorrow that are doing the special on sprays (£39.99 - my normal vets charges £89.99 for a 'non-complicated' spray) so if this other vet answer the questions right then Star is going to be booked in.

If Star does get booked in, that will be two down and two to go!!
 
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