I Am So So So Angry - What Would You Do?

As you probably already know, I work in a vets. They are not Rabbit savvy AT ALL and I am working my socks off to try and change that.

I spoke to my boss yesterday about my concerns and he has asked me to put together a 'Rabbit Protocol' for the vets at the practice to include things to look out for etc etc (bit if a jipp really considering I am not a bloody vet!!!)

After all this, he sees a Rabbit today that is passing mucus from her bottom and has urine scalds. His answer: to prescribe Baytril and see again in 10 days...that's it!!!!!!

I am exhausted with worrying about every rabbit that comes in and I don't think I should have to tell a vet what to do!

What would you do? Should I leave? But if I leave, they will have no reason to get their act together. Should I stay and make sure they get their butts in gear?

Stay and try and kick their butts into gear if you can stand it. Point out to the manager that rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet and that bunny owners are crying out for good, rabbit savvy vets as there seems to be a shortage of them. If all else fails appeal to their greedy side: contrary to popular belief bunny owners are prepared to spend money on vets bills and don't want to just 'get a new one' when their pet is sick!

Can you get them booked onto any courses?

lilbun said:

Stay and try and kick their butts into gear if you can stand it. Point out to the manager that rabbits are the 3rd most popular pet and that bunny owners are crying out for good, rabbit savvy vets as there seems to be a shortage of them. If all else fails appeal to their greedy side: contrary to popular belief bunny owners are prepared to spend money on vets bills and don't want to just 'get a new one' when their pet is sick!

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I have told him all that so I think I will have to kick up a lot of fuss. I'm sure they wouldn't like it if I started to recommend other vets to our clients. It's bad enough that I don't take my own buns there!!!

I miss out on lunch breaks and go home late to make sure I am there when a rabbit comes in BUT I think it is totally worth it

Angie65 said:

Can you get them booked onto any courses?

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Hmmm...I will look into that. Thanks

I'm going to go against the grain and say if it's stressing you that badly, I'd leave. Tell them exactly why you're leaving though! I worked in a petshop that I ended up only really staying in because the advice that the other staff were giving out about most of the animals was absolute rubbish - one went around telling all the customers wanting a female rabbit that they should never be spayed because most will die under the anaesthetic :shock: but in the end I realised that it was going to keep going on regardless, and that it wasn't my responsibility - and in a way, by doing my job well I was supporting the pet-selling petshop industry because I was getting their profits up (I was talking people into rescues rather than buying from us but couldn't really talk them out of product sales without it getting noticed and that's where the profit is really made), and it was a case of putting myself first and deciding to help out animals in another way instead.
Maybe you could try applying at bunnysavvy places and just go on a real drive recommended them as good with bunnies, word of mouth counts for a lot with products and services so once your current vet realises that people will go elsewhere, they may buck their ideas up

you could maybe also put up a notice in your vets and a petition to for customers to sign if they want to see their vets more trained up on rabbits, also maybe ask the rabbit owners when they come out to see what they thought about the advice their getting, the more people you get complaining they'll do something about it but if peolpe are just nodding their heads and keeping quite then they'll carry on witht he usual treatment.

Honestly - if it is causing you that much stress i would quit. if you have already provided information and you seem to have done that and there still not taking it on board find a practice that will take it on.

Perhaps you could get them to buy in some decent rabbit books. I know there are a few that are recommended on this forum, I don't remember what they're called but every vet should have them if they treat rabbits.

It might set them back a hundred or so pounds, but it would definately be worth it business wise for them. The vets could read the books and improve their treatment.

Would your vet allow you to use a notice board for rabbit information and change the information once a month.

Perhaps pick topics including 'your first rabbit and what they need', rabbit vaccinations, EC, feeding including gut and dental implications, neutering, regular checks that need to be made.

Start off on fairly straight forward topics including any relevent A&P, complications and things that can be done to prevent problems. Get ideas from the RWF leaflets and perhaps the RWF for some leaflets that you can display.

I can empathise to certain extent as I had a similar problem when I volunteered at my local rescue. I spent nearly 2 years trying to educate them about neutering, bonding vaccinations etc but it just fell on deaf ears.:roll:

In the end I had to give in and walk away, but it was one of the things that pushed us to open our sanctuary and now hopefully we are really making a difference to bunnies lives

If you feel you have really given it everything you have to try to change things then you can walk away with a clear conscience.
Find somewhere where your input and knowledge really will make a difference to the lives of bunnies. Staying somewhere where nothing will ever change is a waste of your abilities, at least if you move on you will be able to help bunnies even if it is not the ones you originally wanted to help

Stay and try to help them. At least he has asked you to put some rabbit data together.

janice-arc said:

Would your vet allow you to use a notice board for rabbit information and change the information once a month.

Perhaps pick topics including 'your first rabbit and what they need', rabbit vaccinations, EC, feeding including gut and dental implications, neutering, regular checks that need to be made.

Start off on fairly straight forward topics including any relevent A&P, complications and things that can be done to prevent problems. Get ideas from the RWF leaflets and perhaps the RWF for some leaflets that you can display.

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I have already put together a whole wall's worth of info for clients. The clients are doing well at taking advice but it's the vets I am worried about

I have to be careful as, even if I don't agree with what a vet has done, I can't say anything in front of the poor clients who trust these vets

You have to stay and educate them, and ask them to buy these books

Problem here Erin is that your boss, has been a vet for many, many years and is not a bunny vet and never will be. Don't know about his partners.

Mr K will never take any of the info on board as it's a bit too late for him I think. He's retired once!

The other guy was supposed to be an exotics man in Hong Kong wasn't he? But on the web site they (his Hong Kong practice) recommended not keeping rabbits together:shock:

I'm not sure that you will be able to change things quickly, but if you can get the training you want and can make a small difference by maybe keeping a rabbit info file or something then I'd stay.

If it makes you very unhappy then leave, but remember that not too many vets take on vet assistants. It's either Receptionists or Vet Nurses. You'd either have to study or be reception and possibly have very little contact with the animals.

Helen

The Duchess said:

Problem here Erin is that your boss, has been a vet for many, many years and is not a bunny vet and never will be. Don't know about his partners.

Mr K will never take any of the info on board as it's a bit too late for him I think. He's retired once!

The other guy was supposed to be an exotics man in Hong Kong wasn't he? But on the web site they (his Hong Kong practice) recommended not keeping rabbits together:shock:

I'm not sure that you will be able to change things quickly, but if you can get the training you want and can make a small difference by maybe keeping a rabbit info file or something then I'd stay.

If it makes you very unhappy then leave, but remember that not too many vets take on vet assistants. It's either Receptionists or Vet Nurses. You'd either have to study or be reception and possibly have very little contact with the animals.

Helen

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I am on Reception now...just been promoted to Reception Manager.

I will see how I get on. I do love the job but the treatment (or lack of) that Rabbits are receiving really worries me

Vets

At the risk of being booed off the forum I'd like to say the following...

You have to study for several years and spend a lot of money to become a vet. At the end of your study you don't graduate knowing all there is to know about rabbits (or any other animals for that matter). Sadly a very small part of veterinary education concentrates on rabbits and other smallies considering how popular they are.

I can see why some vets are almost "allergic" to them. Imagine being faced with an animal who won't show any signs of what's up because it's a prey animal followed by a very worried stressed out owner.

If I was a vet I would not take very kindly to someone trying to 'educate' me about rabbits if they did it in the wrong fashion. This is really a case of having to take it slowly and doing it in the right way. If a vet doesn't want to learn about rabbits they don't have to. If they have an interest in another area they will not spend their CPD allowance on learning about an animal they aren't interested in. You'll only succeed in putting them off further if you go at it all "fluffy rabbit nut nut".....

People don't all view rabbits in the same way. People who love and care about rabbits and who spend any amount of time with them have a unique understanding of them and I'm afraid you just can't expect every vet you meet to have the same understanding of them.

When searching for a good rabbit vet the best thing to do is find a vet with an interest in them otherwise i'm afraid you are flogging a dead horse.

With reference to locums, a lot come from Australia or other countries where rabbits are not kept as pets and therefore are not seen often - certainly they don't have anywhere near the amount of money invested in them as they have in the UK or America.

I can imagine if you are getting frustrated with the vets it's coming across when you speak to them. You have been given the opportunity to put something together for them to refer to, this is a privaledge so either embrace it and do the best job you can do or walk away and find a practice you do want to be part of. If you keep being negative with them they will just get fed up and stop listening.

would they consider employing a rabbit/ exotics vet even if it were just once a week?!
or maybe they could get something going with another vet that specialises in rabbits, like they could pass on rabbit jobs to them if the other vets did them a favour back? bit of a long shot but it's an idea