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Do You Trust Your Vet ?

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
Prompted by the thread in General Chat about trusting/not trusting Doctors I thought I'd ask the same question about Vets

I now have Vets whom I trust implicitly and whilst I feel that they are fine about any questions I may put to them regarding a proposed treatment plan I have absolutely no doubt that they know more than me. I trust that they will ALWAYS admit to not knowing something though, not just bluff their way on regardless because their egos wont allow them to do otherwise. They will say 'I dont know' but they will then start to contact specialists for advice.

In the past I have seen some truly awful Vets. I feel no shame in saying that my knowledge of Rabbit Medicine far exceeded theirs. It was not a 'good' situation as I felt totally unsupported and every consultation proved to be a battle.


So, having eventually found a very good Vet I realise how very important it is to have a mutually trusting relationship. Especially if a treatment goes wrong in some way or if I feel unhappy about a suggested treatment plan. It is so reassuring to know that I am not going to be met with the 'I am a Vet you are an idiot' attitude should I question any advice given.

It is also so important to have that trust when caring for a terminally sick Rabbit. To know that the Vet will always say when 'enough is enough'. But will not just say 'PTS' at the first hurdle. To be 100% certain that they will ALWAYS put the needs of my Rabbits before anything else.

So, what about you. Are you able to have total trust in your Vet(s) ?
 
I am happy with my current vets, though I don't really have total trust in them. I do trust that they are rabbit savvy and that they have an exotics vet. There are three vets and two of them are very very good and the other is good but I'm a bit wary of tbh.

However I have very high expectations of a vet as for the buns I had as a kid (after a shaky start with an awful vet) we were recommended to a friends vet, Jason (burgess I think) in Gloucestershire. We had no idea he was such a renowned rabbit vet. We just knew that he was a very good vet and we trusted him 100%. So he kinda is my personification of what I am looking for in a vet! (not that I set my sights high or anything :lol:)
 
Nope!
Still looking for a rabbit savvy vet that's travelling distance from me!
I've seen about 7 different vets so far this year!
 
Yes, more or less. In Mark, definitely. The other two I haven't had so much experience with and one (wont name names!) once said Mischa was a girl because the vet couldn't find teabags, cue us looking rather shocked and me stammering out 'but he's been neutered'.

When we were discussing about Mischa's abscesses Mark gave me all the information and then two options, either to leave it and treat the symptoms or to operate. After I'd made the decision to go ahead with the op he told me that would've been his preferred choice too. But he informed me and let ME made the decision which, although the awful happened, I'm very grateful for.
 
Yes, more or less. In Mark, definitely. The other two I haven't had so much experience with and one (wont name names!) once said Mischa was a girl because the vet couldn't find teabags, cue us looking rather shocked and me stammering out 'but he's been neutered'.

When we were discussing about Mischa's abscesses Mark gave me all the information and then two options, either to leave it and treat the symptoms or to operate. After I'd made the decision to go ahead with the op he told me that would've been his preferred choice too. But he informed me and let ME made the decision which, although the awful happened, I'm very grateful for.

Yes, that is what I meant about how important trust is should things go horribly wrong. Had you not have had much confidence in Mark you may have had all that to deal with too on top of your grief and devastation at losing Mischa.
 
Yeah but only 2 of the vets that work there, they've been brilliant with all of the rabbits, the hamsters and the cat:)
 
Jane you have just summed up my exact experience with vets. I have now found an excellent practice run by 2 vets I trust with another fab bunny vet who's occasionally there. I do have to travel bit to get there but it's worth the extra time and petrol money as I find I need to pay for fewer consults to fix the problem and they always give sensible amounts of medication to take into account wastage (you always leave a bit on the syringe) and not give the exact amount you need for 7 days as that's very rarely long enough with a chronic problem anyway.

I was sick of vets having either enough knowledge to bluff their way through and not getting it quite right or even being so clueless they couldn't give a convincing bunny health check before a bunny vacc. A friend and I in 2 separate consults with different vets at the same practice had to talk the vet through doing a pts as they had no idea how to do it. Anyone guess why I left?
 
My vet is ok, i would much prefer a more rabbit savvy one but now he has got to know me and my buns a bit, he tends to listen to me more and realises that i know a bit more than the usual rabbit owners he sees! However, the practice they use for out of hours i have no faith in whatsoever, after taking Olly as a baby who couldn't stand up and was very wobbly, they said they couldn't see anything wrong with him!!! So now if its out of hours, i have to go somewhere totally different, which is awful as its obviously stressful enough to start with, without being total strangers to each other :(
 
I have 2 vets, one local one who I use for routine and emergency, who I trust but not 100% - he is good with bunnies but doesn't specialise

The other I travel about 30 miles to see when necessary, and I trust him 110%, partly from my experience but also partly from the experience of others who use him also :)
 
Yes, that is what I meant about how important trust is should things go horribly wrong. Had you not have had much confidence in Mark you may have had all that to deal with too on top of your grief and devastation at losing Mischa.

Yes, there's the odd thing that I see now that maybe I should've picked up on but 20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing :roll: Plus he'd never show if things were affecting him. To some extent the vet can only be as good as the owner is observant too. Ultimately the way Mischa went was probably the best way, before things deteriorated and he had to cope with more intense care.

(I hope the way I'm typing this doesn't come across cold, I've cried quite a bit these last few days and I'm needing tissues now. Am emotional this week! Maybe I should stop playing sad songs :oops:)
 
I trust two at my practice- Charles and Katherine. I like them because they seem to respect my opinion and understand I know my rabbits. They also know when they don't know and are very proactive into finding out whatever needs to be found out and are comfortable making referrals. I wouldn't however, trust them to make the decision to PTS because they only see the clinical presentation, but don't know the bunny and their personality and what they can and can't take. Charles in particular will give me the options in a given situation and let me choose the best one based on me knowledge of the bunny and he always reassures me I have made what he believes to be the right choice too- I think it's taken two way trust to get to the level he will present me with all the options and let me choose.

I have previously lost bunnies to a completely incompetent practice (5 in 15 months), and had foster bunnies treated by a different incompetent practice (looking at putting in a complaint against these vets). Those two vets have had to work really hard to get any trust from me and even then it can be wobbly.

There is another vet at the practice who is showing some very good signs too.

I work by following my gut instinct in rabbit care and if my gut instinct is telling me something is wrong, then I'll speak up, even if I don't know what should be done differently. I find that is one of the most distressing things; when I know something isn't right but I have no control over it.

I think my vets, most of the established vets, have a much higher than average knowledge about rabbits, but not as high as I would hope.

When I saw a specialist in Essex I wasn't filled with confidence or trust for the practice (they were pretty shambolic- losing histopathology samples, for example, not giving me back the PM results), but the practice in Norwich just filled me with complete trust on so many levels.
 
I have 2 vets, one local one who I use for routine and emergency, who I trust but not 100% - he is good with bunnies but doesn't specialise

The other I travel about 30 miles to see when necessary, and I trust him 110%, partly from my experience but also partly from the experience of others who use him also :)

Did you see JC? Had a feeling that you'd found someone else.
 
Not my current vets no. The only vet I trust is Aidan Raftery.

I've seen FHB and I don't trust her despite other peoples praises. I lost Lola with her and my brother also lost Penny with her, both on our first visits.

Aidan saved Lola so many times, I wish I lived in Manchester just for the vets, Lola might still be here. :cry::cry::cry:
 
Yes I do, the main vet we like to see is brilliant. She is someone that I trust implicitly and is excellent, and we have a very good rapport with her. She 'gets' us and treats us with openness, honesty and respect and is always willing to enter in to a full discussion about what's best for our rabbits, and listen to our questions and patiently answer them. She will also acknowledge if there is something she is not 100% sure of and always finds a way forward for us.

I can't say that all the vets at my practice are the same, I have had one or two not-so-good experiences there, but most of them are good with rabbits in general and up to speed with the latest recommendations etc. Its mostly drop-in clinics so its a bit pot luck with who you see on the day you go,and they are not necessarily the most expert bunny-savvy vets out there, but generally speaking they are all pretty good, and I would trust them to look after and do a good job with my rabbits. :)
 
I use a large practice with a lot of vets. Most of them I would trust with the cats. Less with rodents/birds.

With the buns, I trusted Jo (who left in March :cry:) 100%. I trust Nigel 100%. The others... I trust that they will take my opinion on board, and contact Nigel/Jo/FHB if necessary.

A couple of the vets told me I was wasting money by vaccinating 6 monthly with the old myxi vacc. A couple won't prescribe pain relief after a spay.

So I trust them, with caution!

(I trust Jane 100%! :love:)
 
Absolutely. I really don't think I'd be able to have bunnies if it wasn't for my vet. They are a husband and wife team. Kim specialises in cats and Simon in rabbits and guinea pigs, and that is the only animals they see. They are amazing and more like members of my bun's extended family than a vet, and I always look forward to seeing Simon. He totally supported me 100% for 7yrs with my severely disabled house bunny Roger, and although I lost him in September, Simon was very honest, and said up until then Roger had been coping but now he was struggling and within days would be suffering, and so I trusted Simon's judgement totally and he was pts. I knew that Roger would only ever make his final journey when Simon thought it was time. He is the most caring, knowledgeable, amazing vet ever and I know he was genuinely upset when Roger went, as even when Roger was doing ok he was monitored every month, to check weight etc, and so Simon got to know him really well too. On the night Roger was pts the rabbit clinic which is what it is called, closed at 1900hrs, and Simon stayed with me, making sure I was absolutely in agreement, gave me lots of time for final cuddles, and Roger went at 2102hrs. I wonder how many vets would stay with a client and bunny for some 2hrs when they could be at home, but that is how dedicated Simon is, and he knew Roger meant everything to me. I admit I was and still am devastated, but only got the bill last week on just a blank page with just the amount so that I didn't have the upset of seeing Roger's name in black and white and what had been done. There will never be another vet better than Simon, and I have always been able to see why people travel from all over the country to see him with their buns.
 
If you had asked me this 6 years ago it would have been a straight no after the whole Myxi jab incident However now after moving to another Vets that had more Rabbit Savvy I am happy with the service me and the bunnies get :)
 
;) Yes plus they recommended a chinchilla savvy vet. Both I have complete confidence with. (I have the same rabbit vet as Jane).

Yesterday when I phoned them about getting my 6 animals boarded incase of a flood. I was told if I had any problems they would have them at the surgery. :love: How wonderful.

My old London vet I had for 10 years was quite good, not really rabbit savvy but they were a nice practice. Fortunately I never had any real issues with my rabbits there, although he did operate on my of my bunnies ear, after a not so good operation by an emergency vets. They left behind dying skin and it turned into necrosis. I was grateful my vet managed to save her.

I don't have much confidence at all with the emergency vets.
 
I trust Twickenham vets implicitly. I would be happy for Christobel or either Wendy or Laura to take care of my buns :) The nurses are all really great there too.
 
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