Daft question......

I feel a bit silly asking this, but how do you know if your vet is rabbit savvy or not?

I trust my normal vet surgery - they've never failed me yet and they've vaccinated and neutered a fair few rabbits of mine in the past as well as friends. They also treated successfully treated my first rabbit, Peppermint, for sore hocks about 17 years ago (yes I'm old ) and more recently Dexy's EC and Blackavar's stasis episode.

But their OOH is based at the pdsa hospital in Attercliffe, Sheffield. Now whilst they got Blackavar through his stasis episode and he was admitted over night, I do feel with hindsight that I was badly let down with them when I took Dexy to them that awful Sunday morning. I feel that if I knew then what I do now, he'd have made it through and may even be still here with me now.

I also took my friends rabbit (I'm looking after him whilst my friend is on holiday) to the vet on Wednesday as he was sneezing and had a bit of a snotty nose and they wanted to check my records were up to date.... Dexy was still listed even though the OOH vet was supposed to have sent them the details on Monday 12th December 2011. I could understand it that day when they didn't know & I had to call them to cancel his appt for the next day & they asked if I wanted to reschedule. But 864 days later?

So I'd be interested in your thoughts on this. A) what do you if your bunny is ill OOH and you don't have rabbit savvy OOH care available?
B) you have a rabbit savvy vet, but none savvy OOH care.
C) how do you know if your vet and/or OOH vet is rabbit savvy?


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Technically, a rabbit savvy vet is an exotics vet so will be listed as part of their qualifications. I have found that the other vets at my practice, which has 3 exotics vets, are all quite knowledgeable on bunnies because they work with specialists - and they know they are not experts so seek advice from the specialists if they need it. I always make appointments with the exotics vets but in ooh situations I trust the other vets at the practice to do their best and seek advice if necessary/possible.

I have an amazing bunny and piggy savvy vet but sadly they use Vets Now for their OOH cover. It's a trade off between knowing that 90% of the time, I'll see a great bunny/piggy vet and 10% of the time, I'll just see a vet. If I went to my nearest vets who cover their own OOH, I'd never see a great bunny/piggy vet so that's why I choose my bunny specialist practice with pants OOH cover.

ETA - my vets deal exclusively with rabbits, cats and piggies (with maybe the odd hammie thrown in for good measure).

Mackers said:

I have an amazing bunny and piggy savvy vet but sadly they use Vets Now for their OOH cover. It's a trade off between knowing that 90% of the time, I'll see a great bunny/piggy vet and 10% of the time, I'll just see a vet. If I went to my nearest vets who cover their own OOH, I'd never see a great bunny/piggy vet so that's why I choose my bunny specialist practice with pants OOH cover.

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It's Vets Now that do my OOH care too. I'm terrible with accents so I can't be sure, but I think the vet who saw Dexy that day was American. Not that that as anything to do with it, but I'd prefer it if she doesn't deal with my pets in future and that's all I can remember of that awful trip.


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You have to make your own judgement. I know a lot about rabbits, mainly because I research things or see them on here, and I retain information well. But I expect my vet to know more. With me, alarm bells will ring if my vet doesn't know more than me. I always ask a lot of questions at the vet, and the first time I see a vet I'll ask their opinion on aspects of diet or the illness to judge their knowledge of it.

I've thankfully never had to go to an out of hours vets. I always choose vets that are open on Saturdays and also weekday evenings, and I have a lot of things at home so if I can, I ring and ask them and get dosage info over the phone, knowing already what to give (as the problem has already been diagnosed and is being treated), rather than take them in. I've never had an emergency situation that has required the OOH vet, thankfully.

If I had to go to the OOH vet, I would use my own judgement to decide whether to take their advice. For common emergency things like stasis/fly strike etc I make sure I have enough knowledge of these illnesses to be able to judge this. I don't bother with heart stuff or broken bones, as even a non rabbit savvy vet should know this stuff, as it will be pretty much the same as a dog or cat having the problem.

nessar said:

You have to make your own judgement. I know a lot about rabbits, mainly because I research things or see them on here, and I retain information well. But I expect my vet to know more. With me, alarm bells will ring if my vet doesn't know more than me. I always ask a lot of questions at the vet, and the first time I see a vet I'll ask their opinion on aspects of diet or the illness to judge their knowledge of it.

I've thankfully never had to go to an out of hours vets. I always choose vets that are open on Saturdays and also weekday evenings, and I have a lot of things at home so if I can, I ring and ask them and get dosage info over the phone, knowing already what to give (as the problem has already been diagnosed and is being treated), rather than take them in. I've never had an emergency situation that has required the OOH vet, thankfully.

If I had to go to the OOH vet, I would use my own judgement to decide whether to take their advice. For common emergency things like stasis/fly strike etc I make sure I have enough knowledge of these illnesses to be able to judge this. I don't bother with heart stuff or broken bones, as even a non rabbit savvy vet should know this stuff, as it will be pretty much the same as a dog or cat having the problem.

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My practice is open late on weekdays and I think Saturday at some point, but not Sunday or middle of the night which on the two occasions I've needed emergency care, it's been then. Sod's law :roll:


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My vet has done extra courses (off her own back) in small animal care and fully admits they don't get enough training in rabbits, she says all the right things, and if she's not 100% sure, she looks it up while there, etc.

With regards to ooh vets, I just hope and prey for the best really, luckily, so far, we've just had the same problem (over and over and over again) and I know what meds he needs so I just ask for them. Even tho our emergency vet practice is a referral vets (so even if we needed a referral, we'd probably end up there) they have a few (one that I can really think of) who just didn't seem rabbit savvy.. he just didn't seem bothered about rabbits at all.

Similarly, at our vet practice (our vets have a one pet, one vet thing where you see the same vet each time) but obviously, if its an emergency and she's not there, we have to see whoever IS there, one of them, I just don't like, she seems scared of rabbits! :roll:

I don't think it's a daft question at all.

I don't know where this whole 'rabbit savvy' phrase originated from (the way some people talk you'd think it was a qualification!), but it means different things to different people, and is rather a judgement call, unfortunately. A person is extremely lucky to find a good out of hours service that is knowledgeable about rabbits or any small animals. If you are happy with the service during the day, I wouldn't worry too much, personally.

Sarah1989 said:

My practice is open late on weekdays and I think Saturday at some point, but not Sunday or middle of the night which on the two occasions I've needed emergency care, it's been then. Sod's law :roll:


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That's a right pain. What I also do, is I'm a bit overly cautious. If I even think they are a little off, I'll take them on the Friday rather than risking the weekend.

If I don't trust what a vet says and don't think they are proposing the right course of action, I'll ask them to do enough to tide me over till I can see my preferred vet.

One good thing about Barney being chronically ill is that he goes to the rabbit savvy vet so often that things are picked up on if he isn't right.

Mackers said:

I have an amazing bunny and piggy savvy vet but sadly they use Vets Now for their OOH cover. It's a trade off between knowing that 90% of the time, I'll see a great bunny/piggy vet and 10% of the time, I'll just see a vet. If I went to my nearest vets who cover their own OOH, I'd never see a great bunny/piggy vet so that's why I choose my bunny specialist practice with pants OOH cover.

ETA - my vets deal exclusively with rabbits, cats and piggies (with maybe the odd hammie thrown in for good measure).

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This is like me. Love my vet and have been going to her for years but unfortunately her practice is not open OOH and we have to go to the sister practice in emergency and any one of several vets who are rota-ed could be on. But in an emergency any vet is better than no vet.

And I usually go in there demanding what they need anyway! :lol:

nessar said:

That's a right pain. What I also do, is I'm a bit overly cautious. If I even think they are a little off, I'll take them on the Friday rather than risking the weekend.

If I don't trust what a vet says and don't think they are proposing the right course of action, I'll ask them to do enough to tide me over till I can see my preferred vet.

One good thing about Barney being chronically ill is that he goes to the rabbit savvy vet so often that things are picked up on if he isn't right.

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Definitely, I've learned better safe than sorry..... Or in my case, better be paranoid & obsessively check them constantly :lol:

These two were exceptional circumstances. Dexy was ill anyway and had been to the vets on the Tuesday & was going again in a week, but Sunday morning I woke up, checked him and he was collapsed & breathing so shallowly I thought he might die at any second that I just rushed him down there immediately. 11th December & I'm there in my t shirt & trousers with nothing else as I just grabbed the first thing to hand & ran.

Blackavar, I'd only gotten that Friday evening & he was fine then, just wouldn't eat since he got home with me.


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Lea-Anne said:

This is like me. Love my vet and have been going to her for years but unfortunately her practice is not open OOH and we have to go to the sister practice in emergency and any one of several vets who are rota-ed could be on. But in an emergency any vet is better than no vet.

And I usually go in there demanding what they need anyway! :lol:

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:lol: me too . Not so much with the bunny vet as he knows his stuff, but I'm terrible with my regular dog vet.

I don't really know what would class as 'rabbit savvy' but as I live in a small town I decided when I got Levi and Daisy that I would pick one and just see how it went. So far they have given me no reason to doubt that they would do their absolute best for them. They were both neutered there and were absolutely fine. When I took them for their vaccs I was quizzed quite thoroughly to see if I knew my stuff, as it happened I think the vet was quite impressed with my knowledge. And one of the nurses has her own house rabbit. as far as I know they always have a vet from the practice on call for OOH as well so I wouldn't have to go to a strange vets if something went wrong. This is something I feel is quite important.