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Vet recommendations in Essex (Rayleigh area)

spinecho

Warren Scout
Hi all, hope you can help?

I've taken our 2 bunnies (brother and sister) to a local chain of vets (vets4pets) for an initial checkup and vaccinations when they were 10 weeks with no problems.

I've previously taken our 2 elderly (17-18 yrs old [emoji46] ) cats there for various ailments and found them to be helpful and informative.

However, there was some doubt initially over one of the bunny's sex - the breeder said buck, vet said doe!
So we took them back when bunnies were 13 weeks but the locum vet there wasn't really experienced with rabbits and couldn't tell; the nurse confirmed we had a doe and buck.
We were then told by vet we had to wait until buck was six months until neutering, when I'd read it was 16 weeks.

This last visit and the transient nature of the vets (I've seen a different vet every time I've been there) is making me want to change vets to get our buck neutered ASAP at 16 weeks.

Can anyone recommend a decent vet in the Rayleigh area of Essex?

Thanks and apologies for the long and rambling post!! [emoji6]

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I use Earls Hall vets hospital in Westcliff on sea, not sure if that's too far?

Ioana at Downes Vets in Rayleigh has a keen interest in bunnies also but I prefer Earls Hall as they have longer open hours and their own hospitalisation facilities with staff on site 24/7
 
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South Beech surgery in Wickford used to be great, back in the day. I have absolutely no experience of it now, though, as the vets are completely different. Might be worth a look?
 
Which branch of V4P did you use? It's always hard when there's locums isn't it, it can be quite hit and miss. I know someone with lots of bunnies down that way uses the vets4pets at Southend airport and finds that the vets are happy to work with them and are really getting quite bunny savvy. Someone I know helped out with a rescue of a number of bunnies with health problems and they went there and said the vet seemed good and picked up on a number of things that a lot of other vets may well have missed.
 
Santa I think EGPRRR take some rabbits down the V4P Southend airport (and the main southend one) so no wonder they are getting savvy!!
 
Thanks for the replies.
Well, V4P in Rayleigh adamant that they won't neuter Thumper till 6 months. I can understand their reasons why, but I don't want to separate the bonded pair for that long!
I've been in contact with a vet in Braintree, http://www.millenniumvets.co.uk/ and they've said that they can neuter Thumper at 16 weeks, but to also spay Clover at the same time so we only need to separate them for a couple of days post op.
I'm a bit weary, not only about the distance (about a 30-45 min journey) but also about spaying Clovercso young.

Please can anyone advise?

Thanks

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Not sure if it is any closer to you but William Lewis at the Orchid Vets, in Brentwood, is an excellent exotic/rabbit vet.
 
I wouldn't have a problem with getting them both neutered at 16 weeks or so or sooner for the boy. My vet (the Vets4Pets in Braintree) will neuter females from 4 months so I wouldn't be at all worried about getting both done at the same time. I recently had a rescue litter here and all four girls were spayed at my vets at 4 months old without problem.

From where you are, if you're prepared to travel as far as Braintree then William Lewis at Orchid vet in Brentwood is definitely the most specialist bunny vet in the area and that would probably be a much shorter journey I'd have thought. Not sure what age he will neuter but might be worth a call and a visit if you're still not sure on gender. Many vets will castrate the males as soon as their testicles drop which can be from 12 weeks, I'm sure I've had a foster boy bun done by William at around 4 months old. I'd start to worry about the female getting pregnant by her brother if they're still together much longer than 12 weeks.
 
Thanks to both for your prompt replies.
Thumper is definitely a boy, as he most certainly has testicles!!!!
And they've been separated for a good two weeks now (they're 16 weeks tomorrow).

My wife has provisionally booked them in tomorrow, hence the urgency, but my mind has been put at rest.

I will give Brentwood a call 1st thing in morning!
 
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I can't recommend anywhere closer to you as it's the wrong area of Essex for me but I've seen William Lewis on a number of occasions & would recommend him too. :thumb:
 
Just phoned Orchid and mentioned this forum as recommending them! ;-)

The lady I spoke with was very pleasant and knowledgeable. Unfortunately she said that they wouldn't neuter/spay the pair until 5 months, so another 4 weeks or so.....:-( they did say they would take both in at same time!

Now I'm torn! I don't know what's best for our bunnies....wait a month, but that means keeping them separate for another month, or take them to Brentwood on Friday, but I'd not forgive myself if anything happened because we got them done too early!!!

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Going back quite a few years now, William did explain why he wouldn't neuter a female before 5-6 months, sorry can't remember why. I have been going to William for years with numerous bunnies and trust him 100%.
 
That's a dilemma... I'd still go with William myself though, I think. For me it sounds about the right timescale for a spay anyway, but I'm definitely no expert.
 
Thanks for the help.

Thumper and Clover are booked into Orchid Vets in Brentwood at end of September and we've cancelled the Braintree vets as my wife and I on reflection thought that although we want to get them treated as soon as possible, we wouldn't live with our selves if anything happened to our bunnies!!!

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Great choice, Spinecho. I will be moving all mine to them soon as I have had great problems with my local vet in Southend (see my thread about Toby)
 
Hi Kavanne, read your posts regarding Toby; hope all goes well with the little fella!! ;-)

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Going back quite a few years now, William did explain why he wouldn't neuter a female before 5-6 months, sorry can't remember why. I have been going to William for years with numerous bunnies and trust him 100%.

William is my vet and he's wonderful, always very knowledgeable and so much experience of everything. He did Bea last year and the reason for the 5.5/6months spaying is that not all rabbits are developed enough before then for it to be easy to find the uterus etc, making the op longer and more complicated. But I'm sure he'll explain it to you when you see him :)
 
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