• Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Rabbit healthcare monthly plans

CocoLoco

Young Bun
Any one know if vet healthcare plans are worth it? Been seeing some vets offer it for as cheap as £8 a month per rabbit. But i’m not sure if these practices that offer the plans are rabbit savvy enough such as Vets4Pets and Medivet. Anyone tried any of them? Need to get my rabbits vaccinated and neutered
 
Great your getting your buns vaccinated & neutered - both are essential as you're no doubt aware. There will be rabbit savvy vets at some branches both Medivet & P@H, whether there are any at your local practices is the key thing. I'm assuming the monthly plans offer money off vaccinations & neuter / spay? If so I'd just do the math - ask both places how much a spay & vaccinations come to & compare. So long as you're not tied in forever I imagine it would make sense atm because you know they're having their ops. Some of these packages do (or did) include treatments I'd definitely not recommend for a healthy (perhaps any) rabbit. Things like frontline or flea treatments...

I would recommend calling some Independent practices & cost those up too before making a decision. Then, as you noted, its important they are rabbit savvy. When you're calling for prices ask if they see many rabbits, is any one vet especially interested in them...or any exotics vets (who get pretty much all the training on rabbits, standard vets get minimal). Quiz them - if they are not interested that is a bit of a red flag in itself, although you need to bare in mind some wonderful vets stand behind dragon receptionists & vice versa
 
Great your getting your buns vaccinated & neutered - both are essential as you're no doubt aware. There will be rabbit savvy vets at some branches both Medivet & P@H, whether there are any at your local practices is the key thing. I'm assuming the monthly plans offer money off vaccinations & neuter / spay? If so I'd just do the math - ask both places how much a spay & vaccinations come to & compare. So long as you're not tied in forever I imagine it would make sense atm because you know they're having their ops. Some of these packages do (or did) include treatments I'd definitely not recommend for a healthy (perhaps any) rabbit. Things like frontline or flea treatments...

I would recommend calling some Independent practices & cost those up too before making a decision. Then, as you noted, its important they are rabbit savvy. When you're calling for prices ask if they see many rabbits, is any one vet especially interested in them...or any exotics vets (who get pretty much all the training on rabbits, standard vets get minimal). Quiz them - if they are not interested that is a bit of a red flag in itself, although you need to bare in mind some wonderful vets stand behind dragon receptionists & vice versa
Thank you for your advice! But may i know why you do not recommend frontline/flea treatments? Most of the ones i saw do offer a percentage off of neutering and includes regular check ups and annual vaccinations.
 
Rabbits only need treating for fleas if you find any on them. I've never treated a rabbit for fleas in 25 years. I wouldn't apply spot on treatments that are not needed, especially on rabbits. I only treat the dogs & cats when I see evidence of fleas, or if one of them has a severe allergy to flea bites.

Some rabbit plans offer Rearguard for flystrike. Again, this isn't needed on an otherwise healthy and active rabbit. It also has well known side effects - mainly lack of appetite, which is serious in rabbits. A diet high in hay, maintaining a healthy weight, good general hygiene and bum checks daily are the best way of preventing fly strike. Being overweight (and unable to groom properly), producing sticky poo (often due to too much pelleted food) or incontinence are things which are likely to attract flies and lead to flystrike - so prevention by good daily management is the way forward.

Cash off neutering and annual vaccination is a good idea, but do the sums first.
 
Often these are good value in the first year, presuming they have a good neutering discount and you take them up on microchipping, and you think they are sufficiently good with rabbits that you want them to neuter yours. Do compare prices compared to some other local practices. After the first year they often are not good value and you are better adding up the cost of annual vaccines plus their checkup, and rearguard if you use it, and putting 1/12 of that into a savings account each month.

Do get insurance as well, a vet pet care plan isn't the same and only covers routine treatment.
 
Back
Top