Veterinary Care - Choosing a Vet

The RWF works with UK vets to promote better veterinary care for both houserabbits and outdoor rabbits. There's been huge progress over the past couple of years. For example, spaying is now widely accepted as a routine operation; more and more vets appreciate that our houserabbits are beloved companions rather than low-status children's pets; and most houserabbit owners are within 50 miles of a really good rabbit vet. Even the Americans struggle to match that in some states! We have six veterinary advisors attached to the RWA. Some are rabbit experts in general practice; some are academics; one is in the USA. All are rabbit lovers as committed to promoting rabbit welfare as the rest of the RWA team. They advise the association on health and welfare matters; veterinary politics; and how to out-reach to veterinary surgeons and nurses.

Finding a good vet for your rabbit

As soon as you get a bunny, you need to find a good rabbit vet. The early vaccinations and health checks (bunnies in the UK need vaccinating against both VHD and myxomatosis) provide the perfect opportunity to check out a promising local practice. Don't leave it until your bunny gets sick one day to find out where to go! The Rabbit Welfare Association has compiled a list of "rabbit friendly" vets, to assist members struggling to locate a suitable vet to treat their pet. Information on the RWA vet list. Please let us know if you can recommend your vet! Before resigning yourself to travelling miles to use a rabbit vet, do have a good look locally - get out the Yellow Pages! There will be loads of really good rabbit vets in Britain that we just don't know about yet. In the next sections, we'll look at what you should be looking for when you choose a vet for your bunny.

It is very important to find the right vet to look after your pet rabbit in sickness and in health. Not all vets are experienced with rabbits, and even within a group practice you will find that some of the vets are more knowledgable and interested in rabbits than others. The ideal situation is to find an expert rabbit vet with good facilities near to your home. Realistically, though, unless you live in an urban area with a good selection of veterinary practices within reach, you will probably have to settle for a perfectly competent vet with a good grasp of the basics of rabbit medicine, an attitude you can work with and a willingness to seek further advice should it become necessary. It is no good finding the best rabbit vet in the country if your bunny gets desperately unwell you have to set off on a three hour drive up the motorway! When choosing a vet for your bunny, here are some things to consider.

Experience

Obviously it is nice to find a really experienced vet. But quite often we find it is younger vets who are more open minded about rabbits and more willing to go away and find information if they don't know the answer off hand.

Facilities

Rabbits need TLC. If your bunny ever needs hospitalising, you need to know he/she is getting the best possible care. Ideally, rabbit hospital cages should be well away from dogs and cats and ferrets. It is nice if there is someone on the premises 24 hours a day, but this is quite rare in the UK. If your rabbit needs surgery (and most houserabbits will, because they need to be neutered) then attention to detail is very important. Warming pads; warmed fluids; trained staff are all essential. A pulse oximeter for example, is very useful; and adequate dental equipment is very helpful and if nothing else shows that the vet has invested in the peri-operative safety of his patients. The actual anaesthetic used is far, far less important than the experience of the vet in using that technique. Injectable anaesthetics are much more widely used in Britain compared to America, and many vets are not equipped with Isoflurane but use Halothane instead. Halothane is fine if the vet is experienced at using it. Isoflurane has advantages (for example, a lower risk of cardiac arrhythmias in a stressed animal) but it is not the be all and end all. And I would never ever let a vet operate on my rabbit unless he/she is going to pay proper attention to post operative analgesia (pain relief).

Attitude

Houserabbits are beloved companion animals - not "livestock". You need a vet whom you trust to do the best for your rabbit. You are looking for someone who will put as much effort into your rabbit as he/she would for a dog or cat. Of course you must also be willing to pay the appropriate rate - at least the same as consultation fees as dogs or cats and in some cases more. Expertise can be very expensive. We HIGHLY recommend you insure your rabbit for vets fees.

Access

Taking your rabbit a long distance for routine surgery or second opinions is fine - few of us are lucky enough to have an expert in the same town. But you *must* locate a good local vet - for emergency care, routine stuff like vaccinations and teeth checks, and basically to be your rabbit's GP. If your own vet is not a totally rabbit whizz-kid, fine. So long as he/she is willing to work with you; admit limitations and assist you seeking a second opinion if any difficulties arise. I would much rather see a vet willing to treat my bunny as the beloved friend he is, who will use the books and seek advice when he doesn't know, than someone who doesn't like admitting their limitations.

Etiquette

Your bunny is a patient of your vet. It is very, very important to respect that relationship with your vet. Never chop and change vets without discussing the situation with the first vet. Going for a second opinion without a referral is not only regarded as unacceptable by the profession, but it deprives your pet of the best care because the second vet needs to communicate with the first. If you want a second opinion, or to change vets, for whatever reason that is fine, but you must be totally open with everyone concerned. When you talk to potential vets, ask them what their attitudes are to second opinions. Most vets these days are delighted to hear an owner concerned enough to ask, and few have their noses put out of joint by you requesting referral to someone more experienced/specialised. Remember, you are looking for someone to work for you and your pet.