Finding A Rabbit Savvy Vet & Member Recommendations

Whilst the rabbit is now the third most popular pet in the UK it is still classed as an exotic by vets and is therefor not considered a 'mainstream' in general practice, although small animal practices naturally see them frequently. Due to this exotic status it often costs more to have a rabbit treated for the same ailment as a dog or cat and even the appointment fee can be higher.

Despite the rabbits new-found popularity there is a shortage of good, knowledgeable and compassionate rabbit vets in the UK. During their time at veterinary school the curriculum allows very limited time for study on the unique anatomy and ailments of the rabbit. As such it is vital that vets take it upon themselves to continue to study and research after qualifying to keep abreast of new developments in rabbit health, care & treatment.

You can search the RCVS (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) website to Find a Vet near you. There is an option to search for small animal accredited practices and those that specialise in 'exotics'.

We recommend that you call or drop by your new vets and ask them the following questions before registering to ensure they really are rabbit 'savvy'. Finding a good vet is one of the most important things you can do for your rabbit.

What to Ask Your Vet & What Answers to Expect

• How many rabbits do they routinely see? Should be a fair few if they are Rabbit Savvy.
  
• Do they recommend speying & castrating and do they consider it a routine operation? Answer should be Yes.
  
• Do they recommend vaccinating for Myxomatosis & VHD? Answer should be Yes with Myxomatosis recommended every 6 months.
  
• Do they routinely provide post-operative pain relief & gut stimulants? Answer should be Yes.
  
• Do they recommend starving rabbits prior to General Aneasthetics? Answer should be No. This is very important as it is dangerous to fast a rabbit. See FAQ Here
  
• Do they perform dental surgery and what technique do they employ? Answer should be Yes, using either a Dental Burr or Bone Roungers.
  
• Do they regularly attend small animal conferences and 'refresher courses' to keep up to date with advances in rabbit medicine? Answer should be Yes!
  
• Do they use a Euthanasia technique you are confortable with? Read Here for more information as it is helpful to know what to request/expect when the time comes.

The RCVS has also provided us with a article on finding a vet and checking accredations which can be read HERE

Member Recommendations
It will be helpful to our members if we can build up a database of recommended Rabbit Vets across the UK (and maybe even further afield) in this section to help owners find someone both experienced and compassionate with their pets. If you have a vet you would like to recommend please feel free to add them to this thread by filling in the following information:

• Surgery Name & Address
  
• Phone Number
  
• Website
  
• Vets Name
  
• Do They Provide Their Own Out of Hours Emergency Service?
  
  Basic Costs
  
• Consultation Fee
  
• Vaccinations
  
• Spey
  
• Castration
  
• Dental: Conscious/Unconscious

Hunters Bar Veterinary Surgery
613 Ecclesall Road
Sheffield
S11

0114 266 3607

Anita Fox

Do They Provide Their Own Out of Hours Emergency Service? No they use VetsNow located at Attercliffe in the PDSA center. However they do have Saturday and Sunday 'drop-in' surgeries under normal consultation fee's.

Basic Costs
Consultation Fee: £25
Vaccinations: £30 each
Spey: £63
Castration: £53
Dental: Conscious Incisors burring averages £10, GA Molar Burring or Rounger work is between £60 & £120.

ABBEY VETERINARY GROUP

All in the BARNSLEY/SHEFFIELD area.

MAIN BRANCH: 89 Dodworth Road Barnsley 01226 242217

CUDWORTH: 245a Barnsley Road 01226 716802 (My branch )

HOYLAND: 29 King Street 01226 747450

WOMBWELL: 15 Station Road 01226 340029

DEEPCAR: 340 Manchester Road 0114 2884994

HIGH GREEN: 2 Thompson Hill 0114 2848481

Recommended Rabbit Savvy vet: REBECCA PENN

Do they have an out of hours emergency Service? YES: 01226 242217

Vaccination costs: £34.95 for both Myxo and VHD, this price includes a FULL HEALTH ASSESSMENT including the very vital area of DENTISTRY

A Nurse vaccination can be performed if your pet has passed a health examination by one of their vets in the last four weeks, the price therefore is £26.95 for both Myxo and VHD

i would like to reccomend 2 rabbit savvy vets
jason burgess
quedgeley animal hospital
quedgeley
gloucester
01452520056

basic costs are £110 female spey and vaccs are £17 consultationis around £17 too,

nicola sheather
beeches vetinary hospital
farnham road
slough

01753539353
basic costs are male neuter £48 female spey £65 vaccinations (£22 for both given 2 weeks apart tho) or £16.50 each

I would like to recommend the following rabbit savvy vet, who I think a few people here already know about:

Simon Maddock
Cat & Rabbit Care Clinic
1 Limehurst Square
Duston
Northampton
NN5 6LP
01604 478888
http://www.catandrabbit.co.uk/ (the website looks like work in progress!)
Prices are reasonable and the care, treatment and advice is fantastic.
Mon, Wed, Fri 9-7
Thur 9-8
Sat 9-12

I can also recommend Helen Armstrong (?) at Oadby Vets4Pets. I doubt that she is a rabbit specialist but I was impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm. I have been searching for a good vet in Leicester for quite a while! I have just had my two buns myxy vaccinated for £10 each. It is a half price offer they are having in April. There is also an offer on their website where you can vaccinate your pet for life for £70. I have emailed them to ask for more details about this and will update when they get back to me.

186 Oadby Road
Wigston
Leicester
LE18 3PX
0116 281 3322
http://www.vets4pets.com/practice.asp?dbid=35
8:30am - 7:00pm Mon-Fri,
9:00am - 12:00pm Sat

John Chitty at Strathmore Vets in Andover, Hampshire. He is a rabbit specialist and gives talks at RWAF conferences and stuff on them too - if you do a google search on him you can see loads of research he's done and info on him. He is Foxglove's vet for her infected tooth roots and subsequent breathing problems and is brilliant - even does the work under GA while i wait as is a 3 hour round trip for me so i can't go home and go back later. He is a very knowledgeable and competent man and diagnosed Foxy's problems when my normal vets (who are very good) couldn't.
Here is their website:
http://www.strathmoreveterinaryclinic.co.uk/

**N.B. John Chitty has now left Strathmore practice, please see subsequent post**

Surgery Name & Address:
NH & FM Harcourt-Brown Limited
30 Crab Lane
Harrogate
HG1 3BE

Phone Number
01423 508945

Website N/A

Vets Name
Recognised specialist in Rabbits: Frances Harcourt-Brown
If Frances unavailable ask for Ruth Hardy

Do They Provide Their Own Out of Hours Emergency Service?
Yes. They also do an open surgery on Saturdays 9 - 11am, 2 - 3pm and
(Sunday 10 - 11 am - urgent cases only) - very useful.

Basic Costs
Consultation Fee ?Around £23

Vaccinations
Myxi 1st rabbit £23.70 (discounts for more)
VHD 1st rabbit apx as above (Lapinject) good discounts for more rabbits at same appointment.

Spey
Approx £100 - includes overnight stay.

Castration
Approx £60
Dental: Conscious/Unconscious
?

John Chitty has now left Strathmore vets and has set up his own practice and consultancy. The practice is based in Salisbury, Wilts. but he will also be consulting in Basingstoke on a Monday, and Southampton on a Friday each week, as well as taking veterinary referrals for the south of England.

A few of us have taken Rabbits to John, and without exception, he has always proved to be extremely competent at diagnosing and treating unusual conditions, and finding things that practice vets may not see. His after care service has been invaluable, and he takes the time to call regularly and keep up with your rabbits progress and advise accordingly.

Vets Name: John Chitty, BVetMed CertZooMed CBiol MSB MRCVS

Surgery Name & Address:
JC Exotic Pet Consultancy Ltd
Wombourne
Allington Track
Allington
Salisbury
Wilts SP4 0DD
UK

Phone Number: 07775796432

Fax: 01980 610370

Website: www.jcexoticpetconsultancy.co.uk
Email: enquiries@jcexoticpetconsultancy.co.uk

Re: Costs etc, best to call and speak to him directly, and mention that you are a forum member, he does have contact with HH

ETA: John Chitty also has a mobile veterinary service that operates from the car park at the
The Hawk Conservancy Trust Visitor Centre,
Sarson Lane,
Weyhill,
Andover,
Hampshire,
SP11 8DY

Thursday – 9.00am-10.00am
Saturday – 9.00am-10.30am

Appointments only
Ring/text: 0777 579 6432

Thanks for that Jay, I can highly recommend John, he is absolutely brilliant, I took three of our bunnies to him and he diagnosed all three and operated on them, the most interesting was Andy who was diagnosed with Frontal Sinusitis and he had his nose drilled to relieve all the mucus and muck, absolutely fascinating

Brilliant man!

ANIMAL HOUSE VETS

Rugby Surgery
3 Eastlands Court, St. Peters Road, Rugby, Warwickshire,
CV21 3QP
Tel: 01788 575300

Warwick Surgery
46 Coten End, Warwick, Warwickshire,
CV34 4NR
Tel: 01926 494923

Paula Bailey OR Sam - both are excellent

Do They Provide Their Own Out of Hours Emergency Service? NO - they use vets now, however they are open 7 days a week running at NORMAL HOURS which is just EXCELLENT!!

Basic Costs
Consultation Fee: £23.50
Vaccinations: £13 each
Spay: £53
Castration: £48
Dental: guessing £100+

http://www.vetanimalhouse.co.uk

coco wrote:ANIMAL HOUSE VETS

Rugby Surgery
3 Eastlands Court, St. Peters Road, Rugby, Warwickshire,
CV21 3QP
Tel: 01788 575300

Warwick Surgery
46 Coten End, Warwick, Warwickshire,
CV34 4NR
Tel: 01926 494923

Paula Bailey OR Sam - both are excellent

Do They Provide Their Own Out of Hours Emergency Service? NO - they use vets now, however they are open 7 days a week running at NORMAL HOURS which is just EXCELLENT!!

Basic Costs
Consultation Fee: £23.50
Vaccinations: £13 each
Spay: £53
Castration: £48
Dental: guessing £100+

http://www.vetanimalhouse.co.uk

I can second this recommendation, they are fantastic and Paula has saved many of our bunnies that have come in near to death, they are amazing

My vets are a general practice, but there are several vets who are really knowledgeable about rabbits and the practice policy is that, if they don't know something, they say so and find out rather than trying to bluff their way through and cause bigger problems. They are happy to consult experts in Edinburgh, for example or to refer if there's something out of their experience.

They are Blythman and Partners, whose main branch is in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, but they also have branches in South Shields (the one I use), Gateshead, Hebburn, Heddon on the Wall, Wallsend, Westerhope and Whitburn.

They are available 24/7 but out of normal hours, only at the Gosforth branch, where they have full hospital facilities.

Website http://www.blythmanandpartners.co.uk/Page/Index.aspx and main (Gosforth) branch phone number is 0191 284 1711

I've used the practice for a huge variety of pets since 1976 and thoroughly recommend them

The Sidings Veternary Surgery in Cirencester!
Sheep Street
Tel. 01285 643146
24 hour service
Been looking after my warren and the cats for the last five years.
Reliable and proffesional.
Reasonable fees.
Participating in RAW!

I would recommend
BLACK SHEEP VETS
4, MERIDAN  CENTRE
BELVIOR WAY
FAIRFIELD INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
LOUTH
LINCOLNSHIRE
LN11 0LQ
Tel: 01507 609928

A small animals only practice.
Very reasonable fees including out of hours.
Home visits by arrangement.
Three caring, dedicated vets.

http://www.blacksheepvets.co.uk/Black-Sheep-Vets