Choosing a Good Vet
I can't stress enough how important it is to find a good knowledgeable vet. It is also important to learn all about your rats. You can join Rat Clubs and if you have access to the internet. There is enormous amounts of information you can read up on. Get to know other rat owners and ask around about good vets. You will need to know before bringing your pets home. You could try your local telephone directory. Choose a local vet. you don't want to be
traveling too far, especially with sick rats on your hands. When you have chosen one, telephone or visit and speak to the receptionist. Don't be afraid of asking too many questions. Remember your entrusting your beloved pets to these people. Find out if there is a vet that is
knowledgeable in the treatment of rats and smaller animals. If so, ask how many rats they treat in a year. Ask if there is a 24 hour emergency service and if so, find out if they are able to perform operations out of hours.
Sometimes they run a 24 hour service but are unable to treat your pets until morning. Find out if they have specialist equipment on the premises. Again some practices send the animals to other places for scans and
x-rays etc. Find out if they have a laboratory where they test the animals blood etc.
After establishing this, ask about the consultation charges and if you can bring in multiple rats for the same charge. Some vets do charge for each rat and I'm afraid it will cost you a lot if they choose to do this. Be sure to also ask the cost of operations. Tumour removal and castration are common ones. The average charges are between
£40 to £100. To be quite honest you can't tell a good vet by the way that they charge. Sometimes the most expensive fees are not an indication of a good vet. You may find the cheapest are better. I'm afraid it can be a lottery. Don't forget to ask about visiting times and if there's a walk in clinic or appointments only. Sometimes there is both. Also ask the average
waiting times. The last thing you need is to be waiting for hours with a sick animal.
During the appointment, when seeing the vet, watch how they handle your pet. You can usually tell if he/she is comfortable and relaxed caring for it. Don't be afraid of asking too many questions. This way you can sum up their attitude and communication skills and do make sure that the vet explains everything in detail. A good vet will teach you more and give you good tips. If your rat needs a prescription always ask for extra. A lot of vets don't consider spillage and will only give you the minimum course. Another thing you may find useful is to have a course of antibiotics on hand just in case of accidents. Rats are prone to respiratory disease and torn nails. It is always useful to administrate antibiotics as soon as you suspect an infection. Although vets are trained to use their discretion on the administration of drugs, they don't always practice this and give you the feeling of they know better, plus it's more money for them when they force you to bring your poor stressed out pet to see them just for a torn nail. This type of vet has not got your animals best interest at heart.
We have come across quite a few vets that have been set in their ways. Rats are just rats to them. Some of the older vets seem to be this way. Some of the younger ones are no better. We've come across quite a few who
seem to be eager, trying to run before they can walk and never listening to reason (I know best, I'm a vet). Both of these types of vet can and often are detrimental to you and your rats health.
You need a vet who doesn't take offence every time you make suggestions. They need to be open minded and to not be afraid of learning new treatments. You also need them to respect your views and listen to you when you want to experiment with other treatments, especially when other treatments have failed in the past. It's essential to establish a good relationship with them and basically learn from each other.
With so much information about most of us rat enthusiasts, we know more about rats than our vets do. So be aware and do your homework before exposing your beloved rat to an unscrupulous vet
