Rabbit Savvy

[~Bracon~]

Ok heres something Ive been thinking about:

Rabbits are supposed to be the third favourite pet in the UK, it may be the same in the US, i'm not sure.

So... rabbits must be the 3rd most seen animal inthe vets. So why are most not Rabbit Savvy?

~Hannah,Bracon&Warren~

 

[FoxFire]

good point.... i had three male rats once (i know not a rabbit, but still a small pet) our ordinary vet was out of town when i first got these rat babies.. but the visiting vet who took his place for the week was more than happy to check them out, worm them and make sure they were all healthy. She was a small animal/exotic vet....
of course a year down the road one of the rats developed a problem and the local vet(the one that went out of town) didnt know a thing... he couldnt help me.. but he referred me to the first vet to do the surgery..... but she was three hours away.

i wonder if it has something to do with the vet's choice in which field he wants to study the most. cats and dogs are still more popular, even if the rabbit comes in third. it would seem most people just DONT take their rabbits to the vet anyway. those that do probably bring in healthy rabbits that they've just brought home. since rabbits dont normally let on that they're sick and many dont get regular visits because they appear to be healthy... i'm sure it might be circumstance..... just an opinion though....
its said that a vet spends more time in medical school than a human doctor because of all the different species they have to study. maybe just studying the two most popular pets cuts down on the time they have to be in school?

 

[naturestee]

Because many people do not take their rabbits to vets. It's sad, but a large proportion of rabbit owners do not take care of them very well. They might take the dog or cat to a vet but not the rabbit.

 

[rabb1tmad]

naturestee wrote:

Because many people do not take their rabbits to vets. It's sad, but a large proportion of rabbit owners do not take care of them very well. They might take the dog or cat to a vet but not the rabbit.

You're spot on there I fear. I know a few rabbits owners and they can't believe I take mine to the vets and are shocked that I have them vaccinated against myxi and VHD :grumpy:.

Things are changing though. There are some very clever vets out their who recognise the importance of rabbit medecine and there are more and more rabbit savvy vets popping up. I have a great vet, she loves rabbits and has a vast amount of knowledge. If you haven't found yourself a rabbit savvy vet yet contact the RWA as they have a recommended vets list, that's how I found mine.

 

[~BunBuns~]

naturestee wrote:

Because many people do not take their rabbits to vets. It's sad, but a large proportion of rabbit owners do not take care of them very well. They might take the dog or cat to a vet but not the rabbit.

I guess they think rabbits don't need vet attention.. My friend used to take her hamster to the vet..