Tips and Tricks at the Vet

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Mac189

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At some point or another, all of us have had to go to the vet and I've noticed a lot of problems that have occurred because the system can sometimes be challenging to navigate. As someone who has been working at a veterinary hospital for the past year, I thought it might be helpful to all of us to discuss some stuff that is good to know and may save us some money or make the trip a little easier.
Obviously not all of the things I am discussing will apply to all clinics in all regions, however, this information has really helped me in the past and I've seen it save clients a lot of trouble.

Money:
- A lot of clinics offer recheck appointments at free or reduced price. If your rabbit has an issue you've been into the vet for before recently, you may be able to request a recheck and skip the exam fee.
- Prescriptions are sometimes less expensive if you have the Rx sent to another pharmacy that also carries vet medicine (Costco or a wholesale pharmacy is often great for this). You can sometimes ask the clinic to send the Rx to the pharmacy of your choosing which is a really easy way to sav, especially on prescriptions that are needed for a long time. Call around for rates.
- You can always refuse to have a test run if you don't think it will be necessary (but listen to your vet if they believe it is extremely important).
- If you just need a fecal run and have had your rabbit examined in the past year you may be able to just bring the sample in and skip an exam fee.
- If you have a more expensive procedure being done (or even a lot of tests) ask for a quote so you know what will be being done and won't be surprised at checkout.
- State how much money you are able to spend if money is a concern, good vets are almost always willing to help and try to find a way to make the necessary treatment available to you.
- If the bill is large, inquire about held checks or paying in installments, which allow you to pay in more manageable ways. Scratchpay is a company that partners with some clinics to make this extremely easy.

When to go in:
- Obviously if your pet is in a great deal of pain, bleeding, limping, or behaving in a way that implies something is wrong without a known cause (or if the known cause needs medical intervention).
- When you first get a bunny to have normal vitals and important information in the chart, as well as build a relationship with the vet so they know what is normal and abnormal. (it will also make an emergency trip far quicker and less stressful if you don't have to fill out paperwork when there's a panic).
-Ideally annually if there are no issues to make sure there is no major changes and your vet knows the changes in your bunny as they age and can catch small problems before they're big problems.

What to Know:
- Your rabbit's diet and all things ingested
- Your rabbit's age, sex, breed, and whether they're spayed or neutered (if you don't know, those are questions that the vet may be able to answer in some cases)
- Symptoms and signs
-Timeline of when the problem began and changes (try to be specific, it can really help)
- Any concerns you have
Write all this down if you are able to so you don't forget something if you get flustered

Questions to ask
- Make sure the diet you are feeding is good
- Is my rabbit at a good weight (and what should I do if they aren't)?
- Are my rabbit's teeth healthy (and what should be done if they aren't)?
- When going in for a procedure where your rabbit may be put under anesthesia, ask which anesthetic they will use and do a little research beforehand about which ones are safe... It never hurts to ask and be sure what is being used is bunny approved
- Make a list of things that you wonder about so you don't forget while you're there, even if it's just a little thing.
- Which vaccines you need and how often they need to be updated.
- What are some common problems and what are the signs I should look out for?
- Make sure you are clear about the dosages for prescribed meds as well as when and how to give them.

What not to do:
- Lie to your vet (they can't help you if you haven't been completely honest about what's going on)
- No-call-no-show to an appointment (it's sloppy and can complicate your relationship with the clinic, or even cost you money).
- Skip a recommended recheck appointment (it is always best to make sure a problem is actually fixed).
- Put off going in for something that is obviously a problem.

Add any other tips that have helped you or made vet trips a better experience for you! Or add anything you think I may have missed or forgotten!
 
The one thing i would add to the tips and tricks at the vets is to do proper research if the vet is good/proffessional enough to handle your bunny problem. With Musti we went to a bigger city vet as was reccommended but we failed to check if the staff was savvy enough so after their treatment failed we called another vet and they directed us to another one they recommended. Turns out that what vet number one said to do for the stagnant knee (was to leave it alone) was completely wrong, instead vet number tree(redirected by number 2) said that the said knee should've been physiotherapied under painkillers the whole time!
So folks, always ALWAYS so in-depth research before going to the vet. Might save you loads of troubles!(Might've also saved Musti's life)
 

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