Tag Archives: choosing a vet

How to Find a Vet for Your Exotic Pet

Choosing a vet can be tricky. You want a doc and staff who know their stuff, convenient hours, close to home, fair prices, and more. Maybe you want somebody who remembers your pet’s name, or has a gentle hand, or seems to genuinely love all animals. Choosing a vet can get even trickier if you’re dealing with an exotic pet. It’s a relatively safe bet that any vet you find in the phone book can handle dogs and cats — but can they help your guinea pig? What about your sick fish or lizard? How do you find somebody who … Continue reading →

Ferret Care: Vaccines and Vets

If you are thinking about adding a ferret to the family, it is important to know that ferrets are susceptible to both the rabies virus and the canine distemper virus! These two viruses often are fatal within a month of infection, but can be prevented with vaccinations. Rabies in ferrets is often contracted through contact with an infected animal. A ferret who spends any time outdoors may come into contact with a rabid raccoon, bat, fox, or stray cat or dog. There is only one approved rabies vaccine for ferrets: Imrab 3 (from Merial). This is a yearly vaccination that … Continue reading →

Selecting a Vet

If you’ve just added your first fur-baby to the family, congratulations! Regardless of whether you have a baby, adult, or senior, one of the first things you should do is take your new pet for a checkup. So how do you pick the right one? Use some of the same criteria you used when you picked your family doctors: location, convenience of hours, friendliness of staff, availability of walk-in hours and emergency services, affiliations, and fees. Location, Location, Location! Is your potential vet relatively close to home? How far are you willing to drive? Is the office in an easy-to-access … Continue reading →