5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Vet for Your Exotic Pet

It can be hard to locate a top-quality veterinary hospital if you have exotic pets such as pocket pets, avian pets, and even primates. Like commonly domesticated pets, these unusual animals need proper care, particularly from animal health professionals, especially when it pertains to pet treatment. While most hospitals only take care of common companion pets such as dogs and cats, some can also care for exotics.

5 Basic Questions

What are the most important points to look for in an exotic pet vet? Below are five essential factors to consider:

1. What species has this vet treated the most?

While practice does not necessarily result in perfection, it does lead to improvement. The more specific species a veterinarian sees, the more likely they are to diagnose the condition and offer the correct treatment. However, most veterinarians receive little to no training in exotic animal species in school. Consequently, they have to conduct an independent study to find how to care for these pets. These veterinarians like this exotic pet care hospital who take the effort to go the extra mile to learn more about exotic animals are the vets you would certainly want to see.

2. Can exotic pets be treated at the vet?

Many cat and dog hospitals will see exotic animals, but only if they are the only game in town. Likewise, many veterinary clinics will only treat an exotic animal if nobody else will, and the pet is sick. A vet medical facility furnished to deal with exotic pets will have several basic equipment and supplies, such as a small scale weighing in grams to examine small exotic animals or a container for safely confining a reptile. Nevertheless, if they don’t have equipment made specifically to treat and examine smaller-sized exotic patients typically, they most likely don’t treat many of them.

3. Are vet technicians comfortable with exotics?

Understanding how to deal with exotic pets safely is an art that takes years to perfect. The majority of exotic pets are prey species that become stressed when restrained. No matter how experienced a veterinarian is in the medical care of exotic species, that vet can not offer excellent care unless they have access to excellent technical staff to hold these pets comfortably. You can tell how often veterinary technicians manage exotic animals by seeing how they restrain and manipulate your exotic pet. For more information about veterinary dental surgery, you can visit this page.

4. Are the vets and workers members of exotic pet professional organizations?

There are several professional exotic animal groups to which veterinarians interested in exotic pet care belong, including the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, and the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. These organizations offer veterinary professionals continuing education and learning. Individuals who wish to stay current on exotic animal care will typically join one or more of these groups. If a veterinarian spends the time and money to join one of these organizations, they must be interested in exotic animals. You can search for “animal hospital near me” if you need professional advice.

5. Does the vet treat exotic pet emergencies?

When selecting an animal hospital to care for your unique exotic animal, inquire about how they manage exotic animal patients that have emergencies after hours. They’ll probably only treat a couple of exotics if they don’t have a backup plan. However, just as your dog and cat veterinarians should have an after-hours emergency plan, so must your exotic pet veterinarian. This is most likely the most important question when looking for a veterinarian for your beloved animal companion. So don’t be shy about asking. The solution may indicate the difference between life and death.

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