Vet list?

[FaunaFreak]

Is there a place on this forum where vets that we are especially happy with (or maybe especially NOT happy with) can be listed by region?

[wordweasel]

I don't think there is yet, but I believe it was being discussed for the near future maybe?

[WMoonR]

Hrm... That would be a good "sub-section" in the medical forum... like toys in the play forum??

[FaunaFreak]

Well, if it's ok with the admins, I'll start one there and see if anyone's interested

[lasher]

I don't speak for all the mods but I'd be hesitant about something like that.
Good and bad experiences with a vet are very subjective and often are related to the reviewers level of experience with the animal as well.
As an example I have several vets I see in my city, there are some that I think are fantastic and you'll get top notch service for your ferret if you see them. However I rarely recommend them to new ferrents because their experience with the same vet is often very different. The vet is very expensive and tends to recommend complete service. This is great if you can afford it but in a city where the average price of a vet visit costs more than most cities this can add up very, very fast. I've never known a new ferrent to visit this vet with a new ferret for a first checkup without it costing at least $400, however the ferret does receive full and complete care.
On the other hand a more experienced ferrent can go to the same vet, talk to them and say well I understand why you are recommending all of these tests, that makes sense to me. I would like to do x, y and z but I would like to be prepared for the possibility that it could be XX so lets just do x and y and wait for results before doing z. The vet will understand that and will listen. New owners don't often feel comfortable or have the knowledge of medical issues to make those choices and will often complain about the vet.
They are a great vet but I often hear many complaints about them, it's not that one is bad and others are better. Just a different approach to care that often results in miscommunication between the owners and the care providers.
That's one reason I don't usually like standard listings that list "good" or "bad".
I think it's a good idea to say I see this vet or just to list that one sees ferrets with a disclaimer that ones experience may be different than anyone elses but listing good and bad is very subjective.

Again only my 2cents, I'm open to discussion on this. :)

[FaunaFreak]

Hmm - that makes sense, and I'd actually dropped the idea of mentioning vets people don't like for a variety of reasons. I guess I just got excited - especially since I had a great experience with the vet I took Oats to, and (since he was a healthy ferret with all of his shots, probably), the visit cost me less than $100, which was FAR better than I expected for someone who specializes in exotic pets. Thanks

[lasher]

I guess I still see the same issue with positive reviews. It's still very subjective and not everyone has the same experiences or is looking for the same thing. As an example there are vets people use on here that they rave about, talk about how wonderful they are. I would never send someone to that vet nor would I recommend them to another. It doesn't mean the vet is bad, it's just that I don't agree with the vet's treatment policies or views. Medicine isn't an exact science as much as we'd like it to be and if you have ever been to a vet. conference or worse tried to arrange one you'll realize the politics and emotions involved in it. Yes it's about treating our ferrets but since standard treatment isn't decided on by the experts and it's such a hotly debated topic that I've seen vets be dragged out by colleagues because they almost came to blows it's no surprise that we as the parents of the patients are going to become emotionally involved afterall it's the lives of our loved ones that are lost when they make these errors in judgement. So even recommending a good vet is difficult at times.
One very "good" vet out there has gone on record many times (man do I want to slap her every time I see her!) saying that ADV testing is useless and that we shouldn't bother. Having several friends that have lost ferrets to ADV where if someone had bothered to spend $30 on a simple test they would have saved those ferrets lives I cannot in good conscience tell anyone this vet is being responsible. However many people say she's an expert... I say she has cost lives. It's all subjective.
Does that make sense?

My suggestion would be a listing of Vets that see ferrets with a disclaimer that LF doesn't endorse any of the vets listed (for legal liability reasons). Then the people on the board could submit vets they've liked but subjective information, cost information, etc. could be left off.

[Phil]

judy and i have been extremely fortunate with bandit's vet, dr. robinson. not only does she really know what she is doing with bandit, but she doesn't cost us an arm and a leg, either. on the other hand, we have been extremely fortunate that bandit hasn't required any surgeries.

we couldn't believe this most recent time when bandit had an infection (that he is improving from i am glad to say) that dr. robinson didn't have us bring him in for an office visit. all we had to do was drive to the clinic and pay for the antibiotics, which we are administering now. judy and i both agree if she had wanted him in, we would have done so.

most of the vets around here treat dogs, cats, and farm animals. dr. robinson and the others at highlands clinic also treat exotics like bandit. (judy and i really don't think of our child as "exotic", but that's the classification bandit would fall under i guess.)

[Colleen]

I feel that if someone is new to ferrets and asks YOU who you see, I would tell them and I would have to say my experirnces with this vet, but like with ANY doctor, human or vet, you may get different results and they can either go to them or find their own. I would look to a vet that has exotics as part of their practice though.

[wordweasel]

That is an interesting way to look at it.

I know I thought my vet was stark raving nuts when we first took our ferrets to her. There is a method to the madness, but we didn't see it for a couple of months, and spent those months being kind of freaked out about not having the kind of vet we thought we wanted. But after she had helped us through a few emergencies we learned to trust her more, because even though she is not conventional in many ways, the things she does have worked.

If I felt that way, others could feel that way too. My vet often prefers homeopathy/herbal type things to the aggressive/invasive treatments many other vets do, which is something many ferret owners are not going to agree with even if they get along with her okay.

It is true imo that a vet can be a good vet, but not right for certain people to take their ferrets too. Not only does your vet have to know what they are doing, but you have to feel comfortable with them, comfortable giving your ferrets' health and lives into their hands, comfortable enough to speak up if you disagree with something that they want to do. Not everyone will feel comfortable with every vet. It doesn't mean they are a bad vet, or that the people who do take their ferrets there are bad owners.

[WMoonR]

I'm still thinking a list of ferret treating vets might be a good idea - review or no. There are so many questions from people - new and old - about where a ferret vet is in their area. If reviews are written, it should be clearly stated that these ARE subjective and everyone's view will be different. Maybe, if you know this much, the exam costs and average vaccine, blood draws, etc. could be listed as well? I just think it's good info to have on hand - different vets in different areas. Sometimes it can be very hard to find a vet who treats ferrets, and even more difficult to find one who is QUALIFIED to treat ferrets (still attends the meetings, reads up, etc.)

[ferretzrule]

Hmmm...interesting perspectives all.

I would be for a vet listing here on LF as long as there is a disclaimer that LF does not endorse any particular veterinarian. It would be nice to know which vets are treating ferrets, especially in the CaCaLand and NYC areas. I would hope that we would all have enough common sense to recognize that the submitter's opinion of a vet's services is subjective.

[shadesrose]

I have posted that I was looking for a vet and I think a listing of those who treat ferrets would be helpful because there so many around my small town farming area that do not. I do agree reveiws might not be too good of an idea. I have had many experiences with many different vets around my area because my family used to raise show cats and such. Some of those vets I have had extremely bad experiences including a death that was their responsibilty, or started off good and then turned bad later and some many people rave about them. I even used to have a couple of different vets at one time where I would take one cat and not another just because the cats took to those vets better.

In the process of choosing a vet I do look to recomendations but I look at the type parent I'm getting the referal from. If they are your average joe that has a house cat or two then I don't really pay attention. Now if it is breeder or a person who really treats thier little one like a very promanent member of the family I would consider it. Such as with the vet I chose for Suki and Bandit. A person I used to run into all the time at cat shows recomended a couple of vets to me. The one I chose has a ferret of her own so I am more comfortable with a vet that lives with one day in and out.

[JuniorsMommy]

Since we have a thread started in the "Ferret Health & Medical Issues" with ferret friendly vets being listed I am going to close this thread.....

This is where you can find said thread:

http://www.lovingferrets.com/showthread.php?t=312