Vet in Guelph??

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lizmo1221

Senior Member
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
566
Location
Guelph, ON
So after Virgo's ear infection, and a couple of medical scares (which turned out to be me reading WAY too much into things, and being inexperienced), I realize that I need to get on top of finding a vet.

The problem is that I don't have a car, and would need the vet to be within Guelph, preferably on/close to a bus route for appointments, but I would of course take a taxi for emergencies. I would want a vet that is knowledgeable and qualified in all/most areas of rat care (surgery/diagnosis/dosages/etc), and have good bedside manner for both my babies, and myself. Having a 24/7 emergency number and overnight care is pretty much essential, and if they divert to another vet when they are closed/on vacation/etc, that other vet would need to be in Guelph as well, for obvious reasons. Pricing is also kind of an issue. I have enough money to cover pretty much any bill, but I would much rather my savings go towards future endeavors (schooling, etc) than expensive vets.

I know there are quite a few on this forum from the area, and if anyone could share their experiences (good or bad), or make any recommendations for a vet office and/or a specific vet, that would be awesome!

Thanks guys :)
 
I would NOT recommend Campus Estates. They're pricey and I've never had good experiences...

Victoria Road Animal Hospital knows basic rat things (ie. Baytril/Doxy for at least two weeks for a URI).

I've still yet to find an emergency/after hours vet who is knowledgeable with rats. I've been to MANY, all over Guelph, Kitchener, Oakville, Mississauga, and all of them have proven to be useless, either by not treating rats, or proving to me that they have no clue what they're doing (all while taking my money, of course! :giggle: )

Edit: In the event of something more... tricky (ie. tumor removal) I'd be happy to transport you and the ratties to Dr. Gerald (the rescue vet) in Kitchener :)
 
Dr. Gerald in Kitchener is GREAT! Definitely take up Chelle's offer if it is needed.

I also agree with Chelle when it comes to Campus Estates. They are really expensive and only know basic things like antibiotics and minor illnesses. When I had to have Pop put to sleep, it was horrible. The vet reminded me of a silly child and there was a lot of... unnecessary struggling. I understand when you put and animal down that there could be some struggling, but this was horrible and I have not seen it since. When Dr. Gerald's clinic put Eve down, there was no struggling and it was a peaceful release.

I have also gone to Royal City Animal Hospital on Edinburgh Rd. I can't remember their prices (I think less then Campus Estates but close to it) and they were not familiar with rats. They knew for antibiotics and minor things, but I would never take them for anything invasive. The vets were very nice and I really liked them though, I just wouldn't recommend them for rats. They gave out information on your pet to you on your first visit which was very accurate and helpful... but they just weren't knowledgeable enough. I have not been there for about 1.5 years though, so this could have changed since then.

Sorry I can't provide any good feedback on the vets in Guelph.
 
I would definitely take Chelle up on her offer of a ride to Dr. Gerald if needed (knock on wood!!). Thanks so much Chelle!! :)

So I am learning where NOT to take them, but it sounds like I would have to make due in the case of something minor or an emergency. That makes me nervous that they wont get the best care when they may need it most!! :S :S Any suggestions on what I should do in case something serious happens at 3am on a Saturday?
 
Honestly, the forum is your best friend in that case! It sucks and is sad that we don't have a good emergency vet, but as I said, I've tried a lot of them now, and none knew much, if anything, about rats.

I recommend getting a first aid kit together for the ratties, with things like flour (to aid in clotting if you have a bad cut), infant liquid motrin (will ease swelling, help with pain), etc. If you have an emergency outside of vet hours, hop on the forum, or call rat-knowledgeable people. I know personally I would not mind one bit if I got a call at 3 in the morning if it was a rat emergency, no matter who it was from. We won't be able to diagnose, etc. but we can definitely give ideas and opinions.

Clodhopper got his foot caught on a Saturday night. I DID take him to an emerg vet, but they gave him an opiate shot to ease the pain, but it just gave him pica-like behavior and he started EATING his foot, so I had to stay up with him for around 36 hours, until Monday morning when he got in for the amputation. I know now he would have been better off just taking infant liquid motrin. That would ease any pain, help with swelling, and he wouldn't have tried to amputate his foot by himself!

The only thing that comes to mind would be if your rat was REALLY suffering and had something horrible happen, and would need to be PTS... even then, I don't know of an emergency vet who could do it, but on a positive note, Dr. Gerald's is open 7 days a week, so I could drive you to have a rat PTS any day of the week. You could call around different vets and ask them how they euthanize small animals, so if you have a rat in need, you have a plan. Make sure they give gas first, then the needle.
 
Thanks so much guys! It does suck that there isnt a great vet in town (which is surprising considering we are home to the OVC!!), but I know that there are options, with either calling for advice, late night help with treatment or diagnoses, a ride to a qualified vet, etc if I really need it.

Hopefully I wont need any of this for a while, but what should I put in my first aid kit? So far on my list is: flour, saline solution, infant motrin, small thermometer for rectal temps, q-tips, a list of vet phone numbers, addresses, and levels of expertise, and a digital scale. Anything else I should buy? Where can I find a good digital scale, and suitable thermometer and saline?
 
I've never had to take my rat's temperature, so I wouldn't bother with the thermometer. Unless someone says otherwise. Heh.

My scale was $20 at Loblaw's. It's a kitchen scale.

A saline solution can be easily prepared with salt and water.

I would also have a bottle of ensure and some baby cereal in there, as well as a syringe, in case you need to hand feed anyone. But those items will have to be replaced if/when they expire.

I have vet wrap in my kit, but I've only ever used it once (to wrap Clod's foot, so he chewed the vet wrap instead of his foot). Most wounds should be left open, not wrapped.

Add a couple syringes for flushing abscesses/wounds.

Ummm... *thinks* I might have more to add to this later, but for now I have to go pick up Shelagh from work. *runs out the door*
 
If you did need help, I agree that here is better. I don't know how many times I demanded what the forum wanted me to get instead of what the vet wanted to give me. I would trust the lives of my ratties to most people on here.

Chelle and Shelagh (plus many others) have really helped me out when I was in a bind or didn't trust what the vets said. If not for people on this forum, I am unsure if my first rattie (Pop - who had PT) would have ever been properly diagnosed.

Also, self educating helps too - not for humans, please leave that to your doctor ;) - but for the rats it has definitely helped. I frequent rat sites (and this site) and look at the various illnesses online so that when I did end up going to inexperienced vets I could guide them in the right direction.

Other then that, I don't really know what else to say. The vets in Guelph are great for dogs and cats, but no so much for ratties. I haven't looked into the OVC clinic... but I had 2 really bad experiences a while ago with a cat and a dog there and honestly, I would NEVER return... ever. (Sorry to those who work there - this is just my opinion). They are very expensive and ... well I wont go on. What I witnessed I didn't like. If they screwed up that badly with a dog and a cat, I don't think that a rattie would do well... Just my opinion, do with it what you will ;).

Good luck! And if you needed it - I would have no problem driving you to see Dr. Gerald either, just let me know, and if I can I will.
 
I'm going to say the same thing as every one else on here, go to Mitchell (Dr. Gerald) even in the event that Gerald's not there Dr. Rachel or Dr. Barb or even Dr. Sharon (I think that's right) know what they're doing and the vet techs know just as much as Dr. G. I love the staff there (but I'm biased as I used to work there LOL), and they're great for my rats....if only I could say the same about their pricing for cat care **shrug**
 
Hi folks, I recognize that this is an old thread, but I would appreciate advice on vets to check out or avoid in Guelph. I currently use Campus Estates. They are expensive and I have had both good (with Dr. Harrison) and bad (other vets) experiences. Also, their surgeon won't neuter male rats until they are 6 months old and I am exploring the option of getting some little boys and would need to neuter them so they can live with my single, older female.

Thanks in advance!
 
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