Veterinarian and Veterinary Dentist Recommendations

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User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 10:06 am


000
I think we've needed this for a long time.

If you have a veterinarian you personally recommend, please give us his name, the city/state/province in which he or she practices and a little bit about what kind of procedures this vet has done for you and how you view their competence and experience. Remember that you have to interview the vet yourself to make sure that it's the right one for you and your animals. Hopefully you will have good experiences with these vets but there are no guarantees.

STATE/PROVINCE:
(Put this at the top so people can glance down quickly to find something nearby -- also write it out completely so it will turn up in a search.)

Name:
Address:
City:
Phone Number:

Personal experience:

Note, I may edit posts to make them more searchable. I won't add a comment unless anything significant is changed. This is NOT a discussion thread. Do not post questions on this thread.

EXTRANEOUS COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED!


Note, you can find an alphabetic list here, updated as of 2/27/05
www.guinealynx.info/vetlist.html

[Edit - this is being unstickied and people are hereby advised to add their comments to the GLX-Files. All recommendations on this thread have been added to the GLX-files along with who recommended them -- Lynx]
Last edited by Lynx on Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:33 pm, edited 11 times in total.

User avatar
melcvt00

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 10:10 am


ILLINOIS
Aroma Park, IL

Dr. Marcia Gortowski
VCA Aroma Park Animal Hospital
Aroma Park, IL 60910
815-937-9314

She can handle guinea pig basics, can look at molars with an otoscope, but that's the scope of her tooth knowledge with these little guys. Successfully repaired an inguinal hernia on my little guy.

User avatar
minismama

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 1:01 pm


MAINE

(Gorham, ME)


Dr. Linda Mulski, and Dr. Thomas Niedermeyer
The Animal Hospital Of South Gorham
47 County Road
Gorham, ME 04038

(207)839-8158

Both vets at this practice are experienced exotics vets. On a basic wellness check, they will listen to heart sounds, lung sounds, bowel sounds. They palpate the abdomen to check for lumps. They examine the skin&fur, look into the ears. They use the otoscope to check the teeth. They do range-of-motion on each limb of the piggy to check for potential joint problems. A weight and a temp. are also taken. They will quiz the owner as to what kind of food, bedding, and cage is being used for the guinea pig. Both vets warn of the dangers of cedar and of raw pine. Both vets encourage the use of Oxbow pellets and strongly discourage the use of glass aquarium tanks for cages.

They have, by turns, treated my piggies over the years for URI's, UTI's, one case of scurvy, have helped develop plans of "comfort care" for the piggies of mine that were diagnosed with terminal conditions. Dr. Mulski surgically removed a suspicious lump from Sniff's belly at the beginning of '02. When euthanasia has been needed, they give the owner the option of being present. When euthanizing a guinea pig, they do it by giving a shot in the abdomen.

User avatar
Paravati
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 1:45 pm


GEORGIA
Atlanta

Dr. Ella Ahearn
The Animal Hospital of Sandy Springs
404-255-8522

Wonderful manner, kind and very knowledgeable about guinea pigs and their care. Not afraid to listen to owner experience and willing to learn about new things.

User avatar
SandraVE

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:49 pm


WISCONSIN
Milwaukee

Dr. Diane Bennetts, D.M.V.
Small Animal Hospital, LLC
2163 North Farwell Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-276-0701

Wonderful with all small animals, especially guinea pigs and rabbits. Very knowledgeable, and is willing to listen and take time to hear about your pet's situation.

sillycavies

Post   » Mon Jun 23, 2003 8:27 pm


TEXAS
Southeast, Houston area

Dr. Judith Vinson
Pets Paw Animal Hospital
Montgomery Plaza
1402-B North Loop 336 W.
Conroe, TX 77304
Phone: 936-756-0304
Fax: 936-756-0396

Dr. Vinson did a spay/hysterectomy/unilateral mastectomy on a sow of mine in 2002. She is matter-of-fact, yet caring, and gives a thorough checkup. She asks about their diet, housing, bedding, etc. Dr. Vinson has 10 years of experience with cavies, and is open to learning new things and listens well to owners. She also warns owners about cedar and pine bedding, recommending Carefresh. She and her partner, Dr. Foster, have also treated my pigs for URIs, and one of my boars for a pine allergy.

This clinic cares for exotics as well as cats and dogs, and I've had no problem getting appointments on short notice for emergencies. As a matter of fact, the first time I had contact with them was when I had a sow with vaginal bleeding. I got an appointment for 2 hours later, with instructions to bring her earlier if she took a turn for the worst, and she'd be worked in as an emergency. I've never had a piggy with a dental problem, so I can't say anything about that situation.

User avatar
Cara

Post   » Sun Jul 06, 2003 1:16 pm


VIRGINIA
Virginia Beach

Dr. Peter Fisher (also Dr. Partlow, Dr. Hulls, and Dr. Fox)
Pet Care Veterinary Hospital
5201 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
757--473-0111

Dr. Fisher is the primary vet I take my pigs to. He has done 4 cystotomies on 3 of my pigs, a spay, worked with my heart disease pig to get her stablized and on the proper medications, and filed teeth. Dr. Partlow has done 1 cystotomy. Dr. Fox has done a bladder flush. (Dr. Hulls has consulted on some of my pigs but hasn't actually done any procedures on them yet!)

Dr. Fisher especially, but all of these vets are knowledgable about cavies and their specialized needs. I wouldn't hesitate to allow any of them to operate on my pigs. Dr. Fisher truly cares about their health and goes above and beyond to find information for me as to cause of all of the bladder stone issues I've had. While I haven't had any serious teeth issues, Dr. Fisher through filing Zipper's teeth has lead me to believe he has the knowledge and means to treat a variety of teeth issues.

Dr. Fisher is very kind and thoughtful. When Squeaky died after two bladder stone surgeries and a spay he sent me a card stating that a donation to his alma mater, Purdue Vet. Program, had been made in Squeaky's name.

If I feel my pig needs to be seen that day and no appointments are available, they work me in. If I have an emergency all I have to do it call to say I'm on my way and they are ready for me when I get there.

The vet techs and the staff are also knowledgable and kind. I truly can't say enough about this vet hospital.

InkysMom

Post   » Thu Jul 10, 2003 7:18 pm


MISSOURI
St. Louis

Dr. Nicolas Pisoni (also Dr. Kovach, Dr. Anderson)
Binder Animal Hospital
2941 Telegraph Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63125
314-892-5406

I just returned from the hospital so all is fresh in my mind... Today we saw Dr. Anderson, who is very nice and has sent my current guy home with a definitely-needed antibiotic (he quit eating/drinking, has a fever and nasal/eye discharge, but has eaten his 2 syringe feedings well so far so I'm feeling encouraged). But "Dr. P." is the one who totally adores guinea pigs. I knew I was in the right place the first time when I was showed into a room decorated with lovely drawings of piggies!

Dr. P. helped me through 5 months of dealing with my last guinea pig's malocclusion (which had been misdiagnosed by another vet in St. Louis, who simply put him on an antibiotic). He filed O.'s teeth 4 times, kept him overnight at his own home to make sure he was okay on several occasions, held my hand, and sent a card signed by everyone there when poor O. just couldn't hang on any longer. Besides being an excellent vet, he is a genuinely nice person. He is more than willing to investigate things you may find on the Internet, and admits that while he doesn't "know all" about guinea pigs, he is something of a specialist, really likes them and sees a lot of them.

I found Dr. P. thru Seagull's Vet Finder and thank God that I did because otherwise O. would have been gone a lot sooner. We moved and now live 45 minutes away but it is worth the drive. For icing on the cake, might I add that the hospital's prices also are very reasonable? The last thing you want to be worried about when racing to the vet with a sick animal is how much it's going to cost. Today I was
"worked in" without an appt., another courtesy I much appreciated since with a sick pig every minute counts.

In the past I worked for several different vets and I know a good one when I meet one. Having now met Dr. Anderson and also seen Dr. K. once with O., they also are top-notch. I can recommend this hospital and especially Dr. P. without reservation.

User avatar
SmarterThanYouThink

Post   » Thu Jul 17, 2003 12:21 pm


INDIANA -- Indianapolis and Bloomington, South Bend, Lafayette

Also see a state list of rabbit vets at http://www.indianahrs.org/Links/veterinarians.asp and please read the disclaimer.


Beth Ann Breitweiser, DVM
All Wild Things
6058 N Keystone (across from Glendale Mall)
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317-255-WILD

Excellent exotics vet. Dr. B cares for all of my pigs and bunnies. She is great about fitting in sick animals and always available for emergencies. When she doesn't know something (which is pretty infrequent compared to most vets I've used), she admits it and learns with me, and recommends specialists as appropriate (like a vet ophthalmologist, etc.) Dr. B is also our primary vet for our rabbit rescue, and contributes a lot of effort to that cause. We appreciate her cooperation and send anyone and everyone with an exotic her way. Not the cheapest vet I've ever used, but certainly better care for the money. A couple of weeks ago she spayed my 4-yr-old piggy who turned out to have cancer on the cervix, and the next day Sophie was running around like nothing had happened to her.



Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic
Angela Lenox, DVM
9330 Waldemar Rd (near I-465 and Michigan Rd)
Indianapolis, IN 46268
317-879-8633

I've only used this clinic a few times, and can certainly recommend them for their skill and a good reputation as well. I prefer the other vet I've listed above for personal reasons (like help with rescue efforts, and less personal emphasis on preferring lizard/bird patients), but the care is still excellent at Avian and Exotic.


The Cat Care Centre
Sue Whitman, DVM
Bloomington, IN
877-757-3778
http://www.suevet.com

Dr. Sue was my bunny and piggy vet before I moved to Indianapolis. She is incredibly caring and accomodating, and also donates a lot of time to rescue efforts. Despite the clinic's focus on cats, ferret, piggy, and bunny people come from miles around to see Dr. Sue. I don't find her as "high-tech" as the true exotics vets in Indianapolis, but she makes a great effort and has incredibly reasonable pricing, too. She is relatively unwilling to do guinea pig surgery (spay/neuter anyway) in my experience. Dr. Sue's love for pigs and buns really shows; she has her own pets at home and I think that makes a difference.

South Bend area:
I never did find a good exotics vet in South Bend. However, I will note my experiences, so that others may benefit.

Magrane's Animal Hospital has a director (Dr. Neuhoff I think) who is also a podiatrist. She's great with guinea pigs. However, she keeps very limited hours there and usually their small animal guy is a Dr. Neumann, I believe. He's okay but I'm not going to give a ringing endorsement. I haven't been to them in a couple of years, however, so things may have changed.

My best recommendation in the SB area is Morris Animal Hospital, on SR23 near the Toll Rd entrance (Mishawaka exit 83). One of the vets there sees rabbits and guinea pigs and does a pretty good job. I called every vet in town when I got my first rabbit and this vet passed the test for knowledge of rabbit care, but she isn't an exotics specialist. I only saw her for a routine checkup while there so I don't know how she is with emergencies. She did successfully treat UTI's in my guinea pigs and even did xray to rule out stones, as well as urinalysis. Being with a dog/cat clinic has advantages since they have more equipment than my exotics vets do, like ultrasound machines.

Lafayette: I have not used vets here, but I have heard EXCELLENT recommendations for Dr. Alex Wolfe (see the vet link at the top of this post for contact info) from fellow rabbit people.

User avatar
ThatKat

Post   » Thu Aug 21, 2003 9:37 pm


TENNESSEE
Memphis

Pope Animal Clinic
6920 Winchester Rd.
Memphis, TN 38115
901-365-1979
http://popeac.net

Drs. Booth and Pope both see piggies, as well as ferrets, chinchillas, rats, hamsters, rabbits, etc. They spay and neuter small animals, also. Dr. Booth spayed one of my rats, and Dr. Pope trimmed the teeth on one of my piggies. Both doctors also treated my GP's for mange, as well as helping my elderly pig with arthritis and eye ulcers.

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Brianna
Forum Fan Club

Post   » Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:44 pm


ARIZONA
Phoenix-Glendale

Camel West Animal Hospital
5502 W Camelback Rd Ste 1
Glendale AZ 85301
623-934-1272

I have taken my pigs to Dr. Melissa Michels. She is very caring and I trust her opinion completely. The office call fees are very reasonable. I haven't had the need for any surgical procedures so I can't comment on that. I did mention to her that I have gained alot of my knowledge from a guinea pig website...and she said, "Was it Guinealynx?" I was very happy that you have been so well received by her.

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KJE

Post   » Wed Sep 17, 2003 12:47 am


OHIO
Cincinnati

Colerain Animal Clinic and Surgical Center
6340 Colerain Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45239
513-923-4400

Dr. Duke is wonderful!

Clinic Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-11pm Sat 8am-5pm
ER Hours: Sun 9am-5pm

www.colerainanimalclinic.com

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