question about vets....

[FrankieCarbone]

Today since im off, and bored, i decided to pass by this "vet clinic" i seen a few times while coming home from work. So i go in and i ask the lady at the front desk if the good doctor sees reptiles, she was very nice and helpful, she went on to ask me that the vet there does see reptiles and asked me what kind of animal it was, i told her it was a ball python and she says yes thats no problem, then gave me the card of the office and told me if i wanted to do a general check up or what not its 50 dollars, and gave me the web site to there office.

Anyways, i walked away very happy because 1. the place is VERY close to where i live, and 2. i found a vet that deals with reptiles....

Now here is my question, should i not get to excited? I mean this vet sees reptiles but dosent specialize in them or anything (that i know off). What are the things i need to look for to know that if my BP, lord forbid, ever gets sick i can go over there and he will be taken good care of by somebody who knows about BP's.

I mean i dont want to go in there and have the vet say "so what kind of snake is this?"

[The Serpent Merchant]

Well the only way to find out is to either find somebody who takes their ball python to this guy, or pay the $50 for a check up. I did that with my local vet just because I needed to know where I could take my snakes to if something happens. It took me 3 different vets before I found one that I liked (I live in Orlando, Fl so there are a lot of vets within a reasonable distance from my apartment)

[FrankieCarbone]

http://broadwayanimalhospitalofriver...cket-pets.html

i guess its a good thing the vet is holding a reptile, guess thats a good sign.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Forget about vets who are not specialized in reptiles it will be a waste of time and money try to find a vet that is specialized in reptiles near you using this website http://www.arav.org/ECOMARAV/timssne...t_mdsearch.cfm

[wolfy-hound]

You should definitely talk to the vet, ask what meds he would prescribe for various ailments, and see what sort of response you get. It's best to pick a specialist, that know REPTILES, the same way you wouldn't ask a typical dog/cat clinic vet to come out to treat your horse or your pig. Reptiles are even further away than livestock, since it's not even a mammal.

If you talk to any vet, and ask them basic questions like "I'm worried about if he gets a respitory infection... what would you do?" and you get either a blank look, or they brush it off as not a concern OR if they leave the room... find a different vet. Those three responses show either a vet who doesn't know reptiles, or will be blatantly deceptive to you about their lack of knowledge. A vet that leaves the room to answer a question might just be going to find their book or use Google to find the answer. You don't want any vet that doesn't know a respitory infection IS serious, doesn't know how to treat one, or needs to go look up information on something simple.

That's not to say a vet can't go consult about something wrong. But they should have knowledge of simple everyday reptile concerns.

Picking a reptile specialist mostly avoids that type of issue. For any non-specialist, be wary.

[satomi325]

Well, when you take your snake to the vet you should look for a few things.
1) How does the vet preform the exam:

An exotic exam should almost mirror that of a companion animal (cat/dog). The vet should palpate your snake, take measurements(weight). check eyes, scales, heat pits, reflex, ectoparasites, etc etc.

2) How meds are prescribed:

Say your snake gets a respiratory infection. If the vet prescribes oral medication, this is an indicator to question them. Many vets who treat reptiles, but do not specialize in them will prescribe oral medication. Snakes have a slow metabolism and oral meds aren't as effective as an injectable. You should ask to take a bacterial culture to find out the specific infection so the vet can treat accordingly instead of giving general antibiotics. Some antibiotics won't work against certain infections. This will save you time and money. Also injections should be given in the front 1/3 of the snake given either intramuscular(IM - in the muscle) or subcutaneous (SQ - under the skin)

[FrankieCarbone]

what should i bring (besides the snake of course) to the first exam? Do i need to wait until i can get a fecal sample?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Do i need to wait until i can get a fecal sample?

I would

[wolfy-hound]

Inject in the front 1/3? The reptile vets at UF always advocate the last 1/3, so there's no chance of hitting things like.. oh say.. lungs? I wouldn't ever advise anyone to be stabbing any needle into a snake's thorax.

[angllady2]

I want to point out however, just because they are a "specialist" does NOT always make them the best.

A member here posted just a few days ago about the "specialist" vet screwing things up and the " sees other animals and reptiles" vet having to fix the problem.

The real deciding factor for any vet should be how you are treated when you go there. Does the vet make eye contact ? Ask questions about your pet ? Does he/she answer your questions honestly ? Is the vet in a hurry to rush you from the office ? Or does the vet sit down with you and pay attention to what you have to say ?

You will get a feel pretty quick if the vet is not a good one.

Gale