Do your guinea pigs have a vet? One who really understands them, their unique needs, and their delicate physiologies?
When you're caring for guinea pigs (or other small exotics like rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, and so forth), you really need a vet who specializes in exotics (or small animals, depending on how they phrase it). Most vets who only treat cats and dogs are among the first to agree with this assertion.
Recently, I had several people e-mail me about needing to find a guinea pig vet in their area. They'd called around but had been told, "Well, Dr. So-and-So normally treats only cats and dogs, but s/he can treat guinea pigs for routine things." Okay -- that may be a start, but what if your guinea pig is suffering from something that isn't routine? Bottom line: if you own a guinea pig, you need a guinea pig vet.
I was able to help the folks who contacted me, but I started wondering what could be found online, particularly at GuineaLynx or Seagull's VetFinder. While there were some vets listed between the two sites, I also could see that both lists were missing some of the most well-known specialists in Connecticut. I'll offer two vet hospitals here.
Thomas Reagan, DVM
Mark Albin, DVM
Dr. Brienza
Pieper Olson Veterinary Hospital
Middletown, CT
Phone: (860) 347-1122
Pieper Olson is where the rescue's guinea pigs go.
Nicholas Sitinas, VMD
Clare Fahy, DVM
Amanda Cronin, DVM
South Wilton Veterinary Group
Wilton, CT
Phone: (203) 762-2002
My guinea pigs have been treated by several of the vets in this group. Wilton is a bit of a drive for me, but these vets are worth the trip.
I suspect there are more guinea pig vets in the area than we know about. So I decided I'd use the blog to collect the names of the vets you take your guinea pigs to. Since we have adopters all around New England and New York, we're happy to receive recommendations from other states as well -- especially New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Please use the Comments link below to share the name, location, and phone number (and Web site URL if there is one) and any additional comments (please...no public bad-mouthing of specific vets you may have dealt with). For your own information, first name or initials work fine and although you need to provide an e-mail address in the Comment entry form (to validate you're a real person), spammers won't be able to pick it up and start bothering you.
When we have a list, I'll post it on the main rescue Web site and will see what I can do to get names added to GuineaLynx and Seagull's. Until then, the recommendations will at least be publicly accessible here on the blog.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
In Westchester County, New York (and the surrounding counties) I would strongly recommend Dr. Laurie Hess at:
Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics (VCBE)
709 Bedford Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
914-864-1414
www.avianexoticsvet.com
VCBE is a state of the art facility that treats only birds and exotic pets, no cats or dogs. Dr. Hess has over 15 yearts' experience treating guinea pigs. Her knowledge, expertise and compassion are unmatched.
Posted by: Eskimozos | October 28, 2010 at 12:07 AM
I've had great experiences with everyone at Essex County Emergency Animal Hospital in Mass. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Night of last year, they were pleasant, professional, and did everything they could for my little piggins. There is an attached vet practice as well, but for the middle-of-the-night panic, I am more than impressed with the hospital!
Contact info for them:
Essex County Animal Emergency Hospital
247 Chickering Rd
North Andover, MA
(978) 682-9905
Posted by: Andrea | September 08, 2008 at 09:07 AM
Trylon Animal Clinic
Dr. Wilder
9883 Queens Blvd.
Forest Hills, Queens, NY
Between 66th Ave and 66th Rd.
Posted by: Ronda | August 14, 2006 at 10:29 AM
Dr. Richard Jacobs
Higganum Veterinary Clinic
265 Saybrook Rd.
Higganum, CT 06441
860/345-3366
Dr. Jacobs is very knowledgeable and takes his time explaining what might be going on with our pigs - we never feel rushed. He handles all exotics, including birds and reptiles, as well as helping rehabilitators with wild animals, including foxes and skunks!
Old Lyme Veterinary Hospital
1 Davis Road West
Old Lyme, CT 06371
(860)434-8387
The Old Lyme folks handled an emergency call for us on a Sunday afternoon and saw us after hours.
Posted by: Ellen | August 09, 2006 at 07:38 PM
In Rhode Island, I can heartily recommend Dr. Daniel Cardosa at:
Big River Veterinary Service
774 Nooseneck Hill Road
West Greenwich, RI 02817
401-397-8777
He was recommended to me by the folks at Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue. When Snowball got sick, his staff moved incredibly quickly to accomodate us, and everyone I encountered there was knowledgeable and kind.
Posted by: MJ | August 09, 2006 at 03:16 AM