Meet the Alsager veterinary practice with a passion for exotic pets
Exotic pets take on all shapes and sizes from rabbits and guinea pigs to tortoises, birds, bearded dragons, geckos, chickens and turkeys.
Taking your cat or dog to see a vet is a normal practice for many pet owners but what do you do if you have an African grey macaw for example or a tortoise?
For Alsager Vets4Pets's vet Becky Tracey it's all in a day's work for not only does the vet have a passion for exotic animals, she also has a fair few at home herself.
The 27-year-old who trained at vet school in Liverpool has always had a big interest in them and fosters guinea pigs for the Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue Centre.
Becky has six guinea pigs, a Russian dwarf hamster, a leopard gecko, a tortoise and a parakeet found her veterinary skills comes in handy.
"It's a bit like a zoo at my house," joked Becky. "I've got a good routine for looking after them. They each have their own personality and I know what they are doing. They know when I come in from work."
Like other pets, Becky says it's important to take an exotic pet to see a vet if you notice any changes.
"Rabbits hide illness very well, as they are prey animals and any pain or health condition affecting a rabbit can cause them to stop eating, which can quickly to a life threatening condition called gut stasis.
"This means their intestines slow and stop working as they should, hence it is important for owners to act immediately on the first sign of illness."
One exotic pet recently seen by AlsagerVets4Pet was a tortoise who went for a beak trim and nail clip. The bottom beak had grown long, so this was carefully reduced and reshaped so that his beak fited together correctly again.
"Tortoises beaks continuously grow and are worn down when they eat food. One way to help them to naturally wear down their beak is to feed them on a slate," said Becky.
"Quality of the beak and shell also contribute, which can be helped with the nutrition, vitamin A, vitamin C and their UV-B light."
A seven year old mini lop rabbit called Belle was recently treated by Becky for a respiratory issue.
"Despite Belle being bright, her owner became concerned that she had sneezing and episodes of harsh noisey breathing that would happen intermittently through the day. Her owner felt she wasn't quite right and brought her in.
"When examined, Belle's lungs sounded normal, but when listening over her trachea (windpipe) with the stethoscope her breathing was very harsh and raspy, and occasionally Belle would do a few wheezes.
"Belle was started on a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and a mucolytic (medication to break up mucus). This helped, but didn't seem to fully clear up the issue, so Belle came back for further work up."
Becky loves all things exotic but one exotic pet she struggles with are spiders.
"I am scared of spiders. It's the one thing I have difficulty with. Every animal is different and sometimes it's about doing research into something we haven't seen before or need to find out more about," said Becky.
"Exotic pets are usually smaller. It's a case of checking things out and checking what drugs we can use on them. The focus of my continuous professional development (CPD) is on exotics. It's something I've a real passion for."
Becky says husbandry (diet and enclosure) is the biggest cause of health problems and that there are not as many medications licenced for exotic pets like there are for dogs and cats.
She said more research is needed into this area. "Owners often expect exotic vet care to be less than a dog or cat because they are smaller, but actually with the amount of knowledge and unique requirements for each species they can be more complex to treat."
Alsager Nub News is proud that Vets for Pets Alsager is a sponsor of our news service as we revealed in our article here
It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like Vets for Pets Alsager that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Alsager and across the UK.
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