What should I expect at the vet?

[musical912]

Hi, so I’m taking my gerbil to the vet tomorrow. He’s been showing signs of a respiratory infection for a few weeks now and I noticed it getting worse in the past few days so I thought it’d be a good idea to make a vet appointment. What should I expect for the vet to do? Because of covid I can’t go into the vet’s office. Will the vet prescribe an antibiotic? I really just don’t know what to expect; I’m new to owning gerbils. Thanks in advance  

[Thelodar]

Depends on how skilled the vet is with very small mammals. They will definitely listen to the lungs and will likely give you antibiotics which you'll have to give at home for a week or two (liquid). More gerbil experienced vets may do a chest x-ray if they think it will be helpful. Sometimes respiratory symptoms are caused by heart failure. If the vet suspects that (or x rays confirm it) you might get lasix too. I hope it all goes well!

[tanzanyte]

I hope the appointment has gone ok and they've managed to work out and give treatment for the issue.

[musical912]

Ok, update. So basically I thought we’d get in yesterday but since this isn’t considered emergency he doesn’t have appointment until the 28th of April. I’ve been giving him thyme tea as I’ve found that it can help until I’m able to get to the vet.

[Thelodar]

Are there any other vets in your area that see gerbils? What are his symptoms? If he's having any difficulty breathing or has noisy breathing he really can't wait that long. If you wait until a respiratory infection gets bad it is often too late, even with antibiotics.

[betty]

Perhaps your vet misunderstood you musical912 - how can a (possible) chest infection affecting an animals breathing not be considered an urgent treatment?

Or perhaps their use of the word 'emergency' was misplaced?

I would ring again and explain the urgent nature of his illness and clarify what they mean by 'emergency'. I wonder if they have now got reduced staffing and so are only allowing X number of pre-booked appointments a week - and leave the rest of the day open for genuine emergencies like RTAs.

I would also specifically check if being classed as an emergency actually means being charged an emergency rate too. It might be that they are just limiting routine appointments so that the surgery is always open for those more urgent cases but that they are still charging normal day-time rates? They did that to me recently - called me in straight away during their normal out of hours for something that wasn't time dependent - and I checked the cost wasn't an emergency rate - and they said no - normal rate - they just had to change their hours to suit distancing rules (but hadn't updated their website).

If they are not seeing anyone sick who doesn't pay the higher consultation rate - or who can hold out for a month-long wait - then you DEFINITELY need to find a new vet anyway. Not just for this - but for any future animal care you need.

[mygerbilprince]

My gerbil had a skin infection where his scent gland tumor was. They gave me oral antibiotics for him that were flavored. The vet I went to took care of my gerbil very well.

[musical912]

I ended up calling another vet and he got in today (thank goodness). The vet said it’s likely an upper respiratory infection and prescribed him with Baytril.

[betty]

Thank goodness - phew.