At The Rabbit and Bird Doctors, our patients come first; our top priority is caring for our patients to the highest clinical standard. 

We understand that having an animal become suddenly unwell is a very stressful time and we want to help. 

To make this possible, we have space allocated within our clinical hours, specifically held for emergency consultations. 

1. Calling the clinic  

At the time of calling the clinic, we assess our capacity to see your pet. Many things are taken into account at this time to ensure we can uphold the standard of care we believe each and every patient deserves.  

Please note, the time of day, the number of sick and emergent patients already being attended to, and other clinical factors may impact our ability to provide a suitable service. Whereby we cannot satisfy the needs of our patients, we may direct you to alternate emergency care facilities. 

 

2. Initial Triage  

Once on premises, our patients will be placed in a designated triage space to undergo a triage process by a nurse. We will ask that you wait within the waiting room space while this occurs.  

 

Your pet will be assigned a level of urgency based on their specific parameters. You will be communicated this information, along with anticipated wait times, as soon as reasonably possible. 

 

Please note, wait times can be anywhere from minutes to several hours, depending on the stability of your pet and concurrent emergency presentations. 

 

We have different triage processes for different species. Briefly, these involve: 

- Rabbits: Obtaining some vital numbers from your rabbit, including running some in-house spot blood tests to assess hydration status and blood glucose levels.   

- Guinea Pigs: Checking some vital numbers, including a blood glucose test.  

- Rats and Mice: A brief examination by a nurse before the vet attends.  

- Flighted birds: A visual examination before they are weighed and placed into a temperature controlled hospital cage. 

- Land dwelling birds: A visual examination before being moved into the hospital space.  

 

3. The emergency consultation 

After our triage is complete, under vet direction, a nurse may seek some further information from you, about the supply of pain relief and first aid ahead of the vet’s complete assessment. You will also be asked about your wishes surrounding lifesaving procedures; this is known as a resuscitation code. Please be aware, we require this detail for each and every patient within our hospital space, irrespective of their reason for being in our hospital.  

 

Once the triage process is complete, the veterinarian will perform a comprehensive clinical examination, and make an individually tailored diagnostic and treatment plan, specific to your pet.  

 

Costs associated with the initial emergency assessment will be communicated at the time of first contact. Further cost estimates will be provided by the clinical team, based on the medical care recommendations.