Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Practice

16/09/2024

JOB OPPORTUNITY: We have an exciting opportunity for a registered veterinary nurse (RVN) to join our Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Animal Practice team!

The successful candidate will spend the majority of their time supporting the medical and surgical veterinary care for small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates within our Practice, but will also spend time in other services, including the Dick Vet General Practice, as well as specialist services within the Hospital to ensure that a transferable skillset is maintained and promoted.

We offer a full training programme for all new team members where they will work alongside our skilled staff while they learn the ropes.

Salary: £32,982 - £38,205 based on a 35 hour week.

For more information about this full time, 14 month maternity cover contract visit https://edin.ac/4gmUtis

Applications close at 23.59 on 25 Sept 2024.

Vet Times Jobs
Scottish Veterinary Jobs Alert
BVNA (The British Veterinary Nursing Association)
VetNurse.co.uk Jobs

11/09/2024

Are you a vet with a passion for exotic animals? Then come join our team!

We have a four-year Professional Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (Residency) in Rabbit and Exotic Pet Medicine available.

The successful scholar will join the Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Practice team based at the Hospital for Small Animals and gain intensive experience in managing rabbit and exotic animal cases, whilst working towards a doctorate of veterinary medicine degree (BVetMed) and the ECZM Diploma in Small Mammal Medicine.

The DVetMed residency will run for four years and is available from March 2025.

Informal inquiries are welcomed. Applications close at 23.59 on 30 September.

For more information on this, and the other residencies available at our Hospital, visit: https://edin.ac/38GuO6b



EBVS - European Board of Veterinary Specialisation
Scottish Veterinary Jobs Alert

27/06/2024

This week is Rabbit Awareness Week and this year’s theme is ‘Happy diet, happy bunnies.’

Rabbits need fresh vegetables and greens as part of a healthy balanced diet. Seasonal vegetables like dark cabbage greens, broccoli, kale and spinach are all enjoyed by bunnies.

Providing your rabbit with daily greens doesn’t have to be expensive. Lots of different vegetation that can be fed to rabbits can be foraged for free in our gardens, along grass verges, hedgerows or countryside paths. The resident rabbits in our Exotic Animal Teaching Facility are regularly fed dandelions, narrowleaf plantain, hawthorn and brambles that grow around our campus.

We are proud that our Practice has been awarded GOLD status on Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) Rabbit Friendly Vet list. Our clients with pet rabbits can be confident that, thanks to our Specialist vets, dedicated hospital accommodation and separate rabbit ward, we can provide the highest standard of care for their bunnies.

11/06/2024

Congratulations to Megan Kiln, one of the residents in our Exotic Service, who recently won TWO awards at the largest exotic animal conference in Europe – ICARE.

Hundreds of veterinary surgeons and researchers with expertise in avian, small mammal, amphibian, reptile, wildlife and zoo animal health and welfare attended the event.

Megan, who is one of our residents in Small Mammal Medicine and Surgery, presented her research on splenitis, looking at how problems with the spleen can best be diagnosed in rabbits.

Her research and presentation blew the judges away and she won both the ‘Best Resident Presentation’ from the European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM) and ‘Best Student Presentation’ from the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians (AEMV).

Megan graduated from the Dick Vet in 2020 and completed a rotating internship and an annual and summer exotic medicine internship at our Hospital for Small Animals, before starting her residency in Rabbit and Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery. She is in the second year of her residency and is working towards Diplomate status of the European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM) – Small animal speciality.

12/04/2024

We hope you have all had a great week. We were delighted to see many of you at our Rabbit Night on Wednesday. It was a great turnout and lovely to see so many people wanting to learn more about their rabbit. 🐰

Thanks for joining in and look out for more of our education evenings planned throughout the year 🙂

04/04/2024

You are warmly invited to attend our client evening on Wednesday 10 April at 7pm.

This event is open to all bunny enthusiasts who would like to learn more about promoting the health of their pet rabbit.

Topics covered in our short talk series include 'House Rabbit Enrichment', 'Managing Pododermatitis', 'Caring for the Old-Age Bunny', 'Faecal Parasitology' and 'Gastrointestinal Anatomy and Physiology'.

Join us for a fun and informative evening! We look forward to seeing you there!

21/03/2024

SAVE THE DATE!

Wednesday 10 April
We will be restarting our very popular Client Evenings
First up is Rabbit Night! 🐰

Further details to follow, including how to register, watch this space!

05/02/2024

We are recruiting!

Are you a qualified veterinary surgeon? Do you have a passion for exotic animal veterinary medicine?

We are looking for a veterinary surgeon to join our team 🙂

The successful candidate will join our team of two Diplomats, a residency-trained clinician, two ECZM residents and two interns. They will be supported by teams of specialists in multiple other disciplines, including anaesthesia, neurology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine and oncology among others, as well as our nursing and support teams.

The role could be at lecturer or senior lecturer level, depending on qualifications and experience. As well as providing a clinical service, you will support our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes, and contribute to the School's globally leading research.

For more information about this full time permanent contract visit http://edin.ac/3JTcIMv

Applications close at 23.59 on 15 February 2024.

12/12/2023

Congratulations to Dr Jenna Richardson, one of our senior vets, who was successful at the recent Easter Bush Staff Awards.

Jenna won the category of ‘Teacher/Lecturer of the Year’ for 2023 for her work as Course Organiser and Senior Lecturer on the Undergraduate Exotic Animal Veterinary Programme.

28/09/2023

This week is Guinea Pig Awareness Week, a perfect time to share knowledge to improve the health and welfare of guinea pigs.

Here are a few Guinea Pig fun facts:
🐾When Guinea pigs are excited they can jump and twist in the air – that’s called popcorning
🐾Guinea pigs need lots of hay to eat, and chewing it helps to keep their 20 constantly growing teeth in good shape and health.
🐾Guinea pigs are highly sociable and should always live with friends in order to thrive. Appropriate social structures can include single s*x pairs, a group of females or a neutered male with females.
🐾A male guinea pig is called a boar and a female is called a sow, but they are actually from the rodent family.
🐾Guinea pig pups are born with their eyes open and are fully mobile
🐾Guinea pigs don’t have tails
🐾Guinea pigs usually live for 5-7 years of age, although Snowball the guinea pig is listed in the Guinness World Records, as he lived to the ripe old age of 14!

Did you know that we have specialists in guinea pig health at our practice? Learn more about what we do here: https://edin.ac/3Gc96Sl

We’d love to see photos of your guinea pigs in the comments below!

31/05/2023

Today is – a day to celebrate these remarkable birds.

Parrots are highly intelligent birds that require lots of stimulation and a carefully balanced diet to stay in the best physical and mental health.

Here, Monika Nawrocka, exotics RVN at our practice and parrot welfare enthusiast, shares some tips for those who care for parrots to help keep your pet happy and healthy.

“Many of the parrots we see in our practice are being fed a sub-optimal diet. The commonly sold ‘all-seed diets’ are high in fat and low in essential minerals, vitamins and amino acids necessary for normal functioning. Moreover, birds are fussy eaters and tend to pick the most favourable seeds, such as sunflower seeds, which in large quantities, can lead to obesity and liver failure. The preferred diet for a pet parrot would be 80-90% of high-quality pellets and the rest being a variety of vegetables, nuts and some fruits.

"Wild parrots spend hours daily foraging, so recreating this activity at home will provide crucial mental stimulation for your pet. Hiding your pet parrot’s daily food rations in interactive toys and puzzles is an excellent way to keep them entertained. Providing cardboard boxes, shredding objects and multiple branches and ropes around the bird's environment for them to rest and play on, as well as bird-safe plants such as spider plants, will also enrich their environment and improve their welfare.”

If you have a parrot, have some fun and get creative to provide your feathered friend with an entertaining home environment to encourage foraging and play.

05/05/2023

A veterinary team from our Practice have successfully used acupuncture to help alleviate arthritic pain in an elderly wild animal at Fife Zoo.

Ebony, a 12 year old ring-tailed coatimundi, has been receiving regular acupuncture sessions from one of the DVREP veterinary nurses as part of her ongoing healthcare plan. Since receiving the pioneering treatment, Ebony’s keepers and vets have reported a significant improvement in her mobility, mood and appetite.

You can read more about how we helped Ebony here: https://bit.ly/3pdVseV



Fife Zoo
BVNA (The British Veterinary Nursing Association)

Coatimundi responds well to pioneering treatment from Dick Vet team

20/02/2023

Exciting News! We are recruiting!

Are you a qualified veterinary surgeon? Do you have a passion for exotic animal veterinary medicine?

If so, check out our TWO veterinary internship opportunities with us. https://edin.ac/3JTcIMv

Applications close at 5pm on 1 March 2023.

30/09/2022

Guinea Pig appreciation week – home sweet home

Owners should carefully consider where their guinea pigs will live before getting their new pet.

Guinea pigs cannot tolerate wet, cold, draughty environments so if they are being kept outside, their hutch should be well insulated and in a sheltered area, secure from any predators.

Guinea pigs are extremely active creatures so whether housed inside or outside, they should also have access to a large secure exercise area. They don’t dig, but can munch through grass quickly so any outside exercise area should be moved regularly.

As guinea pigs are so low to the ground, make sure they are not getting wet/muddy when outside – especially the long-haired varieties as they can get matted and waterlogged quickly and will need more help and care with weekly grooming.

29/09/2022

Guinea Pig appreciation week – rabbits and guinea pigs

We would never recommend that guinea pigs live with rabbits. Here are four key reasons why:

❌Rabbits can injure guinea pigs by kicking, mounting or generally being aggressive towards them.

❌Rabbits communicate very differently; guinea pigs are very vocal, whereas rabbits only vocalise when in extreme pain or danger.

❌Rabbits require a different diet to guinea pigs as rabbits can make their own Vitamin C and guinea pigs cannot.

❌Rabbits carry bacteria called Bordetella, which can be fatal to a guinea pig.

28/09/2022

Guinea Pig appreciation week – making guinea pig's environment fun and engaging

Although guinea pigs are highly social animals, they appreciate some alone time too. Make sure that they have access to adequate bolt holes/space for nesting/resting so they can find space away from one another if need be.

Guinea pigs love tunnels and places to hide, they need plenty of places to explore and eat and love nothing more than ‘burrowing’ through piles of hay to find the best bits.

27/09/2022

Guinea Pig appreciation week - social groupings

Guinea pigs are highly sociable animals. In the wild they would live in social groups of 20 or more so they are happiest when they live with other guinea pigs. Females generally live well together, however two males housed together can squabble so it is advisable for both to be neutered to minimise this. Guinea pigs housed in larger groups should ideally consist of one neutered male and a group of females.

Whether you have two, or twenty, guinea pigs living together, watch them closely to make sure that none are showing bullying behaviour.

26/09/2022

This week is Guinea Pig appreciation Week 💗.

The theme for this year is “Home Squeak Home” and will focus on the importance of providing the right environment for guinea pigs.

Throughout the week, we will be sharing some top tips on how to care for your guinea pig, as well as lots of pictures of these super cute cavies living their best lives in fabulous environments.

Did you know that we have specialists in guinea pig health at our practice? Learn more about what we do here: https://edin.ac/3Gc96Sl