Rabbits & Small Animals In Leesburg, VA

Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and other small mammals—also known as “pocket pets”—make fun, friendly and wonderful family pets, but they do have special care requirements to stay healthy and happy.

We recommend an annual wellness exam to be sure your small pet is healthy, and it gives us a baseline for future reference in the event your pet is ever sick. Annual exams also give you time with our veterinarians so we can answer all your health, behavior, environment and nutrition questions.

Bringing Your Small Pet to the Vet

We recognize that coming to the vet can be a stressful experience for any pet, particularly our small ones. Our staff and doctors are very sensitive to this fact and do whatever we can to limit this stress.

Your pet may be more relaxed if brought in its regular enclosure if possible. It is also best not to clean the enclosure prior to bringing your pet in. This will allow your pet to be surrounded by familiar, comfortable smells, and will also retain samples for diagnostic testing if needed to better evaluate your pet. Our small mammal wellness exams include:

• Complete physical examination, including oral exam
• Weight checks
• Fecal exam
• Vaccinations if needed
• Parasite prevention if needed
• Heartworm testing and prevention (ferrets)
• Dental Care and Cleaning (rabbits, ferrets)

We also offer:

• Diagnostic testing, such as blood tests, skin scrapings, and biopsy of growths
• Sex determination
• Surgeries for spay/neuter, growth removal, dental disease, fractures, and internal problems
• In-house pharmacy with medications and supplements
• Nutritional counseling tailored to the needs of your pet
• Behavioral counseling
• Environmental enrichment counseling
• Microchipping

How to Tell When Your Small Pet is Sick

The best treatment for any illness is catching it early through annual wellness exams before your pet is showing signs of illness. Small mammals survive in the wild by hiding injury and illness. Unfortunately, this means that when they show signs of illness it is often advanced and more difficult to cure. You should bring your pet in to see us if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• Decreased activity
• Decreased appetite or stops eating
• Drooling
• Sneezing
• Limping
• Lethargy
• Diarrhea
• Head tilts to the side or is upside down
• Weight loss
• Changes in stool or urine production or appearance
• Ocular or nasal discharge
• Any sign of blood on the animal or in its enclosure
• Muscle twitching, weakness
• Witnessed or suspected injuries

If you have questions about caring for your small pet or want to make an appointment, give us a call at (703) 777-7781.

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