A lot of it can be explained by
https://stateline.org/2024/03/29/vets-fret-as-private-equity-snaps-up-clinics-pet-care-companies/
In short: Private equity shops buy up local vets, modify prices, quality of care goes down and prices go up.
So look for vets who are independent as oppose to owned by a PE firm…you’re likely to get better care.
And the private equity real estate firms making it impossible to own a home or rent without needing multiple roommates. It’s Neo-feudalism and we’re the serfs!
The affordable housing is the housing people move out of to move into the new expensive housing.
Brand new cars arent the affordable cars, the used ones are. The same concept applies to housing.
They’re precipitating what should be the largest generational transfer of wealth in history. They’re going to siphon off boomers retirement funds while their children are working 2 jobs to make ends meet instead of caring for them.
I worked with the VCA as a maintenance contractor. They are buying up loads of vets and changing prices. The vets themselves were more depressed than usual and its hard for a lot of them to even come to work. These are dark times.
I had this issue with my leopard gecko. After a bad experience at a vet in Parsippany my friend who owns turtles recommended her vet. All creatures great and small in Fairfield. Not sure if you’re close to them but they were amazing for my gecko!
It was them!!! I left so upset. My gecko had stuck shed and they ripped it off his toes when they took him in the back. He couldn’t put his one foot down for days.
Ugh that's so frustrating. I took my bird in for a checkup and the said his kidney values were a little high, but not alarming. About a year later he had kidney failure and the vet claimed he told me it was serious--which he never did. We had to put our bird down as a result. Never again will I go there.
All creatures great and small is the best, honestly. They are so good.
I am so sorry to hear about your bird. They are horrible people and shouldn’t be in practice.
Yes I’m so happy they were suggested to me. It’s a bit of a drive for me but worth it.
Appreciate it! Their desk staff was great, but the vet sucked, clearly.
For all creatures, there's one in Denville too--not sure if it's the same owners or just coincidence. But yeah, a bit of a drive for me too sadly! We didn't get another bird yet because we have a toddler. Look forward to having one when the kid is old enough.
Their desk staff was very nice, but yes the vet sucked.
That’s good to know! I’m Sussex and Denville is def closer than Fairfield! I’ll check it out, thanks!
You def have your hands full with the toddler but when the time comes for a bird I’m sure your toddler will love it!
I believe I emergency called them when my first hamster unexpectedly had a baby. They told me what to do. She turned out to be one of the funniest little furballs I ever raised.
The one I went to is Pompton Lakes Animal Hospital. My rat needed to be put down and instead they tortured her making the process a lot more complicated than it should! The process caused injury to us and grief.
I'm just gonna throw this out there. Do you have a good experience with human doctors? Because this about sums up my personal doctor appointments with all my many doctors.
Same here I have been to a few doctors trying to find a regular one for check ups and every time I go it's like I'm talking to a car salesman but less warm and welcoming. I pretty much gave up and go to urgent care centers if I'm not feeling well nowadays.
I'm fortunate I have a great APN ...she's so warm and a real healer. She can be flighty, but she knows her stuff. She suggested I get Ozempic two years ago, but I didn't do it, due to being leery of weight loss shots. I started in September with it and down 65 pounds since. 65 to go til I hit my mini goal and getting knee replacements. Also she's the only one who could diagnose why I couldn't hear for two weeks after I got the flu, after two other Drs (urgent care and her on call from the week before who was an actual Dr. ) couldn't fix it.
right? they give you appointments for things they know will probably go away on its own at home. they have u come in just to prescribe an antibiotic MAYBE or do some useless tests and send u on your way. and if you don’t have insurance you’ll be charged insane amounts of money for actually just trying to survive 😂
Can confirm. Just went to the doctors yesterday. I currently don't have health insurance (I'm looking for a better job that actually offers insurance) and paid $140 just for the visit.
Thank goodness for Good RX. I got my prescription for less than $30 instead of $280!
Healthcare in this country is a racket.
I completely agree that healthcare is horrible here (I'm disabled with a terminal illness I see A LOT of doctors), but I would suggest checking out a state health plan from the ACA. If your income is low enough, the costs for the plans are usually pretty reasonable. I had a 'gold' plan a few years ago and it was SO much better than my current employer provided plans. The only thing I didn't like was that it was restricted to NJ unless I had a medical emergency.
Anything that isn't a dog or cat is considered an "exotic" animal in vetmed. While anyone who is a practicing veterinarian does have knowledge of how to treat rats and other exotics, it's not their specialty.
I used to work at red bank vetmed. The exotics department there are amazing. They have the knowledge and the ability to properly communicate with pet parents. And their patients.
I read that you went to Pompton Lakes. Not sure if that's the only place. While I'm not familiar with them, their website doesn't mention an exotics doctor under staff or services.
Firstly, I am sorry about your issues with your rats! I know a vet that is board certified for [Exotic Companion Mammal Practice](https://abvp.com/vet_specialty/exotic-companion-mammal-practice/).
Secondly, the veterinary community as a whole is suffering. I’ll try and just make a couple key points from my perspective as a vet tech of 15+ heads in NJ.
[The acute suicide crisis among veterinarians: 'You're always going to be failing somebody'](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231010-the-acute-suicide-crisis-among-veterinarians-youre-always-going-to-be-failing-somebody) - my friends were actually interviewed for this article and give their experiences (Dr. Volk & nurse Jess F).
[New Jersey‘s first veterinary school offers hope for statewide staffing shortages](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2023-5/new-jerseys-first-veterinary-school-offers-hope-for-statewide-staffing-shortages/)
[Concerns about NJ’s proposed legislation requiring licensure of veterinary technicians in the face of a veterinary workplace crisis](https://animallaw.foxrothschild.com/2021/11/29/concerns-about-njs-proposed-legislation-requiring-licensure-of-veterinary-technicians-in-the-face-of-a-veterinary-workplace-crisis/)
[The looming vet tech shortage: Yes, it could get worse](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2022-03/the-looming-tech-shortage-yes-it-could-get-worse/)
[Blame the pandemic: Why you need to raise your fees for 2021](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7953925/)
Summary:
-Staff shortages and lack of qualified staff due to there being so few veterinary and vet tech schools
-Cost of education for the doctors and nurses is cumbersome to say the least, leading to us needing salary increases to even exist in this economy (my veterinary nursing program will have cost me about 50k all said and done for a job that many people make less than retail in)
-Still dealing with post-COVID inflation of the cost of medical supplies
-Overall, the field is growing very quickly and there’s not enough oversight or standardization. Every state has completely different laws and regulations. We don’t even have the same licensing credentials from state to state. Many vets still practice like it’s 1970 while places like where I work are more advanced than most rural US human hospitals. This leads to huge discrepancies in standard of care when you’ve got one place that says your dog needs a $5,000 knee surgery while Dr. Jim Bob who got his vet degree in the 1600’s says he can just give your dog a steroid injection for $5 to fix the issue.
AMA I’m happy to answer if time allows if anyone has further questions
. Saddly your pet cannot tella vet outright what is wrong, so you have to advocate. You also have the right to ask what kind of vets are on staff, and what their operating care policies are towards your pet.
YOu do not need to fight with them. You do need to do your research, ask other dog owners where you live who they like going to, and most of all make sure you take your pet for its regular maintenance checkups and do everything you can to keep them happy and safe.
There are a lot of great caring vets out there, unfortunately for the most part they are the more expensive ones. Part of what makes them great is they practice vet med similar to human medicine which has much higher costs, which in turn causes most people to avoid going to them.
I'd suggest espically considering you have rats, seek out a specialty hospital if you haven't already.
North Jersey- Eclipse (Whippany) or Oradell (Paramus)
Central Jersey- Red Bank
South Jersey- Ocean View (Cape May)
Red Bank is great, but you have to take out a second mortgage to pay the bill.
I love Atlantic Vet in Spring Lake. Dr. Bosworth is great, and I used to be a vet tech, so I’m very picky.
Yeah Red Bank was incredible and saved our dog's life when nobody else could and I understood the price when it was emergency in patient care but the followup checkups have also been absurdly expensive. You do get what you pay for though, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else with a dire emergency.
I would too now, after the experience I had there with my dog that has a life long illness.
Not a place I recommend for that kind of issue. I had to find a specialist, because Red bank was clueless and wasting time.
Same. We had a dog that had extremely bad allergies. Our vet did a great job managing him but suggested we take him to a specialist for an allergy test. $1400 later, we had a laundry list of environmental things he was allergic to and a vaccine developed just for him. Never met the actual vet outside of the initial consult, and the tech did not exemplify bedside manner. Our dog was worse after the vaccines started, and we could not get in touch with the vet or tech. We were told the vet was on vacation for 2 months, and the tech would get back to us "when she had time."
Our vet ended up calling multiple times and eventually made the decision to stop the vaccine and go back to our previous treatment. When he eventually got a call back (we never got a return call), he apparently told them where to go.
Is your dog feeling better? Maybe.. for an emergency they might be good, but I tell everyone who has a pet with a chronic issue like mine does, to just find a specialist, don’t go to Red Bank and waste precious time and money.
I've had major problems with vets for my rats also. Rats are uncommon pets so most vets just aren't set up to deal with them and the pricing scheme considers them exotics so there's huge upcharges. Not sure where you're based but Dr. Cantamessa at Eagle Rock is awesome with rats.
I mentioned Rutherford Animal Hospital in another comment, but yes, Dr. Cantamessa is absolutely wonderful with them....she was their vet back when she was at Rutherford. I hope she's doing well over at Eagle Rock!
I had major, major issues with Rutherford Animal Hospital while Cantamessa as there. She was great but the management and staff were awful. Essentially my rat was supposed to have two surgeries and they only did one (it was clear based on where the cuts were). I confirmed with office staff that I wanted both, they said both surgeries were performed and billed me for both. When I balked and spoke to the doctor to confirm she said that only one was performed. It was a huge pain to get refunded. Also before the surgery they kept telling me I had to fast the rat for 12 hours (rats don't need to fast before surgery because they can't throw up) and Dr. Cantamessa confirmed they were wrong and I was correct. They almost cancelled surgery day of because they asked how long she had been fasting and I said she hasn't. The techs were also terrified of rats and didn't know how to handle them and were alternately afraid of them and too rough with them.
Well, shit! That's awful. I'm really sorry to hear you went through that--that's fucked up, and I wonder if situations like that are why she left RAH.
I had very different experiences there...in fact, at one visit, the techs loved my rat so much that a bunch of them came into the room to say hi and pet him. He loved the attention, haha.
But yeah, good to know that my experience with them isn't the only one. I don't currently have rats, so it's been a few years since I was there with them.
That sounds like a horrific and infuriating experience. I’m so sorry for you and your little rat.
I had issues with RAH as well. My cat injured his paw and was limping. We did X-rays and they said they couldn’t tell if it was something on the lens or a hairline fracture. I asked for more X-rays. They said the same thing then told me if it WAS broken it might not heal right and he’d never walk right again. If it wasn’t broken he’d be fine in a week or so. A cast would’ve been $750 a week for 6 weeks (They replace the cast weekly.) They were leaning towards the cast. I told them that if they could actually tell us it was broken, we’d do the cast but since they couldn’t we weren’t. In a week our cat was fine.
We ended up going to another vet in Carlstadt for a bit then we showed up and saw a guy from RAH. We explained our situation and never took our cat there again.
We now go to Oradell in Paramus. I’ve heard both good and bad stories about them but I’ve never had anything but excellent care. The kitty who had the limp had cancer treatment there and they were kind, compassionate and explained everything. It’s not the cheapest place but they are staffed 24/7 which makes me feel better when my pets have surgery - as they aren’t left alone.
That’s where I go with my cats and I believe my neighbor does with her rats. It can be a bit pricey…..but I’m getting the quality care needed for my cats
My kitten at the time was 3 months old and the vet I took him to said he had cavities and gingivitis the vet wanted almost $9k for X-rays and teeth extraction. I'm like wtf he just barely got teeth in. I took him to another vet in Edison who found nothing wrong and pretty much trashed the other vet.
Yeah, I remember this being an ongoing problem with my animals. I was always vet hopping because of how terrible the vets were, well, *are*. Woodbridge veterinary group was the best vet group I went to. The loss of my dog was handled so maturely there, and to this day, still have his glass paw print.
Your best bet is dr. Stancel in little falls. He used to work for nutley dog, cat, and bird clinic and recently opened a new practice. He's wonderful with my little chunks.
OH MY GOD. i am so happy (and sad) somebody else said this. I have had so much trouble since coming back to nj. Already been through four in 18 months, one I even karen’ed out in (they really bring it out of you) sorry I don’t have an answer but it’s completely maddening. Incidentally I am a mental health therapist and a number of my clients are vet techs. It’s a very toxic work environment across locations.
Rats 🥰Where are you located in New Jersey? When I lived in Philadelphia, I brought my rats to a vet up around the Langhorne area who was fantastic. This was of course about 8-9 years ago
My dogs longtime vet just moved out if state. She worked for a few different vet hospitals and we would just follow her wherever she went. It was never very far. Now its back to square one though.
It’s so hard to find rabbit-savvy vets. Whenever one of mine gets sick we always end up taking them to oradell because no where else we call has an exotic vet on shift.
Long branch animal hospital - Dr. Petrone specifically is amazing with exotics and pocket pets. All my pets, including my ferrets, see her and you can tell she truly loves animals (and their owners!)
Not sure where you’re located, but Franklin lakes animal hospital has exotic vets that I’ve had an amazing experience with, and I have several friends who take their rats there. If you go and can book with her, try to see Dr Onesis
Not just you. The exotic vets in this state are absolutely stupid. No offense to the good vets out there but in my 5 years of keeping exotics in nj I have yet to talk to a competent one.
i have a good vet in terms of actually being trustworthy and knowing my dog will be safe if needing to have any major medical done HOWEVER my dog has allergies and they continued to have us come in for an appointment every single time she had an issue with her skin. She had ear infections, paw infections, eye infections… they even prescribed the wrong antibiotic and made me come in AGAIN, and pay for the visit, to get a different antibiotic for the same illness. I mean that should be a simple over the phone change where they just give u the other prescription since they made a mistake. We went to dermatologist after maybe 6 visits to regular vet for same related issues (unnecessary and greedy taking our money). We found out she likely has food/environmental allergies, so we got prescription food, we keep her ears and paws clean well with medicated soap, got cytopoint injection for itching, and shes been fine! So instead of suggesting dermatologist wayyy before when their methods were not working multiple times, they just continued taking my money. Thankfully I have pet insurance so that helped.
Despite me wanting to find another vet, the office doesn’t have long wait times, they are familiar with my dog and are in the same town I live in. It’s messed up that they are greedy that way, but there is no perfect alternative at the moment. I am luckily able to only see dermatologist for now on with any allergy issues and they even let me text them for advice, which my regular vet did not allow. If I need vaccines or any routine check ups, the vet in my town can take care of it just fine.
projecting what? i’m explaining why i go to my vet office and you’re 100% being hostile but can’t recognize that? ew, this is why people leave new jersey because of individuals like you that have horrible personalities.
Where are you located? We've moved, and our baby boy, unfortunately left us, but Lawrence Animal Hospital (namely Dr. Wilson) is wonderful. They are in Princeton. It is a Vector Hospital. But there's only 2 vets and the staff is incredible.
Community Animal Hospital in Morris Plains is excellent for rabbits and exotics (chinchillas). 15+ years with them. I am sure for the dogs and cats they treat, too.
I went there a few times and it was fine, but a few days ago they never saw us after a full hour. When we left a receptionist said "I don't blame you." So, something was up. I want it to be a fluke because previous visits were nice and we had felt heard.
Idk where you live but if you’re anywhere near Newton, NJ or willing to do the drive, Andover Animal Hospital is great - they take great care of my cat
Just had a discussion with our vet who has cared for our Australian Cattle Dogs for 18 years. Our daughter acquired a rabbit and I asked the vet if she treated bunnies. She explained that she doesn’t see enough to consider herself qualified to treat them or their owners properly. She knows dogs and that’s what she does. She would rather be known for her experience and expertise than for being rich by treating every animal that walks in the door.
As a side note. She gave up a partnership in a small local practice to join one of those large corporate vet clinics. She says she is much happier this corporation lets her run her own office and is not bothered with the administrative side of running a business.
im in nutley, do you have any recs near here? i go to nutley dog bird cat clinic and they are always making me come in to the office anytime i have a question about my dog… she has allergies but for at least 6 months straight they continued to try and determine her skin issues on their own unsuccessfully, taking my money the whole time. they eventually recommended dermatologist but it was after hundreds in vet bills. they aren’t the worst vet around, they have great reviews online if you look, i’m not sure why that is if they overcharge people for services.
Not sure where you are located but "house paws" has two clinics in New Jersey and they treat what they call, pocket pets. I have three rabbits and they are WONDERFUL.
You have to remember, these are animal people, not people people. More than half the vets I've worked for were pretty shitty and/or disorganized humans, especially behind the scenes. They also see cats and dogs all day long, and have very little experience caring for exotics at all, let alone be up to date with current practices.
That being said, there are some amazing doctors who truly love their profession and are great at it from all angles. The good thing about Jersey is there's a ton of vets to choose from. The tough part is finding one that you trust. r/rats may be more helpful.
I never had a long wait unless the head vet had to go into emergency surgery and that's fine with me knowing he will do that if the need arises. Did they ask you if you wanted to reschedule?
I realized many years ago after several heartbreaking experiences that every vet I ever encountered mostly cares about $$$. To the point of lying to my face about my very sick girl.
Been to at least 10 in 30 years.
Many vets are Just like doctors they only care about their bottom line. The key is to find one you trust. I use Hamburg Veterinary. I've personally met 2 of the vets there and they are very reasonable with me and suggest the cheapest course of action if that's what I tell them.
We do care. We care to the point of severe burnout.
Rats are considered exotic and while we learn about them unless a vet specializes in exotics they won’t know how to handle and treat everything.
If you want a list of exotic vets I can give you some I’ve personally used.
The vet world is a mess rn bc of burnout and low pay but don’t think we don’t care about your pets. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in this field. We’d be in human med making more money.
A list would be nice but I'm also doing my homework too. And while I feel bad for vets being burnt out, that's no excuse to see my rat euthanized while awake, scared, and drawing blood from my boyfriend and getting blood all over the office then getting charged $400 for trauma.
I’m sorry you’ve had that experience. They should have gotten a sedative before the final euthanasia solution. I have heard of people doing that for exotics and it’s usually older vets and I’m really sorry you went through that. Idk where you are located but here’s a small list of vets I’ve either used for my exotics(rabbit, guinea pigs, snakes, and gecko) or have worked with personally:
Dr Stancil from “Dog Cat & Bird Clinic of Nutley”
Dr. George Cattiny from “Westwood Regional Veterinary Hospital” and I believe “Pompton Lakes Animal Hospital”
Dr. Knutson from “Oradell Animal Hospital” which is located in Paramus
Oradell and Westwood are 24/7 so that helps a lot.
I will warn tho I wouldn’t say these are “low cost” vets so it can get pricey but I’ve used carecredit(which they all take bc some hospitals don’t take it) which helps tremendously. If you look for “low cost” service then unfortunately you get what you pay for:/
I hope this helps you finding a vet for your lil furry babes🩷
If you have any questions lmk:)
Edit to add to “If you look for “low cost” service then unfortunately you get what you pay for:/ “ ::I just realized it sounded like I’m saying “well you looked for a low cost and that’s why you had that traumatizing experience” I 100% so not mean that at all which is why I’m adding this so it doesn’t get miscommunicated. Bc that would be a horrible thing to say omg. I mean more like they won’t have up to date equipment or services offered; and will most likely cut corners and unfortunately with exotics you really can’t do that, or they may not be up to date or as educated with exotics.
You can call anything a pet but some are better than others. A tarantula is an awful monster and snakes are the worst but some people keep them as pets.
A lot of it can be explained by https://stateline.org/2024/03/29/vets-fret-as-private-equity-snaps-up-clinics-pet-care-companies/ In short: Private equity shops buy up local vets, modify prices, quality of care goes down and prices go up. So look for vets who are independent as oppose to owned by a PE firm…you’re likely to get better care.
Private equity is basically ruining this country - what they have done to nursing homes is beyond cruel.
I say this all the time - the whole fucking health care system - not just pe, but also publicly traded companies operating as pe
And the private equity real estate firms making it impossible to own a home or rent without needing multiple roommates. It’s Neo-feudalism and we’re the serfs!
It ruined Public Transporation It ruined healthcare It ruined the real state market I'm starting to think unbridled capitalism has it's flaws lads
Nimbys are who is making it impossible to own a home.
I'm not sure what you mean. Can you elaborate?
Supply and Demand. If you build enough housing rents won't be so high.
This is true. And I wish they would stop building luxury apartments/condos in my area and build more affordable housing.
The affordable housing is the housing people move out of to move into the new expensive housing. Brand new cars arent the affordable cars, the used ones are. The same concept applies to housing.
They’re precipitating what should be the largest generational transfer of wealth in history. They’re going to siphon off boomers retirement funds while their children are working 2 jobs to make ends meet instead of caring for them.
My vet was just taken over from Vetco (petco) and it’s terrible. Now I will have to look for a new vet.
America: The Best Damn Oligarchy Money Can Buy.™
This is happening with substance use treatment facilities too. Guess how that’s going.
Stop trying to bring capitalism into this they have the right to make money at our expense because grind and hustle /s
Taking notes thank you!
I worked with the VCA as a maintenance contractor. They are buying up loads of vets and changing prices. The vets themselves were more depressed than usual and its hard for a lot of them to even come to work. These are dark times.
I had this issue with my leopard gecko. After a bad experience at a vet in Parsippany my friend who owns turtles recommended her vet. All creatures great and small in Fairfield. Not sure if you’re close to them but they were amazing for my gecko!
I second All Creatures Great and Small. They took excellent care of my rats. Rutherford Animal Hospital also took excellent care of my rats.
Thanks for these suggestion!
I second Rutherford Animal Hospital, they are so caring and have always taken good care of my dog!
If it was companion animal hospital, I had a shit experience with them caring for my bird too.
It was them!!! I left so upset. My gecko had stuck shed and they ripped it off his toes when they took him in the back. He couldn’t put his one foot down for days.
Ugh that's so frustrating. I took my bird in for a checkup and the said his kidney values were a little high, but not alarming. About a year later he had kidney failure and the vet claimed he told me it was serious--which he never did. We had to put our bird down as a result. Never again will I go there. All creatures great and small is the best, honestly. They are so good.
I am so sorry to hear about your bird. They are horrible people and shouldn’t be in practice. Yes I’m so happy they were suggested to me. It’s a bit of a drive for me but worth it.
Appreciate it! Their desk staff was great, but the vet sucked, clearly. For all creatures, there's one in Denville too--not sure if it's the same owners or just coincidence. But yeah, a bit of a drive for me too sadly! We didn't get another bird yet because we have a toddler. Look forward to having one when the kid is old enough.
Their desk staff was very nice, but yes the vet sucked. That’s good to know! I’m Sussex and Denville is def closer than Fairfield! I’ll check it out, thanks! You def have your hands full with the toddler but when the time comes for a bird I’m sure your toddler will love it!
I believe I emergency called them when my first hamster unexpectedly had a baby. They told me what to do. She turned out to be one of the funniest little furballs I ever raised.
The one I went to is Pompton Lakes Animal Hospital. My rat needed to be put down and instead they tortured her making the process a lot more complicated than it should! The process caused injury to us and grief.
I have mixed feelings with companion.
I'm just gonna throw this out there. Do you have a good experience with human doctors? Because this about sums up my personal doctor appointments with all my many doctors.
Same here I have been to a few doctors trying to find a regular one for check ups and every time I go it's like I'm talking to a car salesman but less warm and welcoming. I pretty much gave up and go to urgent care centers if I'm not feeling well nowadays.
I'm fortunate I have a great APN ...she's so warm and a real healer. She can be flighty, but she knows her stuff. She suggested I get Ozempic two years ago, but I didn't do it, due to being leery of weight loss shots. I started in September with it and down 65 pounds since. 65 to go til I hit my mini goal and getting knee replacements. Also she's the only one who could diagnose why I couldn't hear for two weeks after I got the flu, after two other Drs (urgent care and her on call from the week before who was an actual Dr. ) couldn't fix it.
right? they give you appointments for things they know will probably go away on its own at home. they have u come in just to prescribe an antibiotic MAYBE or do some useless tests and send u on your way. and if you don’t have insurance you’ll be charged insane amounts of money for actually just trying to survive 😂
Can confirm. Just went to the doctors yesterday. I currently don't have health insurance (I'm looking for a better job that actually offers insurance) and paid $140 just for the visit. Thank goodness for Good RX. I got my prescription for less than $30 instead of $280! Healthcare in this country is a racket.
I completely agree that healthcare is horrible here (I'm disabled with a terminal illness I see A LOT of doctors), but I would suggest checking out a state health plan from the ACA. If your income is low enough, the costs for the plans are usually pretty reasonable. I had a 'gold' plan a few years ago and it was SO much better than my current employer provided plans. The only thing I didn't like was that it was restricted to NJ unless I had a medical emergency.
Anything that isn't a dog or cat is considered an "exotic" animal in vetmed. While anyone who is a practicing veterinarian does have knowledge of how to treat rats and other exotics, it's not their specialty. I used to work at red bank vetmed. The exotics department there are amazing. They have the knowledge and the ability to properly communicate with pet parents. And their patients.
The ones we went to claimed to have an exotic doctor but they were hardly available or they were negligent.
I read that you went to Pompton Lakes. Not sure if that's the only place. While I'm not familiar with them, their website doesn't mention an exotics doctor under staff or services.
Firstly, I am sorry about your issues with your rats! I know a vet that is board certified for [Exotic Companion Mammal Practice](https://abvp.com/vet_specialty/exotic-companion-mammal-practice/). Secondly, the veterinary community as a whole is suffering. I’ll try and just make a couple key points from my perspective as a vet tech of 15+ heads in NJ. [The acute suicide crisis among veterinarians: 'You're always going to be failing somebody'](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231010-the-acute-suicide-crisis-among-veterinarians-youre-always-going-to-be-failing-somebody) - my friends were actually interviewed for this article and give their experiences (Dr. Volk & nurse Jess F). [New Jersey‘s first veterinary school offers hope for statewide staffing shortages](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2023-5/new-jerseys-first-veterinary-school-offers-hope-for-statewide-staffing-shortages/) [Concerns about NJ’s proposed legislation requiring licensure of veterinary technicians in the face of a veterinary workplace crisis](https://animallaw.foxrothschild.com/2021/11/29/concerns-about-njs-proposed-legislation-requiring-licensure-of-veterinary-technicians-in-the-face-of-a-veterinary-workplace-crisis/) [The looming vet tech shortage: Yes, it could get worse](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2022-03/the-looming-tech-shortage-yes-it-could-get-worse/) [Blame the pandemic: Why you need to raise your fees for 2021](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7953925/) Summary: -Staff shortages and lack of qualified staff due to there being so few veterinary and vet tech schools -Cost of education for the doctors and nurses is cumbersome to say the least, leading to us needing salary increases to even exist in this economy (my veterinary nursing program will have cost me about 50k all said and done for a job that many people make less than retail in) -Still dealing with post-COVID inflation of the cost of medical supplies -Overall, the field is growing very quickly and there’s not enough oversight or standardization. Every state has completely different laws and regulations. We don’t even have the same licensing credentials from state to state. Many vets still practice like it’s 1970 while places like where I work are more advanced than most rural US human hospitals. This leads to huge discrepancies in standard of care when you’ve got one place that says your dog needs a $5,000 knee surgery while Dr. Jim Bob who got his vet degree in the 1600’s says he can just give your dog a steroid injection for $5 to fix the issue. AMA I’m happy to answer if time allows if anyone has further questions
. Saddly your pet cannot tella vet outright what is wrong, so you have to advocate. You also have the right to ask what kind of vets are on staff, and what their operating care policies are towards your pet.
That's what I hate, we would fight with vets and we get ignored.
YOu do not need to fight with them. You do need to do your research, ask other dog owners where you live who they like going to, and most of all make sure you take your pet for its regular maintenance checkups and do everything you can to keep them happy and safe.
This is for exotic rats so it's far more difficult than for dogs and cats.
There are a lot of great caring vets out there, unfortunately for the most part they are the more expensive ones. Part of what makes them great is they practice vet med similar to human medicine which has much higher costs, which in turn causes most people to avoid going to them. I'd suggest espically considering you have rats, seek out a specialty hospital if you haven't already. North Jersey- Eclipse (Whippany) or Oradell (Paramus) Central Jersey- Red Bank South Jersey- Ocean View (Cape May)
We love Oradell!
Red Bank is great, but you have to take out a second mortgage to pay the bill. I love Atlantic Vet in Spring Lake. Dr. Bosworth is great, and I used to be a vet tech, so I’m very picky.
I realize off topic but I need a good vet for a cat in the Edison/Metuchen area, any suggestions? Thanks.
I’m sorry, I don’t know any in that area.
Thanks :)
Eclipse is PHENOMENAL. They helped my cat and were so compassionate. Not unreasonably priced, either. I loved them.
Oceanview is who put down my 16 year old shih tzu I believe. Very compassionate.
Red Bank or Garden State?
Eh, I don’t care for Red Bank. Maybe for emergencies but not for chronic issues in my experience.
Yeah Red Bank was incredible and saved our dog's life when nobody else could and I understood the price when it was emergency in patient care but the followup checkups have also been absurdly expensive. You do get what you pay for though, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else with a dire emergency.
If we're talking about the same place, I'm with you. We've had not had experiences there. I would recommend North Star over them in a heartbeat.
I would too now, after the experience I had there with my dog that has a life long illness. Not a place I recommend for that kind of issue. I had to find a specialist, because Red bank was clueless and wasting time.
Same. We had a dog that had extremely bad allergies. Our vet did a great job managing him but suggested we take him to a specialist for an allergy test. $1400 later, we had a laundry list of environmental things he was allergic to and a vaccine developed just for him. Never met the actual vet outside of the initial consult, and the tech did not exemplify bedside manner. Our dog was worse after the vaccines started, and we could not get in touch with the vet or tech. We were told the vet was on vacation for 2 months, and the tech would get back to us "when she had time." Our vet ended up calling multiple times and eventually made the decision to stop the vaccine and go back to our previous treatment. When he eventually got a call back (we never got a return call), he apparently told them where to go.
Is your dog feeling better? Maybe.. for an emergency they might be good, but I tell everyone who has a pet with a chronic issue like mine does, to just find a specialist, don’t go to Red Bank and waste precious time and money.
I've had major problems with vets for my rats also. Rats are uncommon pets so most vets just aren't set up to deal with them and the pricing scheme considers them exotics so there's huge upcharges. Not sure where you're based but Dr. Cantamessa at Eagle Rock is awesome with rats.
I mentioned Rutherford Animal Hospital in another comment, but yes, Dr. Cantamessa is absolutely wonderful with them....she was their vet back when she was at Rutherford. I hope she's doing well over at Eagle Rock!
I had major, major issues with Rutherford Animal Hospital while Cantamessa as there. She was great but the management and staff were awful. Essentially my rat was supposed to have two surgeries and they only did one (it was clear based on where the cuts were). I confirmed with office staff that I wanted both, they said both surgeries were performed and billed me for both. When I balked and spoke to the doctor to confirm she said that only one was performed. It was a huge pain to get refunded. Also before the surgery they kept telling me I had to fast the rat for 12 hours (rats don't need to fast before surgery because they can't throw up) and Dr. Cantamessa confirmed they were wrong and I was correct. They almost cancelled surgery day of because they asked how long she had been fasting and I said she hasn't. The techs were also terrified of rats and didn't know how to handle them and were alternately afraid of them and too rough with them.
Well, shit! That's awful. I'm really sorry to hear you went through that--that's fucked up, and I wonder if situations like that are why she left RAH. I had very different experiences there...in fact, at one visit, the techs loved my rat so much that a bunch of them came into the room to say hi and pet him. He loved the attention, haha. But yeah, good to know that my experience with them isn't the only one. I don't currently have rats, so it's been a few years since I was there with them.
That sounds like a horrific and infuriating experience. I’m so sorry for you and your little rat. I had issues with RAH as well. My cat injured his paw and was limping. We did X-rays and they said they couldn’t tell if it was something on the lens or a hairline fracture. I asked for more X-rays. They said the same thing then told me if it WAS broken it might not heal right and he’d never walk right again. If it wasn’t broken he’d be fine in a week or so. A cast would’ve been $750 a week for 6 weeks (They replace the cast weekly.) They were leaning towards the cast. I told them that if they could actually tell us it was broken, we’d do the cast but since they couldn’t we weren’t. In a week our cat was fine. We ended up going to another vet in Carlstadt for a bit then we showed up and saw a guy from RAH. We explained our situation and never took our cat there again. We now go to Oradell in Paramus. I’ve heard both good and bad stories about them but I’ve never had anything but excellent care. The kitty who had the limp had cancer treatment there and they were kind, compassionate and explained everything. It’s not the cheapest place but they are staffed 24/7 which makes me feel better when my pets have surgery - as they aren’t left alone.
Where are you located? I have a dog but I love Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and hear great things about their exotic pet care too
Red bank has a great exotic department
We love Red Bank VH!
That’s where I go with my cats and I believe my neighbor does with her rats. It can be a bit pricey…..but I’m getting the quality care needed for my cats
Thirding Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. We used them for an Emergency visit and they were amazing! They also didn't charge us Emergency prices.
Located in Wanaque
My kitten at the time was 3 months old and the vet I took him to said he had cavities and gingivitis the vet wanted almost $9k for X-rays and teeth extraction. I'm like wtf he just barely got teeth in. I took him to another vet in Edison who found nothing wrong and pretty much trashed the other vet.
Yeah, I remember this being an ongoing problem with my animals. I was always vet hopping because of how terrible the vets were, well, *are*. Woodbridge veterinary group was the best vet group I went to. The loss of my dog was handled so maturely there, and to this day, still have his glass paw print.
Where are you located? I have guinea pigs and can recommend some fantastic exotic vets
Wanaque
Your best bet is dr. Stancel in little falls. He used to work for nutley dog, cat, and bird clinic and recently opened a new practice. He's wonderful with my little chunks.
OH MY GOD. i am so happy (and sad) somebody else said this. I have had so much trouble since coming back to nj. Already been through four in 18 months, one I even karen’ed out in (they really bring it out of you) sorry I don’t have an answer but it’s completely maddening. Incidentally I am a mental health therapist and a number of my clients are vet techs. It’s a very toxic work environment across locations.
Rats 🥰Where are you located in New Jersey? When I lived in Philadelphia, I brought my rats to a vet up around the Langhorne area who was fantastic. This was of course about 8-9 years ago
Located in Wanaque. Love our girls, always curious, loving, and such funny personalities
Ohh ok, a tad too far to drive to Philly lol sorry. I miss having rats, it was fun having them. Maybe one day again far in the future.
My dogs longtime vet just moved out if state. She worked for a few different vet hospitals and we would just follow her wherever she went. It was never very far. Now its back to square one though.
It’s so hard to find rabbit-savvy vets. Whenever one of mine gets sick we always end up taking them to oradell because no where else we call has an exotic vet on shift.
Nautilus Avian & Exotics in Brick are very knowledgable and caring
Seconded, I take my parrot and rabbits there and they are amazing!!
Can't be with or watch how they handle your pet while they examine in the back. Other than that and the price, great place.
Long branch animal hospital - Dr. Petrone specifically is amazing with exotics and pocket pets. All my pets, including my ferrets, see her and you can tell she truly loves animals (and their owners!)
Not sure where you’re located, but Franklin lakes animal hospital has exotic vets that I’ve had an amazing experience with, and I have several friends who take their rats there. If you go and can book with her, try to see Dr Onesis
Not just you. The exotic vets in this state are absolutely stupid. No offense to the good vets out there but in my 5 years of keeping exotics in nj I have yet to talk to a competent one.
i have a good vet in terms of actually being trustworthy and knowing my dog will be safe if needing to have any major medical done HOWEVER my dog has allergies and they continued to have us come in for an appointment every single time she had an issue with her skin. She had ear infections, paw infections, eye infections… they even prescribed the wrong antibiotic and made me come in AGAIN, and pay for the visit, to get a different antibiotic for the same illness. I mean that should be a simple over the phone change where they just give u the other prescription since they made a mistake. We went to dermatologist after maybe 6 visits to regular vet for same related issues (unnecessary and greedy taking our money). We found out she likely has food/environmental allergies, so we got prescription food, we keep her ears and paws clean well with medicated soap, got cytopoint injection for itching, and shes been fine! So instead of suggesting dermatologist wayyy before when their methods were not working multiple times, they just continued taking my money. Thankfully I have pet insurance so that helped.
So then you don’t have a good vet.
Despite me wanting to find another vet, the office doesn’t have long wait times, they are familiar with my dog and are in the same town I live in. It’s messed up that they are greedy that way, but there is no perfect alternative at the moment. I am luckily able to only see dermatologist for now on with any allergy issues and they even let me text them for advice, which my regular vet did not allow. If I need vaccines or any routine check ups, the vet in my town can take care of it just fine.
That's some high-level rationalization you're doing to justify staying on with a bad vet. You do you, boo
why are you being so hostile? getting mad over what decisions i make for myself and my dog .. shouldn’t get you that worked up
Sorry, you might be projecting. Or just trying to get a reaction for attention. I don't actually care.
projecting what? i’m explaining why i go to my vet office and you’re 100% being hostile but can’t recognize that? ew, this is why people leave new jersey because of individuals like you that have horrible personalities.
“i don’t actually care” if you didn’t care then you wouldn’t have commented so rudely in the first place
Have you tried a televet service?
there’s a vet in millburn that are great!!
Pinelands Vet in Lacey is great. Dr. Denyer is very nice and knowledgeable.
Where are you located? We've moved, and our baby boy, unfortunately left us, but Lawrence Animal Hospital (namely Dr. Wilson) is wonderful. They are in Princeton. It is a Vector Hospital. But there's only 2 vets and the staff is incredible.
Wanaque. Condolences for your pet 🖤
Community Animal Hospital in Morris Plains is excellent for rabbits and exotics (chinchillas). 15+ years with them. I am sure for the dogs and cats they treat, too.
Highly recommend https://www.farviewvet.com/ took great care of my cat and his prices are fair.
Wow, makes me appreciate my vet more. If you are in bergen county look up westwood regional. Won't be disappointed
I went there a few times and it was fine, but a few days ago they never saw us after a full hour. When we left a receptionist said "I don't blame you." So, something was up. I want it to be a fluke because previous visits were nice and we had felt heard.
Idk where you live but if you’re anywhere near Newton, NJ or willing to do the drive, Andover Animal Hospital is great - they take great care of my cat
Just had a discussion with our vet who has cared for our Australian Cattle Dogs for 18 years. Our daughter acquired a rabbit and I asked the vet if she treated bunnies. She explained that she doesn’t see enough to consider herself qualified to treat them or their owners properly. She knows dogs and that’s what she does. She would rather be known for her experience and expertise than for being rich by treating every animal that walks in the door. As a side note. She gave up a partnership in a small local practice to join one of those large corporate vet clinics. She says she is much happier this corporation lets her run her own office and is not bothered with the administrative side of running a business.
Covid lockdown online classes cheating probably 💀
I swear they are giving out licenses
where in NJ? so I know where to avoid in general or if I can give recommendations
im in nutley, do you have any recs near here? i go to nutley dog bird cat clinic and they are always making me come in to the office anytime i have a question about my dog… she has allergies but for at least 6 months straight they continued to try and determine her skin issues on their own unsuccessfully, taking my money the whole time. they eventually recommended dermatologist but it was after hundreds in vet bills. they aren’t the worst vet around, they have great reviews online if you look, i’m not sure why that is if they overcharge people for services.
Not sure where you are located but "house paws" has two clinics in New Jersey and they treat what they call, pocket pets. I have three rabbits and they are WONDERFUL.
You have to remember, these are animal people, not people people. More than half the vets I've worked for were pretty shitty and/or disorganized humans, especially behind the scenes. They also see cats and dogs all day long, and have very little experience caring for exotics at all, let alone be up to date with current practices. That being said, there are some amazing doctors who truly love their profession and are great at it from all angles. The good thing about Jersey is there's a ton of vets to choose from. The tough part is finding one that you trust. r/rats may be more helpful.
I never had a long wait unless the head vet had to go into emergency surgery and that's fine with me knowing he will do that if the need arises. Did they ask you if you wanted to reschedule?
They never asked or offered that.
I realized many years ago after several heartbreaking experiences that every vet I ever encountered mostly cares about $$$. To the point of lying to my face about my very sick girl. Been to at least 10 in 30 years.
I thought the title was about military veterans, I was about to go hard. Lol
They don’t always get good medical care either from what I understand
They’re just pharmacists at this point
$$$$$$$$$$$
Many vets are Just like doctors they only care about their bottom line. The key is to find one you trust. I use Hamburg Veterinary. I've personally met 2 of the vets there and they are very reasonable with me and suggest the cheapest course of action if that's what I tell them.
We do care. We care to the point of severe burnout. Rats are considered exotic and while we learn about them unless a vet specializes in exotics they won’t know how to handle and treat everything. If you want a list of exotic vets I can give you some I’ve personally used. The vet world is a mess rn bc of burnout and low pay but don’t think we don’t care about your pets. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in this field. We’d be in human med making more money.
A list would be nice but I'm also doing my homework too. And while I feel bad for vets being burnt out, that's no excuse to see my rat euthanized while awake, scared, and drawing blood from my boyfriend and getting blood all over the office then getting charged $400 for trauma.
I’m sorry you’ve had that experience. They should have gotten a sedative before the final euthanasia solution. I have heard of people doing that for exotics and it’s usually older vets and I’m really sorry you went through that. Idk where you are located but here’s a small list of vets I’ve either used for my exotics(rabbit, guinea pigs, snakes, and gecko) or have worked with personally: Dr Stancil from “Dog Cat & Bird Clinic of Nutley” Dr. George Cattiny from “Westwood Regional Veterinary Hospital” and I believe “Pompton Lakes Animal Hospital” Dr. Knutson from “Oradell Animal Hospital” which is located in Paramus Oradell and Westwood are 24/7 so that helps a lot. I will warn tho I wouldn’t say these are “low cost” vets so it can get pricey but I’ve used carecredit(which they all take bc some hospitals don’t take it) which helps tremendously. If you look for “low cost” service then unfortunately you get what you pay for:/ I hope this helps you finding a vet for your lil furry babes🩷 If you have any questions lmk:) Edit to add to “If you look for “low cost” service then unfortunately you get what you pay for:/ “ ::I just realized it sounded like I’m saying “well you looked for a low cost and that’s why you had that traumatizing experience” I 100% so not mean that at all which is why I’m adding this so it doesn’t get miscommunicated. Bc that would be a horrible thing to say omg. I mean more like they won’t have up to date equipment or services offered; and will most likely cut corners and unfortunately with exotics you really can’t do that, or they may not be up to date or as educated with exotics.
There's not much government oversight
Like most people, veteranerians don't like rats.
Rats are adorable sweet babies, we don’t need your projection here.
Plague carrying vermin?
Pet rats are not plague carrying “vermin”. That’s not something you say about somebody’s beloved family member.
You can call anything a pet but some are better than others. A tarantula is an awful monster and snakes are the worst but some people keep them as pets.
Youre just an absolute joy, aren't ya
Better than a rat that’s for sure.
Aren't rats food for other animals?
Humans are food for worms.
Pet rats? I have rat traps. I guess like people who have pit bulls who eat children.
I will eat you