Vets. They are animal doctors. I’m Biggles, and I’ve had a lot of experience with vets, so although they aren’t really my favourite things, they are very nice and helpful. Ludo and Locksley have only had one check-up each.
Vets
Veterinary surgeons, Vets for short, are highly trained people who do all sorts of medical things with animals.
Lots of vets only do farm animals, or dogs and cats. We go to vets who do what they call ‘exotics’. That includes guinea pigs. Mummy met a penguin at the vets once. We usually see chameleons, dragons, parrots and animals like that in the waiting room.
When we first moved here, Mummy didn’t want to risk driving a long way in the dark for an emergency, so we went to a local general pet vet. They seemed okay, but didn’t know what to do about my runny nose, so Mummy took me to the specialist, which is further away.
Now we see Dr Rebekah or one of her colleagues. Now the avirus has gone away she and Mummy talk about me over the table, with me sitting between them, like we did with Dr Sally in Norfolk. During the avirus Mummy had to wait in the car and Dr Rebekah would take me inside. Then she’d go out to talk to Mummy and come back in again and do what ever they’d decided. It’s much easier now. Earlier this year she showed Mummy the black and white picture of my insides and explained it all, and Mummy asked questions. We’re doing that for letter X.
Vets do lots of clever things in their rooms at the back. Roscoe had a lump taken off the top of his hind leg, about where he sat on it. Dr Rebekah took it out and stitched it up, and Roscoe was better in no time. Several of the earlier guinea pigs had lumps taken out by Dr Sally or Dr Fay, or Dr Louise. They were either abscesses or sarcomas. (I had to ask Mummy that). Abscesses are messy, because they leak and have to be tended afterwards. I remember Mummy had to do that with Roscoe once, after Bertie bit him. It’s funny, because Bertie was a bit of a fighter when he was young, but by the time we got here, Roscoe and Bertie were great buddies, and explored the house together.
Dr Rebekah knew exactly what was wrong with my runny nose. I had congestive heart disease, and I need meds for my heart, and meds to help the congestion called diuretics. (Mummy is helping me write this). I have these twice a day, every day. The diuretics make me wee a lot, so Mummy changes my bedding twice as often as everyone else.
Then I seemed to lose a lot of hair, and Dr Rebekah recognised that as thyroid trouble. So I have another med once a day for that. And now I also have a general painkiller too, to help with my arthuritis and things. And Dr Rebekah sees me every few months, just to see how I’m doing (she gave me antibiotics for my breathing this month, just for a week). She’s very nice and I like her. Even when she sticks an ouchy needle in me to get rid of the itchy things.
This is not my favourite thing, but vets make me feel a lot better afterwards, and that is nice.
Do you have vets? Or do you only have human medical people? Which is better?
love
Biggles xxx
George's Guinea Pig World 
Hi Biggles – I quite understand vets are essential to you and your friends’ lives – as we do doctors, when absolutely necessary. I think Mummy wrote about a book I have been reading ‘Otherlands’ and wanted to find the post – but can’t seem to trace it … is it hidden in one of your mazes?!! I’d like to see what she wrote, and make a comment of my own. I’m enjoying your A – Z posts … nearly at the end – cheers Hilary
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Mumy says it’s here, Auntie.
https://jemimapett.com/blog/2022/04/16/book-review-otherlands-by-thomas-halliday-tjdhalliday/
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That’s a cute narration by Biggles about Rebekah,…i don’t have pets so I am surprised by kind of health issues they also get which are mostly human like…
Dropping by from a to z “The Pensive”
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I only went to the vet once. I had to go to an exotics one too, because they know what to do with tortoises better. He was called Rob, and he was the vet who saw all Mummy’s exotic pets before. I only went for a check up. Mummy says she will take me again from time to time for check ups, just to be sure I’m doing OK. But it will be a different vet to Rob, because we moved to a new house and Rob is too far away from us now. The Lilie and Logan dogs go to a new vet here called Craig. He will see me if it’s an emergency, but he doesn’t know a lot about exotic animals – even though he knows a little bit – so I will only see him if Mummy can’t get me to the one further away. I don’t know what that vet is called. And Mummy sees and speaks to people doctors lots.
It was meant to work the same with our vet during Avirus, but Mummy got special permission to go in the vet with us during Avirus. She explained to me why, but I’m not sure I understand it… Something about special circumstances. Only Mummy though. If Daddy took us he had to wait outside, and I heard Nana telling Mummy she’d had to wait outside when she took the Izabel dog to the vet place too. That’s why I know it was only Mummy.
~Artemis
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Biggles, those vets are taking good care of you! Garfield does not like the vet’s and I am usually unable to get him in the carrier to get him there. I failed again last month, so will have to try again. Clearly, you don’t mind so much. And that’s a good thing!
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Glad your vet is good to you!
Biggles, if you had a whole planet, what might you name it, assuming it had to start with a Y or Z? Drop me a comment or have a little bird tweet it. 😉
Your prompt is leading my characters to their ending.
(Shall it be happy?)
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Mummy called her planet Zanzibar, Uncle J. It has rings, like Saturn.
Ithink Yeoman might be a good planet name. Or Yeovil.
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🚀 Then it shall be so! Stay cuddly, Biggles.
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author, Uncle J to Biggles ♥🐹
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I’m glad your vets take so good care of you. A couple of years ago, Caitlin was very ill and her vet took good care of her. She has new vets now, I’m not sure where the nice one went — only the vet who is scared of her and another nice vet is still around. Yeah, she’s the nicest of my furbabies and the vet is scared of her because she’s so big. Sigh.
Ronel visiting for the A-Z Challenge My Languishing TBR: V
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I’m glad that you have a smart and caring vet like Dr Rebekah.
My boys have had several vets over the years, and they’ve all been great. One standout is the vet who did Saku’s surgery — an expert in guinea pigs and other “exotics” (I still don’t know why they call you pigs “exotic,” when you’re quite normal, in my opinion). Several years later, she and her team took care of Digby in his final days. They showed not only expertise in attending Digby but also compassion for his grieving momma.
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