Exotic pet vets in Jacksonville

Question
Hi , I currently live in Jacksonville, FL and had a bit of a stint with lice on my rats, the pet shop owner i bought them from was little or no help and I felt really lost, even the online directory was little help for exotic pets, I was stuck looking up  online in several places to get information about getting rid of lice, it hasn't been that long since i had to wash them but i bought some small animal shampoo and the lice are dead, but my worry isnt the lice just other health concerns i might run into at a later date

I was wondering if you could help me look for an exotic vet somewhere here in Jacksonville, thank you so much in advanced

Tee-

Answer
Hi Tee

Here are three names for you. It always helps to be prepared ahead of time, but to be honest I would take them in for the lice. Not much works over the counter. The shampoo will only work a few hours to maybe a day to rid the rat of lice but eventually the lice will hatch new eggs and it starts again. The best bet is to have the vet use revolution or ivermectin which gets into the rats blood stream. When these pesky parasites bite they die and the effects from the meds last up to 30 days, which means it will be working when the louse hatch. Over the counter products just dont work and some can even be deadly esp to small mammals like rats. Actually if you think about it, some people will spend $8 on this product, $10 on that, and before they know it they spent as much on trying to find the right over the counter product that did not work for squat and that money could have been spent on a vet visit and a treatment for parasites.

Anyhow, these names below are all Vets that see exotics. I do not believe they are actual exotic vets that are board certified with the exception of Dr. Hart and Hidden Hills animal hospital, but they all have great reputations.  


Good luck!


Riverside Animal Hospital
2641 Park Street (at King Street)
Jacksonville, Florida 32204
Phone 904-388-3494



Dr. Stephen Hart
Hidden Hills Animal Hospital    
12134 Ft. Caroline Road
Jacksonville FL 32225
Phone:    904-641-3384



Argyle Animal Clinic
6001-2 Argyle Forest Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32244
Phone: 904-771-2781
Fax: 904-771-3154