I cannot find the link for the vet directory, idk if it is just me, all I see is the Pet Portal. Under the Pet portal there are no links for the directory that I can find. Anyway I wanted to add to the directory if it isn't already there:
Jefferson Animal Hospital
$50 for a check up; no fixed fee for surgery.
606 Patchogue Road
Port Jefferson, New York 11776
(631) 473-0415
Monday - Thursday: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Friday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 1:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Well I went to this vet after going to the Centereach Animal Hospital which I DO NOT recommend under any circumstance, except maybe an emergency in which you live closer to the one and are sure the rat would die on the longer trip to Jefferson.
When I went to CAH for the apointment prior to tumor removal on my rat I saw the vet for only 3 minutes, he did nothing other than quickly look at the site of the tumor and then leave the room leaving the weighing and other work to the assitant. When I had simple questions she did not know the answers, so she surely wasn't an exotics vet (at least I hope not), she seemed to have the same level of knowledge as the front desk receptionist (none). They did not listen to his heart rate or his lungs. After the surgery they refused to give pain medication, claiming they gave him a shot that would last 5 days; which does not exist (for dogs it may last that long, rats have a much faster metabolism), so my poor boy went without pain meds. They also gave me essentially no information on after-surgery care other than to leave a cone on his head and to call if it looked infected. They did not have rat cones and had made one out of pointy plastic material that was digging into his neck. They would not tell me his weight, so I could not ask here for his dose in childrens ibuprofen (I think that's what you guys always recommend). I had to go back for more needless syringes for giving the meds since Marshmellow chewed the tip off of the first one, the assistants attempted to give me one that still had a piece of needle left inside the tip, they had cut the external needle part off, I would not take it and had them give me a new one. They tried to give me this even though I had just explained that he chewed the tip off of the first one (so they obviously are stupid or careless). For the stitches removal appointment they scruffed him causing him to shriek before they even went to remove the stitches. I tried to ask them not to handle my animal like that, they ignored me. They did finally stop scruffing him and he stopped flailing and squeaking entirely for the rest of the appointment. I brought him back the day after that because he had a small lump I just noticed at the same site(didn't before because I didn't want to poke and pinch at his stitches) after the stitches were removed (one week after surgery). After again scruffing my rat, that was just how they decided to pick him up (even though he absolutely does not bite, and had never tried to), they decided it was scar tissue and sent him home. In actuality it was a tumor, apparently they had missed a piece of his large tumor and it had started to regrow. I will never be going back there again, regardless on if missing a part of a tumor is a common mistake, just for the way that they handled him, which was unprofessional and uncalled for.
When I went to JAH upon realizing that the scar tissue was growing and was undoubtably a tumor (and I had saved up enough money to have something done about it), I was amazed. My rat was not treated as if he is something to man handle and was treated the same way a dog or a cat would be, with care. The vet very carefully and gently picked him up to examine the tumor. Speaking softly to him the whole time; because at this point after previous terror my rat was terrified to even come out of the carrier, where the first time he excitedly greeted the vet and got manhandled; my rat was fear pooping the entire time and shaking from his past experiences. Dr. Rose petted him while he was on the table, trying to get him to calm down, noticing Marshmellow was terrified, the vet asked me to hold him the rest of the examination so it would be "less stressful for the little guy." He listened to his heart and lungs, telling us they sounded strong and clear (shouldn't do a surgery otherwise without serious risk to the animal). He then spoke to us (me and my mom) for over an hour, about our options, that we could get a biopsy to see if it was cancerous, x-rays to see (if it was cancerous, we didn't have to get a biopsy first though) if it had spread to his chest, and surgery. We decided against the biopsy and x-rays just for the price, and to just go ahead with the surgery because even if it gave him another happy month we were content. He said he understood the decision, and then went in detail to explain how the surgery would be done. That they would be using proper anesthetics for rats, that they would be removing the excess skin (which the previous vet had not removed, he had been saggy after the last procedure), and he went over all of the aftercare for the surgery with us right then and there, saying he would be giving metcam and baytril, which had me relieved that my boy would have pain meds this time. He said he would also treat very agressively, going a layer deeper than he thought necessary to ensure to the best of his ability that he had removed the entire tumor. He used disolvable stitches for the surgery so Marshmellow wouldn't have to endure the removal process again. After the surgery when we picked him up, he gave me a paper and again outlined the aftercare. He also gave his business cell phone number so I could text him pictures of the stitches if I had any concerns, so I didn't have to drive all the way back out there. He also had a real cones made out of a proper material, not scaps laying around the office. He is a wonderful vet, and I highly recommend him. He treats all animals as important and handles them with love and care. He gave me a huge discount on the surgery after hearing what I went through last time, and was very sympathetic about my financial situation; he even offered a payment plan if I needed it.
Marshmellow is most likely cancer free as four months after the second tumor removal he remains tumor-less. I wish I had gone to JAH first instead of CAH (please don't bring your rat to CAH, I still think of how they handled him in front of me and am terrified how they handled him when I wasn't there). Sorry this was so long I just wanted to share my experiences, and not just say CAH was a bad place, but to truly explain why, no animal should go through what my poor boy went through at their hands.
