I hope you will forgive me for giving my two cents worth, but sometimes the services of a Vet ARE VERY NECESSARY and can literally mean the difference between life and death for any animal that we love and care deeply about!

Personally, I think that it our obiligation to take our animals to a VET when a problem arises that we cannot fix ourselves.

It is necessary to research this, as we would any other subject that is of importance. There are vets who specialize in small mammals, birds, exoctic pets and reptiles and I feel that they are serving a real need in the animal kingdom. I agree that we should not take our animals to the VET for every little thing, but when there is something that requires attention, then it is our responsibility to make sure that we get help for our little friend. It is kind of like taking a baby to the doctor when we cannot figure out what it wrong. We do not hesiate to do that for innocent babies. I feel that we should not hesitate to do the same thing for innocent animals who also cannot speak for themselves...just my humble opinion over here in Montreal.