Guinea Pig or Cavy Vets

Dr. Curt Nakamura Adobe Animal Hospital 396 First Street Los Altos, CA 650-948-9661	If Dr. Nakamura is not available, they usually have other exotic vets available. In addition, they have extended hours which can usually cover emergencies. Our experience is that care is excellent and prices are moderate. We HIGHLY recommend Dr. Nakamura. He used to breed cavies (but doesn't any longer!) and sees a lot of them and has performed almost all of our neutering procedures. Additional exotic vets at Adobe (alphabetical order): Dr. Nancy Clifton Dr. Christi Derenzi Dr. Jane Johnson Dr. Jennifer Koga Dr. Nancy O'Day Dr. Elizabeth Rogers Dr. Sara Skiwski Dr. Sharon Zweiter (If you go to Adobe, please tell them Teresa Murphy at Cavy Spirit sent you. They give our rescue a $25 referral credit and it helps us pay for our very ongoing vet bills for cavies in need! Thanks.)
Dr. Alex Herman All Pets Hospital 269 South Van Ness Ave San Francisco, CA 415-861-5725	From a cavy person: "Dr. Alex Herman (Dr. Herman is a SHE) has taken care of several of our pigs. I highly recommend her and several other vets I use (I have multiple pets) all recommend her. Many of them who knew her at UC Davis all comment she was always the one who liked to attend to exotics. Every guinea pig problem I have had has always been immediately diagnosed by her very quickly. She is also great with birds!" Dr. Herman is also highly recommended by a recent cavy slave adopter who raves about Dr. Herman, and we value his opinion. We have heard of All Pets being recommended by other vets as well for guinea pigs. Current hours (2/10/01) are: M and F 7:30 am - 6 pm; T, W, Th 7 am to 7 pm; Sat 8 am - 4 pm. They are closed from 12pm - 2 pm M-F. For emergency guinea pig care when they are closed, they refer you to: All Animals Emergency 1333 9th Ave San Francisco, CA 415-566-0531 between Irving and Judah
Dr. Ava Ackerman Belmont Pet Hospital Harbor Blvd., Belmont, CA 650-593-3161	Only normal business hours. Our experience is that while the care is good, the prices are extremely high and "by the book." Dr. Ackerman was available for a house call for our piggie herd and that was excellent and helped us a lot. However, the practice is owned and managed by Dr. Machado. While his technical surgical skills are excellent, his "bedside manner" is not, which for some people may not matter in the slightest.
Dr. Larry Herbert Aragon Vet Clinic 819 South B Street San Mateo, CA 650-342-7282	Normal business hours, maybe Saturdays, call to confirm. Our experience is that care while the care is just adequate, the prices can be high. Mixed reviews on care and handling.
South Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic 3045 Middlefield Road Palo Alto, CA 650-494-1461	24 hours a day, emergency clinic only. Our experience is that emergency care can be excellent and prices are moderate. Triage rules prevail--whoever has the most serious problem gets treated first, so you could be waiting quite a while. Call ahead to see if they have an exotic vet on duty. Our experience has been that they do, but we recently had someone with an emergency who said they didn't have one on staff at that time.
Dr. Diana Welsh Wildwood Veterinary Hospital 1115 Luchessi Drive San Jose, CA 95118 408-265-8811	Recommended by a cavy person
Dr. Ruth Adams Dr. Leslie Garrow Cottage Veterinary Clinic 1590 Boulevard Way Walnut Creek, CA 925-935-9080	8-6 M-F, 8-12 Sat. This clinic was recommended to us by Sharlene Scheffer, a registered vet tech and a guinea pig rescue person in Hayward. The clinic refers people to the Contra Cost Veterinary Emergency Clinic for off hour emergencies (see below).
Dr. James Harris Montclair Veterinary Hospital 1961 Mountain Blvd. Oakland, CA 94611 510-339-8600	8-6 M-F, 8-12 Sat. This clinic was recommended to us by Sharlene Scheffer, a registered vet tech and a guinea pig rescue person in Hayward. One of our foster homes also recommends Dr. Harris. Reasonable prices. For emergency guinea pig care when they are closed, they refer you to: Bay Area Veterinary Emergency Clinic 14790 Washington Ave Oakland, CA 510-352-6080
Dr. Lisa Abbott Contra Costa Veterinary Emergency Clinic 1410 Monument Blvd Concord, CA 925-798-2900	Only Open from 6 pm to 8 am on Weekday Evenings, 24 hours on Weekends and Holidays.
Dr. Jeffery Bryan San Francisco, CA 415-664-0191	Recommended by a cavy person
Dr. Michael J. Murray Avian and Exotic Clinic of the Monterey Peninsula 2 Harris Court, Suite A-1 Monterey, CA 831-647-1147	Recommended by two good cavy people. He is a staff vet at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the founder of his clinic. He also speaks at various veterinary conferences .