Shropshire exotic vet practice wins national recognition for bunny care
A Shopshire vet practice specialising in looking after exotic animals has won a national award for its care of some of the cuddliest creatures around.
Evolution Exotics Referrals in Cleobury Mortimer has been named Rabbit Friendly Practice of the Year in the Burgess Excel Vet Awards, and shortlisted for Guinea Pig Friendly Practice of the Year.
The award is presented annually by Burgess Pet Care to a "veterinary practice that has demonstrated excellence in the care and treatment of rabbits" and "has shown an unwavering commitment to rabbit health and welfare".
Owner and lead vet Marie Kubiak, who was shortlisted in Burgess's Rabbit Vet of the Year category too, said the whole team was "really proud" of the recognition.
"It is a national award that all practices can be entered for, and we were very lucky that our clients voted for us in their droves."
When the Shropshire Star vsiited this week, the team were caring for rescue rabbits: vaccinating, neutering and in one case operating, to get the bunnies ready for rehoming.
"These are from one of our local rescues, Shrewsbury Rabbit Rescue, who do a huge amount of work rescuing unwell and neglected rabbits - and they do keep us very busy!"
Asked about the most common rabbit maladies, Marie said: "There are a couple of really common problems. One is ear problems and the other is dental. They make up most of the cases we have referred over to us."
While they have been recognised this time for their care of rabbits in particular, the team are used to working with larger - and potentially more dangerous - animals.
Marie explained: "We only opened in October 2024. We deal only with exotic animals which sets us a little bit apart from your average vet practice - so not just bunnies.
"About half our caseload is working with zoo animals and colleges and going out to visit them and dealing with the animals onsite.
"The other half is here in the clinic, where we have cases referred to us from other vets, more complicated cases in pet exotic animals, which we then manage here."
"We have some potentially very dangerous wild animals who are a delight to deal with, and then we have some small creatures - things like gerbils, hamsters - that can be little nightmares!"
Learn more at https://evolutionexoticsreferrals.co.uk.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.