SERVAL VET CARE

This is a compilation of several exotic veterinarian (vet) opinions from around the world. Deliberate serval health care plans with your vet and make sure they are familiar with the different health care requirements for specific servals. Be mindful of some vets who mistakenly think all cat species should be treated the same. If your vet is not easy to talk to, and will not listen, I strongly suggest getting a new one.

Picking an exotic vet:

Prior the arrival of your serval, organize a visit with an exotic vet. Not all vets treat exotic animals so find one and call them to make sure they do; let them know that you are considering using them for your serval’s care. It is a good idea to regulate having happy visits to the vet in order for the vet and serval to get acquainted. Take some of your serval’s favourite toys along and encourage your vet and staff to play with him. You may want to begin all visits in this manner.

On the day you pick your serval up from your breeder that is the very day the health care responsibility begins. Then in the first three days of delivery or pickup visit your vet and have a thorough check up done on your new fur friend. Ensure checking of bone strength and density, also check for heart abnormalities, do a CBC- complete blood count, Chem 24, viral panels and get current on shots (vaccinations). Normally breeders require that you do this initial vet visit and if you do not, any contract to replace would be voided. Breeders can only guarantee your kitten is healthy at the time of delivery and what happens afterwards is your responsibility.

Monitor Your Serval:

 Usually, servals are very healthy animals if they are kept on the right diet and in a clean and safe environment. It is essential to be prepared in case your serval falls ill. If there is any reason that you suspect your serval is sick, take your serval to the vet immediately. Serval kittens can go down quick so be hasty. Your pet serval cannot tell you what is bothering him so you must be the one to look for signs of illness.

Keep an eye on your serval and look for any signs of illness, such as drastic mood changes, vomiting, diarrhea, straining while using the litter box, litter box habit changes, lethargy, loss of appetite for more than a day, lethargy and even fever. Particularly, you must be wary of diarrhoea (watery stools) in young servals, as this can dehydrate them in a couple of hours, and they may need fluids intravenously. If you see diarrhoea more than two days in a row, it would be a good idea to have a vet immediately examine them. 

Diarrhea can at times result from a change in diet which goes away within 48 hours. Mild diarrhoea can be handled by giving probiotics (ben a bac is one example of a probiotic) and whole canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin can be used for constipation and diarrhoea. The pumpkin fibres help remove the excess fluids from the Gl tract if your serval has diarrhoea. Also, the pumpkin helps form mucus to move the poop through the Gl tract if your serval is constipated. Every 3 months, till your serval turns a year, take a fresh stool specimen to your vet for a flotation test so as to check for parasites. Continue doing every 6 months after your serval turns one year old.

Monitor Your Serval’s Environment:

Do a clean sweep daily for any leftover bone or animal parts left lying around in the feeding areas don't leave them to spoil and rot. Your serval could fall sick if he eats the bad bacteria that grows on rotting meat. Leftover food attracts ants which will also cause other problems. Servals are fond of chewing on things, especially when they are still young. Be careful not to leave small objects that are big enough to swallow lingering about. Frequently check your house and enclosure for any items that could be ingested and may cause a digestive blockage.

Servals have a tendency of swallowing foreign items which could become lodged in their throats or intestines. If this happens, they will need surgery in order to remove the object. A way to help keep them from chewing on random things is to offer them lots of chicken necks, chicken legs and chew bones. This will aid them continue to have good teeth and reduce their cravings to chew on other things. Be careful with stuffed animals the stuffing could also cause a lower bowel obstruction, instead try the toys you can place a water bottle inside. These can be found at PetSmart and other leading Pet stores. Replace bottle as per the need.

Fleas, ticks, worms, and mites:

You can use Revolution, Advantage Multi and Capstar for heartworm prevention and flea control. A safe way to protect servals from fleas and ticks is using the Seresto which will last for up to 3 months. For roundworms and hookworms (as well as ear mites) use Revolution and Adv Multi. For certain tapeworms you can use Panacur (fenbendazole) or Droncit Feline 23 (praziquantel), Ivermectin or strongyloides. Unless you have a positive floatation result, I would not recommend worming. To treat coccidia Marquis (ponazuril) Antiprotozoal is a good single dose or rather use anticoccidial drug Albon (sulfamethazine) as an alternative but takes multiple doses and can end up stripping the intestinal lining before it works.

 Giving ben a bac (a probiotic) after worming to help add good bacteria back into the gut is always a good idea. In most states’ fleas, ticks and mites are a problem and it can be a challenge when trying to apply flea spray. I recommend using revolution or multi advantage because it can be easily applied with a few drops between their shoulder blades and it also contains worming medicine. Servals do not appreciate being sprayed and will normally run and hide. It will help to get some of their favourite foods and sit it close enough to you to make it easy to reach them if you experience trouble to get your serval to stay still while you apply the medication.

 I often use chicken hearts by placing them close to me while I'm sitting and when the Serval starts eating apply the ampules, that way it is done before they realize what is going on. If all these fails, just use Comfortis (Spinosad) it is a monthly pill. Using a Capstar flea remover (nitenpyram) oral Tablet before you apply the multi advantage, revolution or Comfortis is also helpful. Within the first couple of hours the Capstar tablet will knock all the fleas off. Ensure they are out in their enclosure when you orally give them the Capstar tablet as you do not want the fleas to jump off in your house. Go on and apply the multi advantage or revolution ampules or give the Comfortis after a few hours.

Vaccinations:

Vaccinating our animals to prevent disease is a subject of a great deal of debate. Heated deliberations come up over what to vaccinate with, when to vaccinate, who to vaccinate, and even whether to vaccinate at all. All sides have strong arguments for why their way is the right way and can show statistics and tell horror stories to prove their point, all in all there is no such thing as a risk free life; hence each one of us must make our own decisions, and no matter what decision we make, there are risks involved. The prevalence of injection induced cancer is about 1 in 10,000 these injections include the vaccine, medications and fluids. Deliberate the risk factors associated with sarcomas forming on your pet after the vaccination.