Veterinary Training Initiative

We’re making strides with our medical training program, where the next generation of veterinary professionals—pre-veterinary students, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinarians—are trained on best practices in rabbit medical care. 

Provided at our rescue facility in Richmond, California, our dedicated medical team is working to ensure veterinary professionals across the globe can receive first-hand experience working with rabbits. Our goal is for these professionals to return to their communities with enhanced skills and knowledge, leading to an increase in quality rabbit-specific medical care nationwide—a critical need in the rabbit community. As the only rabbit rescue in the United States with a staff veterinarian and on-site surgery suite, we feel it is our responsibility to help make a world in which people have access to quality rabbit veterinary care.

HRS Staff Veterinarian Christine Austin, DVM conducting hands on TPR training with 3 pre-vet students

Carolynn Harvey, DVM showcasing rabbit tear duct flushing for a practicing veterinary assistant.

Anne Swartzwelder, DVM and Dayana Sharma, DVM working with HRS special needs rabbits.

Our Veterinary Initiative is currently comprised of 2 components:

  1. Providing hands on spay, neuter, anesthesia and recovery techniques and protocols to visiting veterinary professionals and

  2. Compiling a digital veterinary resource library accessible anywhere for veterinary members

Participating veterinary professionals who come on site for hands-on learning, gain skills in rabbit handling, medical treatments, best spay and neuter practices, anesthesia protocol, intubation techniques, enucleations, dental procedures, and preoperative and postoperative care. Remote resources, such as best spay, neuter, and recovery videos as well as dosage charts, treatment recommendations are available to participating veterinary professionals who are not able to learn at our facility. 

As we continue to formalize the program, we’re looking forward to welcoming more veterinary professionals at all levels - pre-vet students, veterinary techs/assistants, and practicing veterinarians - to our facility, fostering a growing interest and passion for rabbit care within the profession. Together, we can save and improve more rabbit lives.

  • "I am glad to have started out my rabbit training at HRS, since they provide the gold standard of care and attention to their rabbits. I will be able to use the techniques and lessons that I learned for the rest of my career."

    – Vet student Kashvi P, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Scotland

  • "I’ve always wanted to learn more about rabbit medicine and do more rescue work, which encouraged me to reach out to HRS, and I am so glad I did! Dr. Austin, Grace RVT, and the rest of the HRS staff have been nothing but welcoming. They all make HRS a wonderful learning environment. I’ve been able to witness and assist on a typical surgery day (pre-op, intra-op, and post-op). I’ve been able to shadow Dr. Austin for routine spay/neuter surgeries and dental procedures. With her help and guidance I now feel comfortable performing spay/neuter surgeries in rabbits! My comfort levels are always taken into consideration, again making it a great learning environment, and I am always encouraged to learn/try other surgical techniques and procedures (and I have!)."

    – Dayana Sharma, DVM

  • “The HRS veterinary training initiative is a great way to help familiarize oneself with both rabbit care and surgery. Dr. Austin and her team are always patient and enthusiastic teachers, and you can tell how passionate they are about rabbits. Thanks to their on-site training, I now have both hands-on experience and a better understanding of working in rabbit specific care.”

    – Aubriana Benson, pre-vet student, Texas Tech University 

  • “I actually started volunteering with House Rabbit Society when I was just a pre-vet student! I helped at the spay/neuter clinics, and it really enforced that I wanted to work on exotics after vet school. It was always so amazing seeing a community come together for a species that is often underserved. We just don’t have enough bunny practitioners and technicians! I eventually went on to UC Davis for my veterinary training and graduated recently (2024). I am now a small animal and exotics veterinarian in Tucson, AZ, and recently went to House Rabbit Society to work on rabbit spays and neuters, but this time on the doctor side! It was incredible seeing how much had changed (you have a surgery suite now!) and that the community was still working so hard to get care for rabbits. Everyone at HRS was still so friendly and they all obviously love what they do. It was a great hands-on learning experience that helped me build the confidence to offer those procedures today, and always great to work with other exotic medicine people.”

    – Dr. Elana Paras, DVM, Sonoran Veterinary Center

  • “I've been hoping to come shadow/train at House Rabbit Society for some years. We do a few rabbit spays and neuters here and there at my shelter and work with an inherited anesthesia and prep protocol from so many years and previous vet staff back; we're not sure who originated it. Everyone was so welcoming, and it was really cool to see Dr. Austin perform dental work on one of our rabbits who had recently transferred in with severely maligned and curled incisors. My co-RVT Lisa and I were primarily looking to see and learn rabbit intubation. Being able to practice intubating with the scope on a couple bunnies with guidance was invaluable. Even if we don't have the confidence and experience yet, we're very appreciative of the foundational beginning we received at HRS and look forward to building on it.”

    – Angie Yen, RVT at San Francisco Animal Care & Control

  • “Participating in House Rabbit Society's veterinary training initiative was a dream come true! As a pre-vet student, I've been fortunate to participate in many hands-on experiences with dogs and cats close to my college in Central Florida. However, even after fostering 10 rabbits and working at an emergency clinic that sees exotic species, I had yet to see a rabbit surgery. At HRS, I administered RHDV vaccines, watched intubation and surgery, and monitored rabbits' vitals during recovery. I am so grateful that HRS exists to serve bunnies and their owners in the Bay Area but am especially impressed with how dedicated they are to sharing information and teaching veterinary professionals to expand rabbit care. I hope to return as a vet student and one day as a practicing veterinarian!”

    – Carlie Sjogren, pre-vet student at University of Central Florida

Interested in expanding your rabbit experience and skill set in order to better serve rabbit patients at your clinic? Currently in veterinary school and in need of clinic hours? Let us know! Contact us at rabbit-center@houserabbit.org for more information.