How do you chose a good vet?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I have an appointment on Wednesday afternoon with a potential new vet. I've been somewhat disappointed with my clinic, where I generally see whatever vet is on that day, and I wanted to see if I could find someone better with whom I can develop a good relationship with, and that doesn't have quite so out to lunch prices.

 

I'm a rather impressionable person who has a natural tendancy to automatically trust any kind of supposed expert or authority figure (doctor's lawyers, police, random ladies who work in pet shops, etc.) right off the bat, and I tend to get won over pretty quickly...which has led to many disappointments in the past.

 

I found some general articles via a google search, such as this one http://www.petplanner.ca/en/article/22  So I'm wondering what you guys think. When interviewing a new vet, what kinds of questions would you ask? What should I be looking for in a good quality vet? Having some objective criteria to look for will keep me from getting excited just cause she's nice or says what I want to hear...

 

 

 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

We're in the same boat-I will be watching the responses for sure and good luck to you!!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

When we got Cosmo, I made an appointment with a three-vet practice for his first check-up. The practice had been highly recommended by some of my friends who have dogs and by people who participate in a community message board.They are also, luckily, the closest vet to our house.

We were assigned to one vet and, at our first appointment, she just didn't seem very confident or knowledgeable. She was very sweet and kind and great with Cosmo, which was good, but she didn't seem comfortable talking to me. I just didn't think we "clicked."

A few months later, I called and made an appointment to get Cosmo checked for a suspected urinary tract infection. The first vet wasn't there that day, so we were assigned to a second vet. Even though this vet, in her private life, is a cat person, she was fantastic with both Cosmo and me. She listened well; she communicated clearly and confidently. We really clicked, and so now she is Cosmo's regular vet. In other visits since, she has impressed me with her practical understanding--she offers options for treatment, lets you know what to expect. She's just a great vet!

One specific little criterion that was important to me: the first vet seemed to have no understanding of dog nutrition--she had never heard of Orijen and recommended Hill's Science Diet. The second vet knew about feeding issues and was very supportive of our continuing to feed Cosmo Orijen.

I don't know if any of this is helpful or not--I think that, even though our general selection was guided by some research, we just got really lucky!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thank you for your response. There are some good points here. I'm taking notes!

[Jennifer and "Cooper"]

I go to the same vet that my mom took our dogs to when I was a kid so it's been almost 30 years at the same place.  It is owned by a couple (both vets) and they are semi retired now and have brought in new vets in the past couple of years.  

The things I like most are:

1) It's a small practice.  Until they became semi-retired, it was just the two of them for 20+ years.  We always had the choice to request Dr. Tom or Dr. Karen and if one wasn't available, you didn't have to worry about seeing someone you didn't know or someone who didn't know your pet.  They have chosen to keep the practice small and still only have 2 vets seeing patients.  

2) I have never felt rushed or hurried in any way when I am there.  They will take as much time as needed to answer all my questions and address all my concerns. 

3) They go above and beyond.  (When we had to euthanize our lab due to cancer we did not have ability to take time to think about the decision.  We had taken him to the vet because he was short of breath.  They discovered his chest was filled with blood and fluid.  They drained it, but it was filling up again and he was suffocating because his lungs were not able to expand due to the fluid build up.  Without hesitation, Dr. Karen asked our 3 year old daughter if she wanted to go see the animals in the barn.  Dr. Karen didn't want our daughter to associate bringing a pet to the vet's office with sad or bad memories.  So as my husband and I said good bye to Louie, Dr. Karen spent 45 minutes with our daughter letting her feed, pet and play with their horses, llamas, goats and sheep.)

4) They ask our opinion about issues with our pets, not just dictate what we should do.

5) The reception area and exam rooms are meticulously clean.  And for a building that has a bunch of dogs and cats and who knows what other kinds of pets in it, it does not smell at all.

6) I'm not just a client number.  They take the time to get to know me, my family and my pets.  

If I had to find a new vet, I'd be looking at: 

1) Is the building clean?  Does it smell?

2) Is the staff friendly and attentive? (I went to another vets office to donate food for the pet food pantry last year.  When I walked in, there were no other clients in the reception area.  Three employees (two of which were sitting on the floor at the reception desk) were too busy talking about their partying the night before to even greet me.  After standing there for about 3 minutes with a 40# bag of dog food over my shoulder, I said "Excuse me."  To which the reply was, "Yeah?"  I said, "I have some food to donate to the food pantry."  To which the reply was " Just put it over there by that table."  There was no offer to assist me, no thank you, nothing.  Luckily my daughter was with me, or I would have had additional comments.  Needless to say, I would never choose them to be my vet.)

3) Do they respect my opinions and contributions to the plan of care for my pet?  (No one knows our pets better than we do.)

4) Have I heard good (or bad) things from others about this vet? (If I remember correctly, you've been taking obedience classes with Sophie.  Maybe your trainer or someone else in the class can give you some good recommendations for a vet.)

5) Do they have any complaints or disciplinary actions pending? (You can check their license online usually)

6) How do they handle after hours emergencies?

7) How many vets are in the practice?  Can you request to see a specific one?

8) Do any of the vets specialize in any areas of veterinary medicine?  If so, what are they?

9) I'd ask specific questions that relate to how I raise my pets (i.e.-If I fed a raw diet, I'd find out the vets view on raw diets?  If I prefered the holistic approaches instead of prescription drugs, I'd find out about their view on that.)

And when you're at the vet, listen to your instincts.  If you get that feeling that something just isn't right or isn't clicking, then it's probably not the vet for you. 

Sorry for the long post.  I'm sure you will get lots of good input from everyone.  Good luck.

 

 

 

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

this is wonderful. thank you so much. I will note a lot of these things. I really appreciate the time and effort you took to contribute.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Jennifer, I think your Vet office would be the choice for all of us if possible. I know this is what I am looking for. A Vet that knows my dog is special to me and she should be treated as such. The problem is finding this Vet.

The Vet office I visit came highly recommended by a couple of acquaintances, I guess their expectations are not as high as mine. The front office staff was "ok" , I loved the Vet tech, the Vet himself was more interested in telling me about his "purebred lab" then talking about my doodle. When I asked if her weight was good his response was, she could stand to loose 5 or so lbs, he hadn't even touched her yet. When we had her shaved down the next month I wanted so badly to take her in and ask him about her weight, she was clearly not overweight, actually she was quite thin under all her fur. Ugh!

[Jennifer and "Cooper"]

We live in a fairly small city in Northern Michigan so I think maybe it's one of the perks of small town life. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I look for recommendations from people and ask specifically what they like about them. Like how they feel about nutrition, how did they do in an emergency, after hour availability, do they listen to you and answer questions well? Those are my criteria. I have visited several Vets and had the pleasure of finding one Holistic vet in Fla. who everyone pales in comparison to, but I am able to hold very educated conversations with my present vet regarding Murphy's ear infection history, my feeding choices and discussions regarding titters instead of vaccinations. I was always uncomfortable having to agree to disagree with vets regarding food choices as that limited our conversations considerably. So thats my opinion.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

thanks Sue.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You are getting some good advice here.

I'd also add, I want someone who seems to really like my dog. This may seem strange, you would assume that all vets like all animals or they wouldn't have gone into that field, but I have seen a lot of vets in my day, and I have noticed that not all of them seem to love every animal equally. You can tell when someone really, really likes your pet. Bedside manner counts as much in veterinary medicine as it does in human medicine, IMO. All of the knowledge in the world doesn't mean much if the vet makes you or your dog uncomfortable in any way.

My vets get down on their knees, and have even stretched out on the floor to examine JD, if necessary. When he had fear issues, they were willing to make any kind of accomodation to put him at ease, and to make things easier for him, not themselves. 

I also want a vet who wants to listen to you when you talk about your dog, who answers questions, who doesn't make you feel that you are taking up too much of their valuable time.

Regarding food, I've actually educated my own regular vet on some nutrition issues. The practice still sells the Rx crap, but they know and respect my opinion of it, and when needed, they find other alternatives for my pets because they know my feelings about it. So I don't care that they sell the Rx crap there. I am glad that at least they don't have a big display of it in the waiting area, like some places do.

 They are willing to work with me when I'm not comfortable with some treatment, to find another alternative. And they are willing to explain why they are recommending this over that. I would not want a vet who was only geared toward traditional medicine any more than I would want one who was only geared toward alternative medicine. "Holistic" means WHOLE. Everything, the whole picture. So a truly holistic vet should be one who is willing to incorporate all forms of treatment to address an issue, and not strictly one philosophy or another.

Of course, you can't know some of this about a person until after you've spent some time working with them. So gut instinct is still your best bet.

Safety is important to me at the vet's office. There should be a separate entrance and a separate waiting area for contagious and/or aggressive animals.

Keep in mind that no matter how impressionable you are, and how much you tend to trust the "experts", nobody is more of an expert on your dogs and cat than you are. So when you interview vets, go in with this thought in your head: YOU are the expert on Winston, Sophie, and Kitty, and in the end, you are the one who's in charge of their care. The vet is your partner in that, not your superior or your boss.

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

great advice as always Karen. Thank you!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I agree with all of the other comments, but especially Karen's.

 

At my vet I can request Dr. Brasher, the "holistic" vet on staff.  Why do I like her?, you may ask that. I like her because she has really taken a truly holistic approach to treating Taquito's kidney disease.  She first suggested prescription food, I explained why I don't believe in the Rx food. She listened and couldn't argue with me.  She gave me multiple things to try BEFORE we put T. on medication (unfortunately we had too).  She gave me recipes to homecook for him.  She calls me to follow up PERSONALLY and gives me different options for him. She doesn't recommend many vaccinations (such as flu shot) because she wants T. to be as naturally living as possible.  I for one like this approach.  Both dogs go to her primarily now (even though I do like the other staff and there is another vet that takes this approach). 

 

My biggest reason for liking my vet is her reaction to my dogs.  LAst time T. went in after 3 months of homecooking, he had gained a pound.  She brought him back in the room and CRIED when she told me this. She was genuinely happy for us.  She LOVES Peri.  She adores both of my dogs - there is no faking it with her.  I just love, love, love her.