Picking the Right Vet For Your Pet

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     American has a love affair with our pets. Many people do not treat them LIKE members of the family, they consider the pets to BE members of the family. And why not? Our pets offer loyalty, love, and friendship - three virtues that any human should aspire to. As such, we want to take great care of our furry friends, and this includes providing them with medical care. But while people will agonize over selecting their own doctors, they often just default to the nearest veterinary clinic to their house. Unfortunately, that may not be what is best for your pet. Here are some factors to consider when selecting the best:

1) Cost - Cost is always an issue that has to be considered with any kind of medical care, human or animal. The difference lies in where the cost falls. Often, the majority of medical care costs for people go to the insurance company. Individuals will not pay quite as close attention to the medical bill when the weight of it does not fall (directly) on them. But for animals, almost every dollar comes out of pocket. As such, people can often get a bit stingy with their care. Like many professional services, you have to find the proper balance of what you can afford versus the actual quality of care. It does no good to spend extravagant sums on your veterinarian if you cannot afford to feed your pet after the fact.

2) Care - Quality of care is obviously of the greatest importance. Make sure your vet is qualified (went to an accredited veterinary school, this shouldn't be a problem domestically) and treats the animals with kindness. It is also important that the veterinarian is able to discuss the issues with you in terms that you can understand. If they continually throw a large amount of industry jargon at you that results in something similar to an upsell, you may want to look for a different office that will meet your needs.

3) Size - This is more of a personal preference, but I always opt for local offices (not chains). I do not want a veterinarian who is servicing thousands of clients. I think there is a strong advantage in going to a smaller veterinary office where the staff is likely to know you (or at least your pet(s) by name). There are definitely great care advantages if the veterinarian is familiar with you to the point that they know your pets medical history without a great amount of research. On the other hand, some may equate large veterinary offices with popular ones and deduce that they are popular for a reason. There is not necessarily anything wrong with that. As I stated, it is a personal preference, but one that I stay strong on.

4) Referrals - Talk to other pet owners, your friends, neighbors, coworkers, people at the dog park, etc. Find out where they take their animals and what their opinion of the level of care is. Strong opinions one way or the other should give you a good read on how different veterinarians deal with their clientele.

5) Boarding - Does your vet offer boarding? You may already have another place to board your vet, and that is fine. But it can often be advantageous to board with your vet if you do not have a personal preference. Should your friend have any problems, the veterinary doctors are right there to take care of any issues that have arisen. It adds a sense of security to the pet owner to know that (should anything happen to their animal) they are already in the best place they could be for that to be dealt with.