Choosing a Good Vet
Choosing a good vet is one of your first decisions as a pet owner or if you move house. Most people take some time to find a good vet but then often stay with that vet for the life of their pet.
People often choose a vet based on the advice of friends: this is a great place to start but if your really want to find a great vet you should be prepared to dig a little deeper. Having a friendly who loves animals (most vets and their staff meet these criteria:-)) is a nice start but if your pet gets sick after hours or needs major surgery you want to be sure your vet has the skills and facilities to be able to care for them.
What makes a good vet?
A good vet puts your pets needs first, and takes the time to educate you on how to meet their needs.
They are friendly and easy to talk to when needed, and employ staff that take care of you and your pet, and are able to solve a variety of pet related problems.
A good vet is there when you need them: look for 24 hour emergency services, weekend clinics and good record systems so that the vet will know your pet's history and send you reminders for essential health care such as vaccination and parasite control. They will also offer a comprehensive range of services such as house calls and pupply classes
A good vet has experience and an interest in your your type of pet and their common problems, and if they aren't sure what is going on, they will be quick to seek advice from a specialist or refer you when necessary.
Their office should be conveniently located with off street parking so you can safely and easily unload your pet from your car. The clinic should be attractve, well lit and hygeinic: a good vet will be happy to give you a tour of their clinic
A good vet invests in modern diagnostic and safety equipment. When your pet is sick or undergoing anaesthesia, its important to know your vet is has the right equipment to identify the problem and ensure your pet's health and safety throughout their treatment.
A good vet keeps up to date with recent developments in veterinary science through ongoing education including conferences and courses. Experience is vital, but not at the expense of keeping up with modern medicine: vet science has come a long way in the last 20 years.
A good vet places great emphasis on your pet's health, comfort and safety. They know how to assess pain and quality of life, and are happy to teach you and make sure you do all you can to keep your pet comfortable when sick, injured, or aged. Good vets are proactive and well informed about pain relief after surgery.
A good vet keeps in touch with their community, talking to clients and other pet related professionals and hobbyists. They aim to share their knowledge with their staff and clients for the welfare of animals.
How to find a good vet
When the time comes for you to choose a good vet for your pet, its important to actually learn about the practices so you are basing your decision on more than just subjective information. Go through the list above and check that the vet offers essential services and has decent facilities. The nicest vet in the world is not much use if they don't have basic facilities or can't be contacted when you need them.
Ask local vet practices what they offer: the staff there should be clear about what their clinic stands for and its benefits. They should have a brochure on their practice, services, hours etc.
Visit your local clinics: Phone ahead and explain you are looking for a new vet and ask for a tour of the vet clinic: a good vet will be happy for you to view their kennel and surgical facilities (with appropriate notice). You should be able to meet some of the staff and get a good feel for the place and its benefits for your pet. Remember vets can be very busy so you may need to be flexible about when you visit.
Ask your friends and pet stores for advice. Because people often stick with one vet and can also have isolated good and bad experiences, this method has only limited reliability but is often they most heavily weighted factors in people choosing a vet clinic.
The most important factors for a good veterinarian (according to pet owners)
Here are some survey results of pet owners reasons for choosing a vet (from Ralstone Purina/OVMA Study of Consumer Attitudes )
Interested in wellbeing of my pet - 54%
Has excellent medical knowledge - 35%
Is very comforting to my pet - 24%
Provides prompt service - 19%
Services are reasonably priced - 18%
Is conveniently locatred - 16%
Doens't recommend unnecessary services - 14%
Provides explanations - 14%
Has clinical personnel that I trust - 14%
Provides through answers to my questions - 12%
Has a very professional staff - 12%