I have been going to the same vet for 10 years now - I started going to her after I got my first pet as an adult (a cat) 10 years ago, and I was employed by her at the time. I went to her b/c she seemed to be a good vet, and of course, being young and employed by her, I just went with her. Frankly I have never even been to any other vets since moving back to Kansas.

Now, 10 years later, although I never really had any problems with her, I'm not thrilled with her either. My cat never had any serious health problems, but now that I've done a lot of research on canine health, etc, I feel inclined to start looking around. Time and experience has made me more objective, I guess. Her clinic is fairly small, they don't have their own lab, etc. I frankly would not feel comfortable trusting her to take/read Kodee's hip x-rays when I get them, and I would be uncomfortable asking for a referral, which says a lot, I think.

There is a very large animal hospital near where I live, that I am going to tour tomorrow (unannounced, unless they turn me away, which I will take as a bad sign). Their website states they have state of the art equipment, their own in-house lab, etc. There are 3 vets working there, and a consulting radiologist. I am going to check out them and a few others before I decide.

My questions are: what do I ask to evaluate whether they might be the right vet for me/Kodee?

I don't have too many friends w/pets, as I am a stay-at-home mom (no, I don't get out much). So as far as referrals from other pet owners, the only ones I know already go to the same vet that I've been going to.

I have found that owning my first GSD (that I love more than just about anything) and doing lots of research on my own has made me extremely cautious and picky...

I would really appreciate any input you could give me - this is a big decision for me to leave a vet/casual friend that I've been going to for 10 years, and I don't want to jump to the wrong person...

Kori,

I would make a consultation appt with a few vets that you have your eye on.

If they will not consult with you (whether you have to pay an office visit or not) then I would not use them.

If the scheduler tells you that they are too busy, then I would cross them off the list as well, this means they stack as many appts as they can get in a day, therefore they will not spend the time you AND your pet needs.

Questions I would want answers to would be:

Can you tour the facility? Everywhere?
What is their outlook on raw diet? Will they support your decisions the best they can regarding diet?

What is their outlook on minimal or no vaccines? And will they do titers?

Do they have any knowledge of the breed (beyond the school basics)?

What do they do in case of emergencies? Can you contact them after hours?

One other one that I thought of lately was asking about how they dispose of their euthanized pets?
Now, this may not be one that you really want to ask, but being the person I am, I would.

My vet buries his pets for the owners. And will even have Taylor (tech) travel to their home to bury them there. He came out and put down my old ropin horse and that was TOUGH. Taylor quietly walked over and asked if I wanted him to take Raider in his "grave" so I would not have to. I have never been so grateful.

Doug had dug a grave and walking ramp with our backhoe and Raider just laid down and went to sleep.

There are more, but I have to get out my old list...I did type that out here at one time, but the search function and I are not agreeing right now.

I wouldn't show up unannounced. I work at a hospital with at least three vets and an oncologist on staff everyday and sometimes things just go crazy if there happens to be an emergency or three come in and it happens. They should be very happy to show you around all parts of the clinic .


Lisa

 Quote: lisa kidd

I wouldn't show up unannounced. I work at a hospital with at least three vets and an oncologist on staff everyday and sometimes things just go crazy if there happens to be an emergency or three come in and it happens. They should be very happy to show you around all parts of the clinic .


Lisa

Absolutely.

Busy vets have no more unscheduled time for guided tours than MDs do. (Scheduled, yes, just as Lisa says.)

But I'm with everyone who says to schedule an interview before you need the vet. I would offer to pay for the time, too, even if it's a telephone interview. And I would be ready with my written list. I'd include questions about fees, about the possibility of having an animal euthanized at home (I don't think it would be a make-or-break item, but it might reveal attitudes or thoughts that either fit with your own or not), pain management (because there still are vets who attach very little importance to managing chronic -- or even acute -- pain in animals), whether referrals to specialists, including alternative medicine specialists, are readily available, and what the vet's experience is in any area that may be of particular concern to you (nutrition, say, or allergies, canine athlete orthopedics, and so on).

Your list will be unique to you, but it's important to have it ready in writing to make the most of the interview.

Thank you. Those are all good ideas, and I will make an appointment first. One thing I do need to do is get a fecal done on Kodee, per Ed's recommendation, since Kodee's ear is still not up on it's own. He had one when I first got him, but I need to get a re-check, so I think that will be a good time to meet the vet at the animal hospital I'm most interested in now. I'm still going to call several vets, and I will definitely make a list. One thing I'm really interested in is getting Kodee's prelim hip x-rays done. So that's one thing I will definitely check on, as well as the attitudes re: raw diet and euthanasia at home (this is a big one for me, actually), among other things.

Thanks a lot! Wish me luck, and if anyone thinks of more questions to ask, let me know!

I personally pick vet office based upon a few things.

First is availability. I want to know that this vet has a backup in case my vet isn't available. Hopefully a qualified person within the same vet office.

Second is that this vet participates in updating their materials. If all their equipment looks like it was updated about the same time I went to elementry school and I see no new literature in their office I go elsewhere.

Third is that they went to a good school. Research the vet school they graduated from.

Fourth is that they are genuinely interested in my business. They should generally have as many questions for me as I have of them. It should be beyond So... how many dogs do you have? How old are your dogs? and should include my general experience with dogs and other animals. How my dogs are kept? What activities I do with my dogs? A vet who is unengaged is useless.

Fifth is they have good customer service in their staffing. I have quit more vets due to rude, unprofessional receptionists who seem to assume I fell off of a turnip truck with my dog outside their door. I'm sure they deal with yahoos throughout the day but a person walking in with a clean, well groomed, trained dog for a scheduled appointment should be treated like a good customer.

Lastly the place should be clean....spotless. I ran into quite a few offices when I was in Colorado that smelled of filth and had dustbunnies in the corners everywhere. I also left one place when I was younger because their paperwork was never in order.

 Quote: Melissa Thom

Second is that this vet participates in updating their materials. If all their equipment looks like it was updated about the same time I went to elementry school and I see no new literature in their office I go elsewhere.

I'm going to toss this out as food for thought. Another thread recently complained about unnecessary tests and high costs and I first thought of this then.

When you go into a vet office that is brand-spanking new, or completely modern with all the latest, high-tech gizmos to diagnose your animal, realize that the vet will be charging you top dollar...across the board...to cover the costs of those very expensive machines. You are also more likely to bump into pressure for what may be unnecessary and extra tests and procedures simply because those gadgets are so readily available...and again, they need to be used to be paid for.

A good example of this is ultrasound. More and more vets have ultrasound capabilities and like to promote it to their clients. Sure, it's really nice and very convenient to be able to whip it out and do it during an appointment. However, accurately reading an ultrasound takes skill, experience, and education that the majority of vets, frankly, don't have. They get a very brief tutorial, sometimes in person and sometimes via a CD, on how to operate the machine and read the ultrasound. To do it right you take a class, I believe a lengthy class, which many vets have neither the time nor the desire to attend.

I agree that if the vet is still extracting teeth with a hammer and chisel...RUN! But I wouldn't necessarily choose the vet with all the latest bells and whistles to be my dog's GP. More important, IMO, are the other things this thread has mentioned.

That's just my $.02

So much has changed in the last three decades with vet medicine I still stand by my last statement. I have been to vet offices who still operate in the dark ages and I believe the introduction of pain reducing techniques, improved anesthesia, and improved diagnostics are vital to the continuing education of vets. I have no issues paying more for that kind of service.

While I may not whip out the ultrasound option at the drop of a hat, if my dog was truly ill I would want my vet to know every option of how to diagnose him reliably and be able to present me with all the options I'd have to do so. Normally a vet who stays up on their literature usually has at least a few of the items that go along with it, usually has the literature somewhere for easy reference (at the vet office I worked at they had a library).

I second the comment about ultrasound - its takes more than good equipment to get good results, and a poorly performed ultrasound misinterpreted by an inexperienced vet is a waste of your money.

My $.02 on choosing a new vet - I agree about setting up consultation appointments with likely prospects, but I suggest doing it for something non-urgent and then taking your dog along so you can see how the vet conducts an examination and handles your animal. Get the facilities tour and check out the staff while you are there, but remember you want a vet who not only deals well with you as a client but is good with your dog.

Good luck!

 Quote: Sarah Ward

but I suggest doing it for something non-urgent and then taking your dog along so you can see how the vet conducts an examination and handles your animal. Get the facilities tour and check out the staff while you are there, but remember you want a vet who not only deals well with you as a client but is good with your dog.

Good luck!

I agree; my last vet was not the greatest at reading my pup. At 16 weeks or so, I took her in for vaccination(prior to me knowing any better). My pup is always very excited in the vet's office, jumping, etc. So, instead of waiting for her to settle down, she(the vet)squats on the floor and my pup promptly greets her with a teethy kiss and nips her on the chin. Not too much blood, at least!
This same vet told me on a prior visit that the pup was very dominant, and I'm thinking 'why would you squat at floor level with a bouncy, mouthy, 'dominant' pup?'

Same vet also strong armed me into getting a lepto vaccine after I told her I did not want to vaccinate for lepto. She stated that lepto could kill the pup if she was exposed to it. I later learned that there has not been even 1 case of lepto in my area.

I know this has been mentioned before, but the stacks of science diet in the waiting room may be a clue that you need to search further (or at least ask very pointed questions about attitudes toward feeding a raw diet). I may be drawing a biased conclusion here, but to me, a vet that sells SD is also likely to be heavily pushing yearly vaccinations. It's all about the $$