Selecting a veterinarian for our furry friends is a personal decision.
Some people may decide on a veterinarian based on quality of care. For other people it is the location of the practice. Still other people consider the cost of services.
Perhaps for you it is a mix of all three or maybe none of the above.
We love our vet for many reasons, but here are our top 10:
1. Our veterinarian is a walk-in clinic, no appointment necessary.
Our schedule is not conducive to vet appointments. Whether it is running in to update a vaccine, or an illness or injury that just happened to pop-up, we never seem to be able to schedule our visits. A walk-in clinic is perfect for us. Of course that means occasionally we will have a long wait if everyone shows up at the same time, but usually we are in and out quickly.
2. Our vet is open 7 days a week and 9am to 9pm Monday through Friday.
Flexible hours are really important to us because we are able to go when it is convenient for us. Evening and weekend hours have saved us many a trip to an after hours vet because dogs never get sick between 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. Our vet has shortened hours on Saturday and Sunday but generally there are also fewer patients so it is a good time to pop in for a heart worm check or to update immunizations.
3. Our vet does not charge for an office visit when giving an immunization.
This is important to us because we like to stagger certain immunizations rather than give them all at once. The vet administering the immunization still examines the pet and discusses the need for the immunization before giving it, but if that is the only treatment during that particular visit, we do not pay for an office visit.
4. At this practice they always discuss the costs vs the benefits of any vaccine, treatment or procedure.
I like that the vets at this practice have a discussion with us and give us options for anything they may recommend. The vets also ask what we think about their recommendation and actually listen to our response. There have been times that we have elected to take a conservative approach to treatment and others we have elected to be more aggressive.
5. They never pressure us to spay and neuter our breeding dogs.
We have breeding dogs which at this particular practice is not the norm; however, they have never pressured us to spay and neuter them. In fact when it came time to neuter Thunder due to a health issue (enlarged prostate), the vet asked about 4 times if we were sure, or did we want to wait a bit because we could have put it off a short while if we wanted to collect him or try one last breeding.
6. There is an orthopedic veterinarian on staff who has walk in hours.
Over the years each of our dogs have been seen by the orthopedic vet on staff at our vet’s office. If one of the dogs turns up limping, I usually just make sure they see the orthopedic vet because usually they are going to be referred to him anyway. He is busy and since he has walk in hours, it may mean waiting but not having to trudge off to a different practice or wait a week or two for an appointment after being treated by a regular vet is well worth any wait.
7. It is a busy clinic so they can usually tell you if “something” is going around.
Every once in a while the dogs will come down with something and need to be seen by a vet. This clinic is quite busy and usually has 2-3 vets on the floor at any given time. Chances are if an illness is going around, they have already seen it and can diagnose and treat it quickly and efficiently.
8. Once a pet receives a diagnosis, there is no cost for a recheck if no additional treatment is given.
If a pet has an ongoing issue, say an injury that the vet wants to check as it heals or maybe we want the vet to look at it as it heals, there is no charge for that recheck. Over the years with various injuries, this has come in handy.
9. Our vet will not hesitate to make a referral to a specialist if necessary.
Unfortunately I have heard tales of some vets who are reluctant to refer patients to a specialist before they have tried every kind of treatment possible in their office. This can lead to stress for the owner and added cost if you are going to end up at the specialist anyway. The vets at our practice think ahead and even though there may be other treatments possible short of seeing a specialist, they discuss the option earlier rather than later. We appreciate that.
10. Quality care and a caring staff of vets and vet techs.
This should have been first because for us it is the most important.
What do you consider when selecting a veterinarian?
Wow, that sounds like a great vet practice. Can’t believe you don’t have to have appointments. That is great. We have to wait forever when we do have an appointment. I mainly pick my vets according to the care of the animal that they get. So many vets are out just for the money but where I go, the techs are terrific.
We’ve been taking our girls to the same vet for nearly 16 years now. He’s wonderful! He loves all our girls – even the demonbrat – and while he no longer has Saturday-morning hours and has recently started charging a reduced fee for follow-up visits, I wouldn’t go to anyone else (other than the emergency clinic). I love this man like family! When Callie was so sick at the end, he was “there” for me 24/7. And while he had to pretend to have “something” in his eye the morning we let her go to heaven, he knew that I knew the “something” was tears of grief. And when Ducky was going through her worst IBD episodes, he was close to his iPhone and texting back answers to my questions. So, for me, the most important thing about a vet is how much s/he cares about his patients – and that includes the time he takes to explain procedures, drugs, recommendations, options, etc.
I’m so glad you found a vet you like and who is the best for your pups :o) We are satisfied with our vet too, there are small things, like clipping nails or cleaning the ears we never find on a bill, because he just did it for his clients. And he saved the life of our husky Frosty with removing the bursted tumor in the middle of the night… we will always remember that he was there as we were in deepest trouble…
It sounds like you have found an excellent vet! I would love to have a walk in clinic, as I hate making and keeping to appointments. I would think you could figure out what the busier times are and work around them when possible (I’ve even figured out when the best times are to make an appointment with our vet, when they’re less apt to be running behind).
Our vet is less than 10 minutes from our house and that’s a big factor for me, along with liking and trusting the two vets that are there.
Sounds like a real good place to go, especially with multiple dogs! Mom loves our vet and so does Bailie. Katie and I don’t like any vet, we are always terrified.
Ours pass number 3,4,7,8, 9, 10…not sure about number 6 because we haven’t had that need. Glad you love your Vet! That’s important! I adore ours, there are approx 8 doctors in the practice and they expanded their grooming which is now housed next door. Ours is open 6 days a week and is open as early as 7:30 am and a few nights they close at 8. I have no problems getting in. We primarily see one doctor regularly at the practice but have faith in all of them. Our “main” Vet has even allowed me to text him photos of Cody’s hot spot (when he has allergies) rather than bring him in). He has called me when he was out-of-town if one of my pets had to be there when he wasn’t. He is an Angel. Hoping everyone is as lucky as you and I are!
DakotasDen
I just love a good veterinarian-pet-owner love story! We have loved all of our vets in all four cities we’ve lived in (well, except one, but we won’t discuss that) and our current clinic sounds a lot like yours. It’s within walking distance, which is great when we’re going for something routine and for the occasional weigh-in and pick-ups on our walks. They’re open seven days a week and have early morning and evening hours, which is great because as you said things rarely happen Monday through Friday between nine and five. There are also multiple vets in the clinic, so if our regular doctor isn’t available we can see one of the other docs (although don’t tell the other vets that Dr. Kevin is our favorite). My human mommy has often said that she wishes she could go to our veterinarians instead of her doctors. Sure. She says that now. Just wait until it comes time to take her temperature. 😉
Sounds llike you have an awesome vet. I love the idea of walk-in!
For us it’s that #10! The staff at our vet’s is amazing. Jaime fed Bart treats during acupuncture, Dr. S quickly diagnosed Ruby’s mega esophagus and Dr. K sat down on the floor with Otto and then he sat on her lap! I do like those hours, though and the idea of a walk-in clinic!
sounds like you have a great vet, I’m glad they are there for you.
I like the idea of a walk-in vet, and the weekend availability. Our current vet has longer opening hours on Monday (I believe until 7:30 pm), but is closed on both Saturdays & Sundays. She does share her personal cell phone number for emergencies (and also her husband’s), however, so that is a plus. I feel like she takes good care of us and was fairly quick to refer us to an oncologist when she diagnosed Missy with cancer in 2014.
What a great practice to have – I’d be tempted to go there too! We’re “test driving” a few new vets since ours moved from the area. It’s hard to find someone you like and trust. But I *think* we have settled into one, that is mobile and comes to the house. But for me, respecting the choices made for the seniors is paramount — Not all of them agree with being conservative.