Finding Your Veterinarian

We are joining Cat on my Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop

Gooseberry barely awake for his selfie

While Gooseberry is a ham for the camera, others are quite shy:

Mulberry Spot saying "No, you can't see my black nose!"

I’ve been lucky when it comes to finding a veterinarian. My first excursion in hunting for a veterinarian started when I was a sophomore in high school. I needed to do some volunteer work for a school project. Because I wanted to go to vet school I decided to volunteer at a local veterinary hospital. The closest one was Eastown Animal Hospital in Des Moines. Dr. Denhart had just bought the hospital and was still getting set-up so he needed help. He offered to show me the ropes in exchange for my help cleaning kennels.

I believe the first animal I took in to see him was my pet goose, Cornelius, who was limping. An X-ray showed nothing wrong so we had to assume it was just a sprain. Eventually I was hired (for $1.90 an hour) and took my animals to him for three years. Later I would work in several different clinics with many wonderful veterinarians. My latest veterinarian was a friend first. When my previous veterinarian decided to retire, I switched to this clinic. So you see, I was lucky.

However, if I wasn’t so lucky I hope I would have gone through these steps to finding a veterinarian:

1.     Do your research. Ask friends whom they recommend. If you have a cat, look for a cat-only clinic. Check to see if any clinics are AAHA approved, and Fear Free Certified. These certifications should give you the assurance that you are visiting a modern, progressive facility. However, to be AAHA certified, clinics must adhere to some pretty strict guidelines. Even without that certification some clinics may be pretty good depending, of course, upon the veterinarian and staff.

2.     Make an appointment. Once you’ve found a clinic you think you’d want to go to, offer to pay an examination fee so that you can tour the clinic and visit with the staff. It wouldn’t take long, just 15 minutes or so until you feel comfortable. Find out if the clinic is clean and organized. Are the kennels for cats separate from those of the dogs? What about the waiting areas – are they comfortable? Do they have separate dog and cat areas? Do the receptionists greet you immediately when you enter? Were they friendly on the phone?

3.     Take your pet. If you feel this clinic has passed your inspection make an appointment to take in your pet. Maybe it is only for a good physical or maybe your pet is due for vaccinations or a geriatric panel. This will give you a chance to visit with the veterinarian and see how he/she treats your pet.

4.     Visit another clinic. Maybe the first clinic is the one you go to or maybe you need to visit more than one to find the right one. It will be worth it in the end. You won’t have to worry about where to go in an emergency.

As I wrote last week, having a primary veterinarian has its perks. You’ll know what to expect and they will know you and your pet. If you have a primary veterinarian already how did you find them?