Do you shop around for a pet vet?

Do you shop around for a pet vet? How do you decide which one to go to? How do you determine your vet is a good one?

If you're new to an area or to pet ownership, I would defenitly recomend shoping around for a vet. See if there is a local publication that has a yearly vote for the best of... contest that might include categories for pet care. Ask pet store staff who they take their pets to. Talk to other pet owners you meet and ask who they go to and what they think of them. If you find one that sounds promising, set up an apointment for an intro exam. Ask about the vets qualifications; where they got their degree, any additional certifications, vet association memberships, and do they specialise in any particular animal. Then watch how the interacts with your pet, what questions do they ask, are they willing to answer questions and do they explain things to your satisfaction, and are you comfortable talking with them.

I've been lucky. When I got my first cat, I just went to the vet down the street because they were close. The senior vet there was brusk and more of a dog person, but his new assistant vet and I hit it off well. I kept asking for her, and eventually he retired and she bought the practice. That started in 1980, and I've been going to the same vet ever since, even after I moved elsewhere in town. I now use a second vet hospital as well becuse they're closer, keep later hours, and take walk-in apointments. That's more convenient for my street rescues, but I'm not always sure of their competency on serious matters, so for that I go back to my original vet. I just lucked onto the perfect vet the first time.

Does your vet always be able to solve your pet problems without overcharge you? How friendly are they?

Vets have high fees to start with. I choose my vets because it was highly recommended and have to admit i would recommend them to others.

When we get our two cats we decided to get them into a vet that was close to us. The staff was very friendly and the vets helped us with any questions that we had. The only downside is that their pricing was a bit high that we could afford. We found another place that was better for us finance wise and the staf is also nice and helpful. So I think it was good for us to shop around and we got lucky to have found the new vet.

I would think so that the price play a big role in the decision making on which vet to go to. The experience of the pet vet is equally important. I'd rather pay a little more to make sure I get the best service I can find. Usually the better services cost more than the average services and they are worth the premium prices. If people treat their pets like a family member, they'd get the best vet they can find rather than the cheapest vet they can find.

I could go here for a day. I actually use multiple vets, based on the services I need. I have a good vet I've used for my cats for years. That office assisted me in killing two Brazilian rainbow boas that had respiratory infections about 14 or 15 years ago. That was the beginning of my realization that the vast majority of DVM's in the US have very little real world hands on experience with reptiles. But one of the vets is excellent with cats so they see my cats. I have a vet who is very close by with a very low fee for office visits, is fairly knowledgeable with reptiles, the vet tech is a snake girl, and will do fecal exams very cheap. Then there is a vet a little farther who is better with reptiles I would say is my regular reptile vet. And lastly, there is a larger vet office, with a great lab on premises, (either of the other two vets send most complicated reptile bloodwork there anyways,) and vets who are published and well educated in avian and reptile medicine. They are costly though, but that is where I go if I have any actual complex disease/bacterial/viral concerns.

So I obviously think it is good to shop around But not just for price. You need to make sure they are good at what they do. Just like with human medicine, you need to be your own (and your pets) advocate.

Hey Fishbone, I'd think you can be a vet yourself by now. At least for the reptiles.

What are the requirements to be a professional vet anyway? Special degree in the particular animal? Some kind of license?