What to Look for When Choosing a Vet

Every pet needs a good vet, and ideally, the same vet for their entire life. After all, if you have the same vet the entire time, that specialist won’t just know pet healthcare but also your specific pet. This way, they’ll know how to handle your dog, how to comfort them, and what to watch out for in their health. You aren’t starting from scratch, which means better and more in-depth care and advice throughout their life. 

If possible, try to keep the same vet. This way, your pet will be more comfortable and at ease when going to the vet and build up a better relationship with the people who work there. You will trust them more and be able to get better advice and recommendations. 

A good vet is like a good personal physician. Once you find one, you won’t want to let them go. To help your first search go better, use these guidelines to help.

Start Local

You may know the best vet in the world for you and your pet, but if they’re not easy to get to, you will not use them or be able to rely on them. It doesn’t matter if you loved your previous vet or if you’ve moved a state or even country over. You need a top option near you. Those in Des Moines, WA, for example, can go to saltwateranimalhospital.com. Those in other cities will need to find an option closer to them. 

A good compromise is to take note of the nearest 24/7 clinic and then broaden your search a bit further for your general vet. Even with that in mind, you won’t really want to have to travel further than an hour to get to your vet, so look well within that radius. 

What Pets Do they Specialize In?

Most vets will happily care for cats and dogs. These are the most popular types of pets and, most importantly, the pets that people will pay for vet care for. However, if you have another type of pet, you may need to start your search here. If you have a rabbit, for example, start by looking up vets that care for your animal near you. The same applies to larger animals, from horses to even farm animals like goats. Not every vet will specialize in those types of animals, so it’s important to find one that will cater to your pets first. 

However, if you do have a dog or cat, you’ll want to carry on through this guide to find the top option for you. 

Do They Offer All the Services You’ll Need?

If the vet closest to you can only cover regular check-ups, you’ll need yet another vet to go to in case your pet needs surgery. This is an unnecessary amount of juggling when there are so many great clinics that offer it all. This way, your pet can be cared for by someone familiar. You can do more work to help desensitize them to the vet clinic if they always go to the same place, and the people there will know more about your specific pet which can help massively during the more touchy treatments, like neutering or splinting a broken leg. 

The more services and treatments they can offer, the better. This way, you can have one clinic handle their needs and will know exactly where to go in case of an issue.