Choosing The Right Vet For Your Dog

Your vet will be a very significant figure in your dog's life and, of course, yours, too! In the ideal situation you will only need a vet for routine checkups and preventive procedures, but in case something more serious develops it is good to develop a good doctor-patient relationship in advance.

Where to start. You could, of course, just get out the phone book and pick a vet close to your neighborhood. Before you do that, though, ask yourself a question..."Would you pick your own doctor at random without doing a little research?" I doubt it. So a little homework is involved here.

Remember your vet is going to be your dog's physician, dentist, manicurist, psychologist and presumedly friend. With that in mind let's look at where we begin.

As with any business, word of mouth advertising is always best. Talk to any friends or relatives who own pets. Who did they chose as a vet and why? Make sure their choice is in line with your values. Some folks may choose a vet simply because the office is close by or they don't charge very much per visit. You need to make sure the vet is one you will trust with your dog's health.

If you are lucky enough to have a police K-9 unit in your town you might want to inquire what vet they use. The police dogs must stay healthy for obvious reasons.

Once you've put together a list of potential doggie doctors simply phone their respective offices and explain you have a new dog and are looking for a vet
and would like to bring in your dog for a look see. Ideally you will want a chance to talk to the vet to discuss his or her philosophies and approach to pet care. Notice how your dog reacts to the vet. You can tell if doctor and doggie are going to get along in a stressfull emergency setting. You want both vet and dog to be comfortable with each other.

During your visit you also need to inquire about after hours service. Just like people, our dog's don't always get sick or injured between 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.

Do they have emergency and analysis capabilities at their clinic? This is important. If they have to send away for test results that can cause an unnecessary delay in beginning crucial treatments.

Also find out how many vets are actually on staff. Ideally there will be at least two so you won't have long waits in case of an emergency.

Of course, you will want to discuss price ranges, too. Vet bills can be expensive. Do they cater to you with payment plans in cases of expensive emergency treatments? A payment plan option is important.

There really is no right or wrong vet. There will be several vets for you to choose from and they are all going to be different in some way. While it may be tempting to choose a vet that has low prices and is just around the corner, there is more to think about than convenience. Consider the above when making your decision and shop around for the right fit! Your dog's health depends on it.

For more information on Choosing The Right Vet For Your Dog Check out The Ultimate Guide To Dog Health at the link below. It's a complete hand book on health care for your dog.