Finding a good vet?

Sangmort

Here's my thing. You guys know how important I think food is for a dog, and yet, every single vet I've been to, no matter how "good" or "great" sells that crappy science diet / eukanuba stuff!

So my question is...do "good" vets sell this stuff? Am I ok taking a dog to a vet who sells this crappy food?

The vet I go to is amazing. He's an "everything" vet, and while I've only taken my iguana to hin, he just so knowledgable! I picked him as he's VERY reputable, has a TON of knowledge, & is super nice. [ along with the rest of his staff ] Even though he's farther away than closer vets [ 30 - 45minutes dependant on traffic ] He's SO worth it.

He is also the vet for the National Reptiles Breeders Expo. who examines all the animals there & has written a number of articles on reptiles, googling him brings up quite a few forums where people highly recommend him.

And it is with this vet's help I was FINALLY able to convince my father to let me switch the cockatiels over to a pellet diet! [ it's like going from IAMs to Orijen ]

Now, I am thinking...wow! I found an AMAZING vet! But then...I see the Eukanuba & Science Diet being sold in his office!


So, is it really something that should turn me off from bringing my future puppy there? I mean, he's an awesome herp vet...it's just that kind of bothers me! lol


What d you guys think? ~

ljowen123

I can't remember ever being in a vet's office that doesn't sell it. Kind of like going to a Dr.s office and seeing pens, sticky notes, etc made by a specific drug company.

JessicaRabbit

My general vet sells Royal Canin and Science Diet. She also was the one who referred me to my holistic vet for nutrition and acupuncture. She fully endorses my cooking for the pups and would be the first to say that Piglets turnaround and Mikos health stem from their diet.

I think a good vet is first and foremost open minded. Vets receive endorsements from the dog food companies, just like doctors do from pharmaceutical companies. I think many vets would consider this a necessary evil.

I wouldn't completely write off a vet for carrying those dog foods. I think most important in a good vet are, listening skills, a willingness to acknowledge when they don't have an answer, a REALLY good staff (vet techs make an office IMO), I am sure I could think of more, but I am pooped and ready for bed.

Calia

I think science diet and eukanuba advertise and give out samples to the vets, and possibly make a contract with them. I think that these big brands will dish out for fancy equipment if the vet sells their stuff. Either way, I don't think it's what their selling, but what their telling that's important. Just because they sell the stuff doesn't mean they think it's good.

Sangmort

Thanks guys! That helps quite a bit.

Oh, & the Vet Techs are all super cool. [ there are like.. 8 or 9 of them ] They even remember Shinra & I by name which surprised me when we went back there the second time haha ~

lindsayt

Yes, great vets frequently/nearly always sell prescription diets. The food is viewed as a medicine and convenient for the majority of people to use. I have frequently mentioned to pet owners, "There is an organic equivalent to this prescription diet that is cheaper and has better ingredients and will do the same thing if you feed it properly," but 9/10 of the owners will choose the Science diet or whatever is available there because they have heard of the brand name. The companies rely on that and do a lot of marketing to vet students on nutrition. A good vet should also advocate for a healthy high quality diet like what most of us feed, but they will carry the medicated products becuase that's what most people want (a quick fix or they don't care to get that involved with the nutrition details.)

It sounds like you have a wonderful vet. I wouldn't know a thing about iguanas, much less how to fix their broken legs.

ShikokuSpirit

Yeah, I agree.

If you are comfortable with your vet, please judge by their practices and not by what they sell.

Nekopan

Unrelated to the food (I agree with everyone else about that) - just because a vet will take on any animal type doesn't mean s/he is particularly good with all of them. For example, we have three vets at the local practice, which has an office in our town and another in the town half an hour away. Before getting Jack, we'd taken our cat to the one in our town and had him neutered/treated by the one vet who frequents here. He was great with our cat. When Jack came along, we took him to get vaccinated, and the vet was not as great with him. We really noticed a difference when we had to visit the office in the town over and had the second of the three vets. You could tell the second was a dog person, and Jack loved him.

So, to cut a long story short, don't be surprised if your reptile vet isn't so great with pups. I'm sure his feelings wouldn't be hurt if you asked for another vet for them.

tsukitsune

You've gotten all the advice I would say, so I'll agree with Corina's statement exactly!

And Kyla makes a good point - but in my clinic I think they already have their specialty and schedule accordingly, like there is a 'cat specialist' and two other vets (one holistic oriented, one not) that are mainly dog vets, and then 3 surgeons separate from that.

sunyata

Agreed. We found our vet through numerous recommendations, and low and behold... She sells Science Diet. And she even put Bella on it for a while when she was having her stomach issues. Luckily, when that did not work, I did some research on my own, and found that Shibas sometimes have a low tolerance for grain. I brought this up, and the vet did some additional research (since she was not familiar with Shibas), and decided we should try Bella on something without corn. Once all of her other issues were sorted out, we switched to a grain free food, and BAM! Just like that, things were back to normal.

Even though she sells Science Diet, and recommends them when there is a problem, she also knows that they are not always the best solution, and if they do not work, to try something new.

If you are comfortable with your current vet, and trust his/her judgement, then continue to see him/her once you get your pup. If not, then do some research and find someone you will trust and enjoy visiting.

brandon_w

Vets do not have to take nutrition courses to become doctors of veterinary science. The way I think of it is that most vets are trained and schooled on how to FIX existing problems. A lot of them (most) do not take the time to learn through their own research, or through schooling about how to prevent things and how nutrition factors in.

Think about it this way, if you were seeking advice on creating a new diet for yourself, due to a new allergy, or even possibly for a diet. Would you go to a doctor/person that is a trained in nutrition, or would you go to your general practitioner doctor?

Think about how many Doctors (for animals and humans) just throw antibiotics at everything, when sometimes they are not needed, or could even be detrimental. It has a lot to do with the way they were taught in school.

On the good side, it seems that many more vets are starting to realize the benefits of the super premium kibbles, raw diets, or home cooking. However they are also trying to make money and Science Diet, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, whatever, they sell.

To me the most important thing about a vet is how they interact with my pets. One vet, who we do not go to anymore, he walked right into the room and started patting Nemo on the head, when Nemo was obviously uncomfortable and then near terrified when the goon just started walking up to him and touching him. The current team of vets we see at our clinic are all very good with Nemo. They have even agreed to write a prescription for his heartworm medicine without blood testing if I keep him on it year round, because they understand how terrifying/stressing the vet and blood draws are for him.

wliu003

speaking of vets (this is probably a longshot) but does anyone know a reputable vet in the riverside/ontario/redlands (california) area?

Sangmort

Thanks so much guys!


I feel enlightened! ~