Choosing a Good Vet
I guess I know what people usually say about choosing a good vet, but because I'm looking at getting my first "not childhood" dog in the next couple years, I figured I'd ask about this here and see what different people have to say.
How do you decide on a vet? What balance do you try to strike between "decent but also not that expensive" and "really really good but costs a small fortune"?
Some background: because the last dog I had was my childhood dog, my parents made all the financial decisions regarding her (and most of the veterinary ones, though because she was supposed to be my dog I did have a lot of input). For most of her life, we went to the same vet her breeder used--whom I've never had a complaint about, works with both pet people and performance event people, was good at knowing who the specialists in various things were, etc. but was quite expensive (because he drew a lot of the Ann Arbor dog crowd despite not being in Ann Arbor).
Which eventually my parents realized he was expensive, and they decided to switch to the vet that they still use for the cat. This one is okay--he's not completely inept or anything--but is very definitely focused mostly on keeping costs down. He's a mobile vet, which seems fine for vaccines and stuff--but he doesn't even do a real exam? He's extremely nice and he does talk about different options with you if you come in with an animal with a health problem, and he's very straightforward about how much different treatments are likely to cost... but they're often more a "you should do something about this, but I know you don't have the money so I'll do the best I can for your dog despite that" kind of advice. Which has its place, but I don't feel like should be a primary vet...?
So I don't think I would want to take my future dog to him, necessarily (unless I needed something very quick and straightforward, because he does walk-ins at various locations--so for quick problems where you need him to look at one thing he seems good?)... but I'm also not sure about the cost of the other one I've used before.
I might not even be in this same area when I do eventually get my future dog, but... I'm curious how people choose their vets regardless! Because it's a decision I will eventually have to make.
Sorry that this was a bit rambly.
How do you decide on a vet? What balance do you try to strike between "decent but also not that expensive" and "really really good but costs a small fortune"?
Some background: because the last dog I had was my childhood dog, my parents made all the financial decisions regarding her (and most of the veterinary ones, though because she was supposed to be my dog I did have a lot of input). For most of her life, we went to the same vet her breeder used--whom I've never had a complaint about, works with both pet people and performance event people, was good at knowing who the specialists in various things were, etc. but was quite expensive (because he drew a lot of the Ann Arbor dog crowd despite not being in Ann Arbor).
Which eventually my parents realized he was expensive, and they decided to switch to the vet that they still use for the cat. This one is okay--he's not completely inept or anything--but is very definitely focused mostly on keeping costs down. He's a mobile vet, which seems fine for vaccines and stuff--but he doesn't even do a real exam? He's extremely nice and he does talk about different options with you if you come in with an animal with a health problem, and he's very straightforward about how much different treatments are likely to cost... but they're often more a "you should do something about this, but I know you don't have the money so I'll do the best I can for your dog despite that" kind of advice. Which has its place, but I don't feel like should be a primary vet...?
So I don't think I would want to take my future dog to him, necessarily (unless I needed something very quick and straightforward, because he does walk-ins at various locations--so for quick problems where you need him to look at one thing he seems good?)... but I'm also not sure about the cost of the other one I've used before.
I might not even be in this same area when I do eventually get my future dog, but... I'm curious how people choose their vets regardless! Because it's a decision I will eventually have to make.
Sorry that this was a bit rambly.
Comments
My insurance monthly premium is $32 for 90% coverage and no payout limit. The only drawback is you have to pay up front for any procedure yourself and then get the coverage payout afterwards. If you have end up with multiple dogs, insurance can get pricey.
Friendliness.
How are the staff at the front counter? When I walk in, am I greeted right away? Are they helpful when I ask questions? I don't want to have to pester someone when I walk in, and I like it when the people manning the front are polite.
Same with the techs and vets themselves.
How they handle the dogs.
Are they all "Oogy woogie puppy doo!" Are they rough? Both are things I don't like. I want a staff who will adjust how they act and handle each individual dog. Conker DOES NOT like going to the vet, and if they get up in his face with kisses and snuggles! they are libel to get bit. If they are calm and let him take a few minutes to adjust to their presence, he will be a million times better.
Also, a huge one is keeping the dog in the room with me for regular stuff. Things that can only be done in the back room is fine, but for vaccinations and the like, NO, the dog stays with me. (Especially Conker.)
Receptiveness to questions/conversation.
I want a vet I can ask a bunch of questions to and get REAL answers, not some crap recited from an information card that is not informative at all. I want to be able to have an intelligent conversation with my vet about my dog's health, not be lectured at because I asked about diet, vaccines, or dewormers.
Thorough explanations.
I want to know why I should do X, Y, or Z, what will happen if I do, or don't, and what all the alternatives are. I don't want some cookie cutter nonsense and to be treated like a dumb pet owner who doesn't know anything. I am genuinely interested in this stuff, and if my vet can't take the time to explain what the issue is to me, they don't get my business.
Cost.
I can't afford a vet that costs a million dollars, no matter how amazing they are and how much I might like them. My vet bills needs to be reasonable (for my area).
I like staff to have among them at least one working/titled dog, purebred dog, large dog, or "difficult by reputation" dog. Owning livestock is a plus, too.
They were ok with raw feeding, explained why they chose their vaccination schedule (and offered titers) without my asking, and whenever it was cheaper to get something elsewhere (like meds) they would tell me with no prompting or asking. But again, I think a vet that will handle shy, skittish rescues well probably pays a lot of attention in general and is fairly flexible and open minded.
They were also the only vet that I've ever heard about that addressed the importance of socialization for the dog (as in my first visit they were asking me if I had started and mentioned that our area was low risk and that more dogs die from issues arising from under socialization than from catching diseases).
Ymmv though. I generally find the reviews on Yelp to be thoroughly unhelpful.
[edited to add]
Just checked Yelp for the vet where I used to take the pups, and the ones I've used since moving states. There is almost no feedback (3 reviews each). Do most vets have a lot of feedback on sites like Yelp?
I look for a clinic that offers emergency services. It's true that in an emergency, I don't necessarily have to go to the clinic that we normally go to, but I would prefer to see a vet who knew me and my dogs in that kind of situation.
Do they like animals? Seems like a silly question, but at the old, old clinic (the place we used to go to before the one we used to go to before it closed down), the vet quit and was replaced by this oddly hysterical woman who seemed to dislike dogs. She was great with cats, but she seemed to genuinely annoyed by dogs. Weird. She would yell at Rakka when she cried, so that was terrible.
Cost. I just ask what they charge for a spay or for a set of vaccines. If it's some ridiculous amount, then I don't go there. I'm not ultra-cheap when it comes to vet care; I'd rather have a good vet than a cheap vet, but some vets charge twice as much for simple things than they have any right to. For instance, one vet quoted me $800 to neuter Sosuke because he was a cryptorchid. Okay, yes, it's more complicated than a regular neuter, but $800?! Their logic was, they had to charge me as if it were two surgeries because the testicles were in different places. Terrible logic. Most of the cost is in anesthesia and pre- and post-op care. They can tack on extra for the extra time spent in surgery, but to act like it's two operations is ridiculous. Oh yeah, that also meant that they normally charge $400 to neuter a dog, which is also ridiculous. It wasn't even laser surgery or anything special and didn't include the pre-op blood work. Anyway, long rant, point being, I don't go somewhere that's going to gouge me.
After that, I just go and see if I like them.
I thought our spay was expensive, but justifiably so. That vet sounds insane! Do you live in an insanely expensive area too?
I don't have much else to add to everyone else's good advice here. Since my last disastrous VCA vet (from that horrendous summer of Bowdu's allergies in 2010), I have NOT been shy about interviewing potential vets. And the vet shouldn't be shy about being interviewed, either. They should be cool with answering your questions even if you're not an "official" client yet, *especially* the reception staff. They should be comfortable with letting you just sit in the lobby and watch their patients come in and out for a while, with or without pet. I understand if clinics are busy and they don't really have time to give you a tour of the back facilities, but it's okay to ask anyway.
I explained to my current vet that I was looking to establish a long-term, stable relationship with a good vet, and so it was important to *me* to choose appropriately. This reminds them that their conduct will decide whether or not they get my business over the long run, which is what it's ultimately about. Presenting yourself as a knowledgeable, conscientious pet owner doesn't have to make you vulnerable to price-gouging (one of my biggest fear at vets). Ideally, it opens you up to being able to work cooperatively with a vet, which I think is my bottom line -- a balance of their expertise and my intimate knowledge of my pet's needs.
So it looks like, at least around here, I'm going to have to go quite a bit beyond Yelp to get much of an idea of what I'm looking at. I'll ask some of my dog owning friends as well, of course, though I know some of them just picked whichever clinic was closest to their house and never questioned anything about it. And a few just use the vaccine & spay/neuter clinics at the humane society instead of actually having a vet, which of course isn't what I want to do.
Lots of good advice, though! I never would have thought to even check Yelp for anything other than restaurant reviews...
@violet_in_seville The vets around here are hugely varied. For instance, there's a livestock vet who sees pets two evenings a week for bargain basement prices, but I've never gone there. Sosuke's neuter ended up costing something like $150. I think the vet I went to just charged for a spay because she said it was comparable in complexity. Other than the misplaced testicle, nothing was unusual. Given this, I'm not sure why the super expensive vets are still in business.