How to Choose a Veterenarian

We use several trusted specialty Veterinarians. We have a reproductive Vet with a team of specialists we work with. We rely on specialty vets for eyes, health testing, surgery, etc. Just like the human medical world, specialists are always best. For general health checkups, you need a "family doctor" Vet. Some things we look for in our well-check Vet are:

#1- Experience. What kind of experience has your doctor had? Did they do their younger years in the climate you're in? Likely your vet learned the most about animal care when they first came out of school. Did they do that work in the Southern United States? Does this translate to where you are?

#2- Personality. This matters more than experience. Your vet will refer you to an emergency hospital or specialist if something HUGE is going on.

Does this person's character reflect a humble, confident attitude that you will want to work with if there was an emergency or a concern. Does the office have a medical, distant feeling like a doctors office? Thankfully there are some that do not. That is what you want. Dog diseases are not likely transferred to humans so there's no reason your Vet or vet tech needs to put you in a room and make you wait alone. You are not the patient. And even the terms "patient" and "nurse" should not be used in a vet office in our opinion. Try to find an office that has a friendly environment where the vet techs are happy and cheerful and respond to you with respect and honor you as the primary caregiver of your pet. Remember, the vet and team are working for you. They should be open to your ideas and concerns. They should listen to you and honor your decisions. When they give recommendations, they should not demand or threaten you. Can you form a trust with this team? How often is their turn-around on workers in their office? You should look for a stable, small Vet office with a close-knit team. That way, they will get to know your dog and you won't have to reinstate your dog over and over again with a new person. These Vet offices DO exist. Seek them out and reward the few that still have whole, quality care.