Animals are, to animal lovers at least, an important part of the family and hold a big place in the hearts of their owners. As such, whether you are looking to change your veterinary practice or you have just adopted a new pet and want to register them with a veterinarian, you need to be sure of your decision.
Following on from this, here are five crucial things to look for when choosing a vet.
1. Reputation, Reputation, Reputation
There are few other industries that rely so heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations as much as veterinary practices do, and as such, the reputation, both in terms of how other experts and vets in the profession and clients themselves, of potential surgeries is absolutely essential.
Therefore, the very first thing to look into is the reviews from previous and current clients, the standings when it comes to the ratings from the relevant authorities – and also how you yourself feel when you first enter the surgery.
2. Experience with the Species
Another phenomenally important thing to find out when looking for a vet is if they have extensive experience in diagnosing, caring for, and treating the particular species of animal you have.
For example, many people are unaware that rabbits are classed as ‘exotic animals’ though they are the third most popular pet in the United States. Thus, you must ask your vet if they have practical experience in rabbit care.
3. Personal Passion
Thirdly, this next point may not seem important, but on a wider scale, it absolutely is; the people working at the veterinary practice must show passion and love for the animals they see.
One easy way to determine the authentic and honest motivations of the surgery owners and directors is to find out how they came to open their own practice, with one of the clear indicators being if it was started by a professional vet who, together with specialists like vetcelerator.com, built the business up themselves.
4. Overnight Care Facilities
If the veterinary company you are considering is part of a larger chain of practices, then as long as there is more than one surgery in your local area, no more than twenty minutes away, then it does not matter if your nearest one has limited overnight care facilities.
However, you must make sure that you get to a veterinary practice that has emergency out-of-hours contact and entry, as well as the right kind of equipment and associated technology that is often used in the treatment of the species of your pet.
5. Check with ACVS
Finally, after you have completed all the necessary checks discussed in detail above, the last but just as important final check is to see if the surgery you are about to register your beloved animal with has board-certified surgeons.
The easiest way to do this is to visit ACVS’s official website (American College of Veterinary Surgeons), which will give some basic information about each practice and surgeon and also contain a website link to follow too.
