Choosing the Right Vet

instantkarma

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Hi everyone!

I'd love some feedback and opinions when it comes to choosing the right vet for your furbabies. When I adopted my first cat a few years ago, I chose the most highly rated vet in the area that was of close proximity to me to make it easy to get her to the vet for appointments. I was fairly naive at that time when it came to choosing a vet, but at that time, she was very healthy and only ever needed her vaccines up to date. Now she's 3 years old and we have a new kitten and we're dealing with both of them being sick, likely with feline herpes virus and possibly URI.

The first vet I took them to was one who had been recommended to me by someone who only had a dog and not a cat. While the vet was nice, I felt they were not thorough at all in checking on my cats' symptoms. I did more research and checked around and unfortunately there are no cat only clinics near me. However, there are two vets close by who are American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) member veterinarians. So, I took my older cat to one of those vets and I felt she was very good and thorough for the most part. However, it's now been two weeks since that vet visit and my cat is still having coughing episodes that worry me.

So I'm at a crossroads: do I take her back to that second vet, or do I go to a new clinic to try out that OTHER vet who is a AAFP member veterinarian? This would be an entirely different vet clinic and vet, and this would mean this is now the third vet I'm taking her to.

I don't want to be overly paranoid about all of this, but I'm wondering if it might be good to at least check out that other vet? Moreover, I'm wondering how you KNOW for sure when you have the right vet for your kitties? What made you choose your vet and what do you love about them? Thank you in advance!
 

Caspers Human

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It’s kind of hard to find a “bad” vet.
Either they don’t stay in practice very long or they get a lot of bad reviews that are easy to find.

There are a lot of “good” vets and there are a few “excellent” ones.

Any vet can miss something or gloss over something that they don’t think is important. That’s mostly normal.

The thing that separates the good ones from the great ones is communication.

Does the vet answer questions and respond to your concerns?
Does the vet explain things? Do they go over test results and tell you what they mean?

When you walk out of the office, do you understand your cat’s condition, what the causes are if known, what the treatment options are and what the cat’s prognosis is?

If you don’t get those things, call back or revisit the vet and ask. Don’t let up until you are satisfied.

Go on-line and look things up on Wikipedia or PetMD. Tell the vet you read these things on-line and ask them whether they are right.

If the vet gives you the cold shoulder, that’s not good.

If the vet says something like, “That’s true but your cat is different because...” then that’s a good thing.

If you are satisfied with the way your vet communicates then you have a good match.

If you are not satisfied, tell the vet and explain why.

If that doesn’t help then it’s time to find a new vet.

If that happens you have the right to say why.

You shouldn’t feel like you have to leave a vets office with nagging questions, no matter how ”good” the vet is supposed to be.
 

fionasmom

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Those are a lot of very good pointers to consider! Personally, I have no trouble going to new vets if I think it is necessary.....and always remember that you are paying and that you deserve the best experience for yourself and your cat.

My dog has an oncologist and an endocrinologist along with a regular vet. The first two doctors would not see my cats because the cats don't have those condition, and the regular vet only sees the dog because she is excellent with him and his conditions. My cats go to another clinic entirely and see a specific vet who is respectful and very knowledgeable with cats. They also will TNR any cat brought in with a trap on any day of the week. However, I did take my dog away from that practice as their skills as endocrinologists were not up to speed. You really have to work this to the point where you are happy with what you are getting and if you have misgivings you need to either get them addressed (just in case the vet is a bad communicator or does not feel that you need the entire medical story) or try a new place.

I agree with you that location can be an issue and if you need to get your cat to the vet quickly then you need someone who is at least moderately local.
 

tabbytom

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What made you choose your vet and what do you love about them?
For me, I'll go with the vet that have cats of their own. It gives me more confidence in them. Yes, there are many good and experienced vets out but sometimes they are hard to come by. Some Vets specialized in cat health which is not easy to find.

I chose my boy's vet because she has cats of her own when my boy was there to see her and I asked what pets she has and she said cats. And I said to meself, 'Ok, I'll stick to you' :lol:

neely neely posted a very good article.
 
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EmersonandEvie

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I'm in the same boat. I went to make an appointment for Dexter and told him that he would bee seen by Dr. B. I knew Dr. B is a vet at that practice, but Dexter, Evie, and Emerson have always seen Dr. K. I mentioned this and they said "Oh, Dr. K left (military town, husband was stationed at the base and got shuffled around), so you can see Dr. B." This did not sit well with me because why would a clinic not let you know that your animal's primary veterinarian had left? Then, when I took Dexter in, the vet seemed flustered by my simple questions (ie, "How many calories a day should I be feeding him?").

He is up for his annual in December. I will be taking him to a vet that is right up the street from me so that the car ride isn't as long. I took Evie in to see the new vet near us in June when she had an abscessed chin from feline acne. I liked him, got a great vibe, and I liked the techs.
 

sivyaleah

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It took me 3 tries before I found a vet practice that I felt happy with. The first one was a "big box" practice because I didn't know better. It was ok enough but I really disliked how assembly line the care felt. The 2nd vet, was a small town type of practice. That doctor had a huge chip on his shoulder and I felt had a god complex, did not want to hear any of my opinions and insisted only his way of doing things was the right way - he was not keeping up with current methods and practices at all. I actually had a fight with him because of this.

I eventually found our current vet when we adopted our 2nd cat because the rescue people used them. I'm SO thrilled with them. The main vet we use is very cat-centric as are several others there. She's always willing to listen to my opinions and vice versa, and I honestly feel we have a true working relationship where we always want the outcome to be what is best for my cats - weighing all pros an cons. She's firm when she needs to be, and conversely has been emotionally open when appropriate as well. And the entire staff are lovely as well. They are also not too far away.

Always pick someone you "click" with, someone you trust. If you feel even a twinge of something not feeling right, go elsewhere. That's my advice.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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The vet that cared for Figaro came very highly recommended...by people who had dogs. I never saw another cat there and felt his exam was too brief. He also didn't pick up on a health issue until it was too late. Neko-chan goes to a cat only vet. What makes me super comfortable is the techs. They take the time to really make my kitty comfortable and answer questions even over the phone. The price is also good especially being less than an hour from New York city
 

Time 2 Recognize

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The price is also good especially being less than an hour from New York city
May I ask what vet you like? I'm in NY not far out from NYC and still don't feel I've found the right practice for my cat. One vet I like, but she's tough to communicate with and is a bit eccentric. The other clinic I've had issues with in the past and therefor am not 100% trusting of them to be proactive. I'd like a vet that is proactive.
 

MissClouseau

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Old thread but I will add my experience. No matter what I would highly recommend everyone to get experience with more than one clinic with your pet, and maybe more without. This is important in case that one clinic you go to is closed when you need a vet, or when you need a second opinion urgently. Also without taking the cat to more than one clinic we don't get to see if they feel better or worse at one clinic. With my Hima for example she's afraid of traffic a lot so it's a consideration to find a clinic as close as possible. I learned by experience she also feels less safe if the clinic is big. She gets more nervous by the screams of other cats than seeing dogs around so actually a cat-only clinic might be worse for her. We went to a clinic once and that was the first and last time I would take a pet to partially because I hated the way they physically held Hima. It wasn't gentle by my or Hima's standards

The clinic I take Hima to for simple procedures like check-up (blood test to be exact), deworming pill - that's the one that is close to my house, in a quiet street so no traffic sounds, and the clinic is small. Besides she was hospitalized there for a week and very familiar with the vet tech there and likes him. But I don't trust the vet medically enough to take her there if she fell ill. There is another clinic that is on the fancy side (and is a bit more expensive) but they have the newest devices, the clinic is very hygienic, is open 24/7, they are educating themselves with new studies weekly... if Hima fell ill, I would take her there.

There are two other, small clinics I keep in touch with via shopping from them. Like next week I will buy flea drops from Hima's regular small clinic, then go to the other clinic to buy hairball remedy.

P.S. With both human and cat health diagnosis sometimes has to be based on guess partially, as the symptoms of more than one thing might be identitical and they would need to do a lot of tests that would be costly, and be invasive so uncumfortable for the cat. Depending on the disease and diagnosis, "the treatment didn't work" doesn't necessarily say anything bad about the vet. Similarly but the other way around, sometimes good reviews for a clinic are based on simple procedures, or things that are easier to diagnose and treat. I would also recommend going more specific with the disease and diagnosis if the cat falls ill. e.g. If the cat has coronavirus and one day a vet suspects of FIP; for a second opinion try to find a clinic that got good reviews about coronavirus/FIP.
 

gilmargl

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Vets are only human and all of them make mistakes sometimes. As an animal charity (mainly dealing with cats) we use many different vet practices and clinics. New laws here mean that vets can charge excessive fees when their services are required outside their normal opening hours. If we find an injured animal, or a feral has finally been caught in the trap, we first have to consider which vet is open and whether he or she is able to deal with this particular case. Every week we have at least one space allotted to us, normally at lunch time or late afternoon, at the "best" vet in the neighbourhood. We take our foster cats there and accompany people on benefits together with their pets, so that we can contribute towards vet costs. This vet has the best equipment, ultrasound, etc. so it is the natural choice for me when I need to take my own cats to a vet. As was the case when one of my cats was hit by a car.


The downside of this practice, they have the best equipment and facilities which need to be paid for, or need to generate cash. My cat was X-rayed and after 2 days in the clinic the diagnosis: among other things, stable condition after tongue had been stitched, blind, unable to swallow, broken upper jaw, which couldn't be wired because of other cuts which also had to be stitched. Recommendation: euthanasia. When I went to give my consent, my cat looked at me with her good eye. She was not blind. I was told the only hope was intensive care (infusions, forced feeding, painkillers, and antibiotics) for at least 6 weeks. It was obvious, the clinic had done what it could. No broken bones to mend, no internal organs to repair, just intensive care - something they did not, could not provide. I took my cat home and, a couple of days later, went to a second vet, who deals with poorer people, is a "hands-on" vet, who doesn't rely so much on equipment.

This vet, did not take much money, but advised me on all the things I needed to know: minimum amount of liquid, astronaut's food my cat needed per day in order to survive, and told me to measure this out in syringes, freeze them to avoid waste; showed me how to keep her nose clear (she was still bleeding) using the salt solution; gave me eye drops. Maybe I should have known these things, but I was exceptionally nervous! A completely different vet-experience, but it was just as important. Incidentally, my daughter is a doctor's nurse, so the infusions were not a problem.

Yes, four months later, I did go back to the first vet: there was always the uncertainty regarding my cat's damaged eye and whether or not it should be removed. The vet was surprised: "Cats are quite amazing how they can recover from such terrible injuries". Her eye doesn't have to be removed. I try to forget when I'm there that "You wanted to kill my cat!" I have also been to the second vet with a different cat and a different problem!

So I have to agree with the previous thread from Miss Clouseau: keep your options open. Get to know the different vets, even if it only means purchasing flea and worm remedies from various sources. Flea treatments are always a good testing point as some vets haven't yet realized that there is a problem with fleas becoming resistant. It is a local problem so even thecatsite won't be able to give a global answer.
 

stephanietx

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Sometimes it takes longer for an infection to clear if you're dealing with a herpes kitty. Call the vet back on Monday and let them know your kitty is still coughing and ask for more medication or another treatment plan.

I know several vet clinics in my area and I know which one to take my cat to if there's a problem. I prefer the lower cost general vet that doesn't charge out the nose than the others because I find they are more caring and overall helpful and considerate regarding care, treatment options, medical options,and financial strain. The other vets are all about the money, but if I had a kitty in crisis, I'd be at their doorstep in a heartbeat.
 
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