How Do You Find a Vet That Isn't a Used Car Salesman?

[ArtNJ]

Just took the new kitten to one of the local animal hospitals. That is all we have here, animal hospitals. $80 wellness visit plus $44 for the booster shot. Tried to sell me the practice's wellness plan. Tried to get me to enroll in some third party cat insurance, first month free then they ask you, not automatic enrollment. Gave me a "goody bag" including a dose of Revolution, said it makes sense even for an indoor cat. Maybe it does, how would I know, I certainly can't trust them. Goody bag had a free new scoop -- branded with the name of some cat drug. I need to look up the stuff they recommended for the next visit, because I don't know what is actually important or not. For example, FIV test for a healthy kitten that has already been friendly with my adult cat? Worth doing? No idea, because they aren't trustworthy. At all.

I used to take my cats to get all their shots religiously, then they switched some of the shots from every three to every one year. I can afford the care, but I flipping hate dealing with these people just as much as the cats do. 1. Used car salesman; 2. Car salesman; 3. Mattress Salesman and 4. Animal Hospitals. At some point, pre vet school for sure, these vets likely all really cared about animals. I'm sure some still do, but I feel that they have sold enough of their soul to the Animal Hospital that its usually very hard to find any hint of it unless you count them smiling at the animal and making a few minutes of small talk. So before we got this kitten, I had basically reduced to only sick visits, only getting shots at those sick visits.

When we lived in more Northern Jersey, a vet told me that my cat was dying, that the animal hospitals would recommend a ton of costly things, but my cat was dying regardless and he wasn't going to tell me to spend $1000s of dollars for stuff that makes little or no difference. And then I moved to central jersey and I've never had a vet I trusted since.

I live in 08512 NJ USA, help me find a real vet. Or tell me I just need to get over it, if you prefer but I can only stand what I can stand.

 

[Silver Crazy]

Such a familiar story even here in OZ. Like most doctors a lot of vets are sales representatives for drug companies and you see the young vets straight out of vet school get sucked into the big veterinary consortium's and that's it until they wake up to themselves and realize they are working for a meat grinding money machine living off the misfortunes of others
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If you have some registered cat and dog breeders near you give them a call because they normally are well aware what vets are good and wont trust there living and income to some witchdoctors
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.I have been lucky as my niece is a vet and friends of mine are breeders and been able to be guided to the best, most caring and knowledgeable. Only been caught out once in an emergency and that visit lasted about 5 minutes.Hope goes well and you have luck finding a good vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I guess you could start here: NJVMA | New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. If you have a FB account, and/or a Next Door Neighbor web site, you might be able to ask them for recommendations. You might also consider asking local rescue centers for contacts too. Local SPCA branches might be another source.

And, Find an ABVP Specialist | American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

 

[Willow's Mom]

You might try looking for a holistic vet. That's what I'm using, even though it isn't perfect and I think I just trashed her in a different post this morning.

It's not just veterinary care, it's the whole medical industry. My parents are still alive and I won't even waste your time on what horrible care they're getting and how the nursing homes ate their life savings.

 

[CatLover49]

You might try looking for a holistic vet. That's what I'm using, even though it isn't perfect and I think I just trashed her in a different post this morning.

It's not just veterinary care, it's the whole medical industry. My parents are still alive and I won't even waste your time on what horrible care they're getting and how the nursing homes ate their life savings.

I would like to know about the NURSING home situation..my mom is in a nursing home n im having some difficult times getting financial information..n wasnt before..Its strange

 

[kittenmittens84]

Read actual reviews and talk to people around you with pets, that’s the best way to find out what a vet is actually going to be like. Also don’t be afraid to try different places until you find one you like (it helps that a lot of vets have a deal on the exam fee for a first visit too). When I moved I went to three clinics before I found one I liked.

I do feel bad for vets because they come out of school with a med school-sized amount of debt and nowhere near the prospects of a human-medicine sized salary, it’s not surprising that many clinics turn to upselling and other sales tactics. Especially since people can be so stingy when it comes to paying for veterinary care, and sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re getting ripped off.

 

[Uncled]

It is hard to find a Vet who won't blow smoke up you know where..... I had the best vet When I lived in Florida, no longer live in that state and have yet to find a Vet that I liked and trusted like Dr. Dana.I agree going to the vet around here is like attending a time share seminar

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks all. Glad to know I'm not alone in this. I'll check Next Door, thats a good idea. I also like the idea of calling the local shelters/aspca, maybe they will know.

 

[white shadow]

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Hi ArtNJ.

There are two Vets nearby who are members of The American Association of Feline Practitioners. Now, while membership there is not a guarantee of competency, it certainly demonstrates the Vet's interest in feline medicine and, IMO would make for a good starting point in your search.

1. Dr. Terry Miele
   Carnegie Cat Clinic https://princetonvet.com/
   722 Alexander Road
   Princeton New Jersey 08540
   Phone: (609) 951-0400
   Practice Type: Feline Only
2. Dr. Emily Jarvis
   Cats at Home http://emilyjarvisdvm.com/index.html
   276 Applegarth Road
   Monroe Twp. New Jersey 08831
   Phone: (609) 915-8671
   Practice Type: Feline Only
   .

 

[white shadow]

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I couldn't continue there - got locked into a glitch within the forum software.

The first of those, Dr. Miele, graduated in 1987 and has been at that hospital (where she's now co-owner) since 1987....that's a ton of experience, which would put her at the top of my list. That hospital is privately-owned.

The second, Dr. Jarvis, graduated in 1994 and has a solid practice experience since then: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjarvis.

Personally I cringe a little when I hear folks speak about 'reviews'.......which, of course, are all 'all the rage' these days. But, coming from an old(er) school (which has provided lots of actual life experience), I know that any 'review' is only as good as the 'quality' of the reviewer (never known) and that these reviews are bought and sold more frequently than candy!

Hope this could help!
.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks White Shadow. I can only imagine what an animal hospital in Princeton costs though. There are many million++ dollar homes in princeton that are quite tiny. Not quite the level of some places in California, (or various other places in NJ as well) but pretty darn close. I would be shocked if they didn't have the standard big business vet approach including selling care plans, cat insurance and all that appalling nonsense. The home call vet might be worth calling though; she did mention a discount for multiple cats and she isn't far away (if she adjusts for travel time).

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

Do your cats travel well? My vet is in Fair Lawn, NJ which would probably be an hour to your and a half drive. His office visit is $55. The only thing he ever pushed was "spay her by 5months" . Which we were going to do anyway. The doc is a bit taciturn, but the techs, in particular Tom and Crystal are amazing. This wouldn't work if your cats hate to travel though.

 

[profcat]

You might try looking for a holistic vet. That's what I'm using, even though it isn't perfect and I think I just trashed her in a different post this morning.

It's not just veterinary care, it's the whole medical industry. My parents are still alive and I won't even waste your time on what horrible care they're getting and how the nursing homes ate their life savings.

Yeah, but I'd also be careful with holistic vets. That doesn't mean their not used-car salesmen, too. I went to one who did a "demonstration" of acupressure on my cat and then tried to charge me $200 for it. And many sell their own food and supplements at higher prices that don't necessarily have the medical research to support their use. Any kind of vet can be horrible.

 

[profcat]

I would ask around at local pet shops to see who the employees use. Often vet store employees do rescue and/or have multiple pets, and have a good knowledge of the vets in the area.

When we moved here were "interviewed" vets. We called up and said we had a big cat family and wanted to know if we could chat with the vet for 20 minutes about their approaches to care. A couple wouldn't do it at all without charging us money for an appointment (boy, did they miss out on our potential business!) and a couple we met with we didn't like. But that's how we found our current vet and we LOVE her. She's in Parsippany, which is a hike for you, but let me know if you want her info.

 

[jen]

For example, FIV test for a healthy kitten that has already been friendly with my adult cat? Worth doing?

You have received a lot of good advice, and agree it is hard to find private practices that are reliable instead of the more coorporate owned places.

I will say that I would ABSOLUTELY do a FIV/FeLV test on your kitten. It should have had that before mingling with the resident cat. But healthy looks make no difference. If it is carrying FeLV it can possibly be passed to your own cat. FIV not likely at all but still good to know so you know the health of everyone and can know to watch for symptoms.

 

[kittenmittens84]

.
I couldn't continue there - got locked into a glitch within the forum software.

The first of those, Dr. Miele, graduated in 1987 and has been at that hospital (where she's now co-owner) since 1987....that's a ton of experience, which would put her at the top of my list. That hospital is privately-owned.

The second, Dr. Jarvis, graduated in 1994 and has a solid practice experience since then: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjarvis.

Personally I cringe a little when I hear folks speak about 'reviews'.......which, of course, are all 'all the rage' these days. But, coming from an old(er) school (which has provided lots of actual life experience), I know that any 'review' is only as good as the 'quality' of the reviewer (never known) and that these reviews are bought and sold more frequently than candy!

Hope this could help!
.

The thing about reviews is if you take 2-3 mins to skim through them you can generally tell fairly easily if some of them are coming from an unhinged crazy person or a shill, and which ones are genuine and sound like they’re written by real people. Reviews are obviously not the end all be all, but it’s nice to be able to read things like “dr. So and so is very personable and I always feel like he listens to my concerns” or “love that this office has a separate waiting room for cats and dogs” that you might not be able to get otherwise unless you spoke to one of their clients directly.

I also always keep in mind that people are more likely to write about positive reviews than negative ones, and when it comes to pets especially people often write reviews when they’re still very emotional. I’ve gone to 5+ great vets in my life and every single one of them has had some awful one star review with someone yelling THESE PEOPLE KILLED MY DOG AND IM GOING TO SUE THEM. Context is helpful.

 

[profcat]

You have received a lot of good advice, and agree it is hard to find private practices that are reliable instead of the more coorporate owned places.

I will say that I would ABSOLUTELY do a FIV/FeLV test on your kitten. It should have had that before mingling with the resident cat. But healthy looks make no difference. If it is carrying FeLV it can possibly be passed to your own cat. FIV not likely at all but still good to know so you know the health of everyone and can know to watch for symptoms.

FIV is not a deadly disease so if the kitten does test positive, DO NOT let them put it down. Lots of cats live long, normal lives with FIV. I have 2 FIV+ cats living with my other cats and they're all healthy and happy.

 

[jen]

FIV is not a deadly disease so if the kitten does test positive, DO NOT let them put it down. Lots of cats live long, normal lives with FIV. I have 2 FIV+ cats living with my other cats and they're all healthy and happy.

Yep you got that right. I wouldn't even put down an FeLV positive right away without at least trying to find someone to help. I have also had FIV positive and negative living together.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks again all. I just discovered that the low cost spay clinic People for Animals in Robbinsville NJ and various other NJ locations (fyi Neko-chan's mama ) also does low cost vaccinations. That is how I will do vaccinations from now on, and I'll reserve the Animal Hospitals for sick visits if I can't find a vet I like within range.

I find it less problematic to deal with the animal hospitals for sick visits. When your cat needs a vet, they need a vet. It was the vaccinations that I couldn't bring myself to deal with them, because now that my cats are both indoor only, there really isn't such a strong need. Not strong enough that I was willing to deal with this kind of vet anyways.

 

[profcat]

I don;t know about the PFA in Robbinsville, but the Hillside one is GOLD. Fantastic people and vets who really care about animals. Highly recommended!