How To Select A New Vet?

[SeanS]

So I'm moving to a new state. The travel isn't that far, but it's a new area.

I'm going to have to find a new vet for my cat.

Wondering how people recommend I look for the right one?

So far asking around there seems to be two good option. One with a lot of positive recommendations, slightly further away. And a closer vet, with fewer recommendations, but still all positive. Heard no complaints from either.

They both carry Purevax one year at least for rabies, and seem to have bravecto for fleas.

Not sure how else I can look for a good vet?

Any advice?

 

[fionasmom]

When you get to your new home, you might try nextdoor.com and ask for recommendations from generally local residents. You can then check them out individually.

A Guide to Finding a Vet: How to Find a Good Vet In Your Area | BeChewy

 

[maggie101]

If you live in the US join next door.

 

[daftcat75]

You can't really know what a good vet is until you need one. If it makes a difference to you, I would go with the closer one.

For me, I would also prefer the one with more weekend availability. I would want to know how many cat vets are at each practice. And I'm not sure if this is something you can find in the reviews, but I would want a vet that returns my calls in a timely fashion. Something to consider is that the more positive reviews, the more business they have. If they don't have enough vets to keep up with their popularity, it doesn't matter how good they are if you can never get an appointment or a callback when you need one. There's a highly rated cat-only practice that I used to take my previous cat to before she passed. When I got my current cat some four months ago, I couldn't get even a simple wellness check appointment for sooner than three weeks out. I called around and went with the vet who could see us the soonest. I didn't think I'd be happy at a chain vet (VCA.) But I'm pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to talk with both vets at the practice who have seen Betty. I'm even more impressed that the couple times I had to take her down to an urgent care vet, her regular vets at this practice called me within a couple of days to check up on her and catch themselves and her record up with what happened at the urgent care vet. In fact, the reason why Betty has two vets at this practice is that her first doctor was busy after one of these episodes and another doctor in the practice took it upon herself to follow up. After a great long chat, I decided to have Betty seen by her so that she could see either doc when she needs an appointment. She's also eating prescription food. It's been a huge relief to have all the VCA's available to me when I'm trying to track down her food on backorder. I can't imagine how much harder these food shortages would have been if I only had a single practice I could buy from.

So that's what's important to me in a "good vet". S/he is involved and follows up and the practice is there to support you and your animal and can see you in a timely manner. I understand that not every vet can fit in a drop-in visit. That's what urgent care/ER vets are for. But you shouldn't need to wait three weeks for a wellness check either. And you should never have to call a second time pestering for a doctor callback that never came the first time.

 

[LTS3]

Here is one list of things to look for / ask:

Vet Interview/Screening Topics & Check List | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Finding a new veterinarian can be difficult and sometimes an overwhelming experience especially when your kitty is not feeling well. A few members have...

www.felinediabetes.com

If your cat doesn't have diabetes, you can ignore those things on the list.

If you prefer a cat-friendly practice, you can search for one here: Find a Veterinarian and Practice | The Cat Community

It's important to have a good relationship with the vet. You should be comfortable asking questions about your cat's care, the vet's recommendations and suggestions on treatment, etc. A good vet will answer questions and treat the client well and respect. If a vet feels threatened by you asking questions or treats you badly etc, find a new vet. Don't feel that you need to stick with a vet for the life of your cat. If you don't feel the vet is adequately providing care or that you have a good relationship with or the techs are rough handling your pet or whatever, find a new vet. You don't need to tell the old one why.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles


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Wishing you luck finding a new vet! Some practices are placing a hold on accepting new patients because --for various reasons-- they have gotten extremely busy during covid lockdowns and in dealing with its aftereffects. If you find what seems to be a great vet practice, it's worth it to keep checking in with them to see if they are accepting new patients yet!