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Selecting An Animal Veterinary Hospital

By Trevor Weir
Nov 4, 2009
Really, finding the best animal vet hospital takes a bit of a time commitment. You can...apos;t expect to fall into the right vet, especially if you are in a new area. Asking around with your friends and neighbors can be helpful, but you have to put in some real leg work in order to find the animal vet hospital that is right for you.

Remember that you may have different needs than your friends and neighbors. You might feel that an animal vet hospital should provide emergency care. Some do but others are only open during traditional business hours. Ask about their policies and make sure that you are ultimately comfortable with them.

Follow your gut. If an animal vet hospital seems like it might be a bit left of center, then it probably is. You can usually tell by the state of the bathroom how much attention is given to small details. If the restroom is a wreck, how well do you think they clean up after the other animals?

Before you leave, visit the restroom and check out the cleanliness factor. If you find that there are waste products such as syringes or other animal related items in the trash can, move on to a different vet.

Do they only deal in cats and dogs or are they competent at dealing with exotic creatures and reptiles? We had never investigated where to take our pet rat and we took him to our regular dog vet. The rat needed surgery, and was sent home only to have his staples rip apart. When they restapled him, they sent him home with mites, although they denied this. Kovak died three days later due to massive infection that was never picked up. Had we found a small animal vet that specialized in rats and other exotic pets, chances are he would have had a happier ending.

If you have an array of animals you may very well need different vets for them. If you can...apos;t find the vet hospital that you need, then you should absolutely develop a strong relationship with a single vet in case one of your off center pets needs some attention.

If you wait until your pet is in an urgent situation to make the first appointment you will likely have a difficult time finding the vet you really want. Schedule examinations to find the vet, not just the animal vet hospital, that you feel comfortable with. We stayed with an animal vet hospital that we were not completely crazy about because they had one exceptional vet. This vet was able to handle both our dogs with grace and ease. One was blind and the other had an aggressive streak when it came to the vet...apos;s office.

Pay attention to the small details. If you believe that their bedside manner completely erases their technical ability, that is important. You wouldn...apos;t want to visit a doctor that didn...apos;t treat you with respect, so why pay the astronomical vet fees that you will pay if the vet can...apos;t even be friendly with your scared little guy? A lot goes into choosing the right animal vet hospital. You should make sure you...apos;re comfortable with your choice well before you need them.
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