Choosing a vet to care for your four-legged best friends should not be something that you take lightly. While we hope that most pet parents will be thrilled with our care and expertise at Total Veterinary Care, we know that we may not be the perfect fit for everyone. With that in mind, we would like to provide this guidance for anyone looking for a veterinarian.
Location
When your pet needs to visit the vet, most people prefer a hospital that is close to their home and doesn’t require too much of a drive. In fact, most people with pets have a veterinarian that is within 5 miles of their home!
Referrals
One of the best ways to find a vet is to ask your friends and family who they use, as long as they are happy with their experience. Most people are more than happy to refer you to their own vet hospital and will tell you what they love about their provider.
Reviews
In today’s age of online everything, it is a good idea to look at the reviews a veterinarian gets on sites like Google My Business, Yelp, and other location-based sites. Additionally, you can learn a lot by visiting the social media pages for a hospital, particularly Facebook since it allows visitors to provide reviews directly on the page. While you are there, look to see what sort of information the practice is posting on its page to see if it is valuable tips, fun pictures and other things that create a real community for pet parents.
Take a Tour
It is perfectly acceptable to ask for a tour of a veterinary hospital to meet the vet, as well as the techs and assistants. While you are there, take note of how clean the facility is and what types of equipment they have as well. Finding a personality match can be important for a long-term relationship, so see how you enjoy talking to the team and find out how they typically communicate with their patients. Since their patients will always have to take top priority, also be respectful of their time and understand if they have to step away to take care of a sick pet.
Hours of Operation/Emergency Coverage
Ask the veterinary team about their hours of normal operation. Do the hours fit into your family’s schedule? Are they open early enough in the morning to allow you to drop off your pet before work? Will there be time enough at the end of the day for you to pick up your pet after work if need be? Do they have weekend hours available? Be sure to ask if the hospital offers 24 hour care. If they do not, and most don’t, find out where they refer their emergency cases. You might want to visit the emergency hospital to see if that is a good fit for you as well.
With a little bit of research, you will feel comfortable putting the health and care of your furry family members into the right hands.
