Every pet owner wants the best veterinarian for their dog. You may need a new vet if; you got a dog for the first time, moving to a new city or a different part of town, your current veterinarian is retiring. These are some questions and tips you can ask when choosing a veterinarian.
Does the veterinary office have an excellent Reputation?
A veterinary office reputation can help you pick the best veterinarian for you and your Boston Terrier. When you visit your local pet store, ask around to pet owners who they use as a veterinarian. This is a great place to get feedback from pet owners on good veterinarians.
Also, social media is a great source of information and reviews of different veterinary facilities. Not everyone reviews a veterinary clinic after they had a good experience, but most who have had a bad experience will leave feedback.
What is the veterinary office Location
Make sure the veterinary clinic that you choose is in an accessible location for where you live and work. If you live and work in one part of town, you should not pick a veterinary clinic that is 30 to 45 minutes away from your house.
My wife and I made this mistake for the first two years of owning Bella, our Boston Terrier. We used a veterinarian 45 minutes from our home because he was the one our parents used. While using a vet you know is great. In my experience, finding an excellent local veterinarian is ideal. A local veterinarian saves you time. Plus, the local veterinarian has more connections to local trainers, pet-friendly parks, pet sitters, and everything else you need for your Boston.
If your pet suddenly becomes ill one night, you will want to be able to drop your pet off on the way to work the next morning so they can get medical attention.
What are their Hours?
The hours your veterinary office is open will be valuable. If your veterinary office closes right at 5 PM, you may be rushing from work to the veterinary clinic to pick up your pet before they close. After hours and weekends, will help you have time to get in to see your veterinarian.
What does the veterinarian recommend for Emergencies?
Even though we do not like to see our pet’s sick, they will end up ill and in need of veterinary care. Sometimes this happens in the middle of the night or weekends. Usually, there is an emergency clinic nearby, or in rural areas, veterinarians will take turns taking after hour emergency calls.
If your veterinarian does not have anything in place for those emergencies and there is no emergency clinic located nearby, you may want to find a veterinarian who does have an emergency plan in place.
Are their Facilities Clean?
Most veterinary clinics will give you a tour of their facilities. Many vet clinics will have an open house about once a year or will show you around their clinic if you just ask. During the tour of the clinic pay attention to how good they keep things clean and picked up. Look at the animals that are staying there and make sure they are clean and well looked after.
How friendly is the staff?
You will not just interact with the veterinarians. When you bring your Boston Terrier to the vet, you will see the veterinary assistants, technicians, and receptionist. Meeting some of the staff and the doctors to ensure your personalities mix well together is essential to longterm happiness with your vet’s office. Many clinics have multiple doctors, they will even let you pick what doctor you want to see if you like one over the other.
What is the price of their services?
Most everyone wants the best at the cheapest possible rate, at least I do. It is not always possible at a veterinary clinic to get the best service for the most affordable. The old saying you get what you pay for holds true in veterinary care. To get the cheapest veterinary care, it is not always the best.
Payment Options
Some veterinary clinics have payment options such as Care Credit or in-house payment plans. If you have financial concerns talk with your veterinarian, they can help devise a treatment plan that fits within their budget. Some clinics do require upfront payment for surgeries or deposits for significant hospitalizations.
It is best to have a financial plan in place for your Boston Terrier in case an emergency does arise you will not have to worry about the business part of the visit.
Note: I always recommend paying cash for anything pet related. You never want to finance the well being of your Boston. Financing your Boston’s health concerns brings more anxiety to you and hurts your emotional health. It is a good idea to create a savings account for your dog. Place $30.00 in this account per month at a minimum and this account can be your Boston’s personal health savings account. Only use this account for your Boston’s health-related issues.
What are other services offered?
Many veterinary clinics offer other services such as boarding, grooming, and daycare. If your dog needs to get groomed frequently or you frequently travel and require doggie daycare having the added functions is very convenient.
While this should not discourage you from using a veterinary office, but it would be an added benefit to help pick between two different yet outstanding clinics.
Final thoughts…
Choosing a veterinarian for your Boston Terrier or other type of dog is very important. Make sure that you are comfortable and trust your veterinarian. It is best to establish a relationship with your veterinarian before your dog gets sick.
The last thing you want to do is have something happen to your Boston Terrier, and then you have to find a veterinarian to care for your dog quickly. Locate the place you will turn to in case of illness and have their number on your fridge or stored in your phone.
What other tips do you have when finding a Vet? Is there an experience you have related to finding a Vet? Please share by commenting below.