Finding a good vet practice for your pet can be a daunting task. How can you judge their standard of patient care? How can you judge their knowledge and expertise? Will they treat your pet with warmth and tenderness or have they become desensitised to the stress that many pets experience when visiting the vet? Will they take the time to explain things clearly and in a way anyone can understand?
Here are some useful tips to help you make the right choice for you and your loved one:
1. Contact the Clinic By Phone
Tell the receptionist that you’re looking for a new vet for your pet.
If the receptionist is warm, friendly and enthusiastic to talk to you then chances are the vet will be too!
If a genuine desire to engage with people is part of a workplace culture then usually everyone in that workplace will be warm, friendly and eager to help.
2. Ask if you can make an appointment for a Clinic Tour
This is really important. Touring the facility will enable you to judge the standards of the practice, particularly hygiene.
If the clinic smells like urine and there’s pet hair everywhere head for the nearest exit and don’t look back because often the same standards will be reflected in the standard of patient care.
By taking a clinic tour you will also be able to see if the patients have comfortable hospital beds, if the practice has invested in new equipment, how the staff present themselves and of course you’ll get to meet the vet!
If a veterinary clinic has high standards they should be excited to offer you a clinic tour because they will be proud of their workplace and the quality of service they offer!
If the clinic is clean and orderly, if the staff present themselves in a friendly and professional manner and if the practice has comfortable accommodation for hospital patients, chances are the standard of patient care will be spot on!
3. Ask the vet some questions about patient care.
How do you ensure the safety of anaesthetised patients?
What preventative health care plan do you recommend for pets and why do you recommend this? How do you treat arthritic patients?
These questions will give the vet an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and will give you an opportunity to see how well they communicate. If they take the time to explain things thoroughly and in a way you can easily understand (without making you feel intimidated) then this is the vet for you! It should feel like you’re talking to a friend.
4. Bring your Pet in to meet the Vet & Nurse Team.
An enthusiastic vet will be excited to meet a new patient (without charging for their time). This will enable you to see how they interact with your furry mate so you can decide if they “fit the brief”.
If you do all these things it would be virtually impossible for you to choose the wrong vet practice for your pet. We think we’re pretty awesome so save yourself some time and try us first!