Questions To Ask Your New Vet

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Whether you just adopted your first furry family member or have to switch Veterinarians for some reason, here is a list of questions you will want to ask your vet!  If you are switching vets, do not be afraid to ask for a copy of your pets medical records to give to the new vet!

What are their office hours for each day of the week? 

Some vets are open late  (or very early) a few days a week to accommodate their client’s busy work schedules.  Some vets offer weekend hours but might have limited hours during the week.   Our Veterinarian opens early on Mondays because that is the day they do their scheduled surgeries so people can drop their pets off before school and work.

Vet Clinic Cats DVIDS276619If they are closed, and you have a pet emergency, where do they recommend you take your pet?

This is something you will want to be sure of before the unthinkable happens.  You do not want to be in the middle of a crisis trying to find a place to take your pet.  One time when Harley was very young and had a horrible reaction to a flea collar. I knew my vet had signs up in their office recommending a 24-hour Vet ER not too far away if we ever had an emergency after hours.  Harley ended up having to spend the night at the Vet ER and was being pumped full of IV fluids and given muscle relaxers because he was having seizures.   The next morning they said he was ready to come home, and he was as good as new!

Can you request to see a specific vet or would you be scheduled with the first available?

Many vet offices have multiple Veterinarians on staff. Some might have specific breed or disease specialties which is very important to know if you happen to have a pet with special needs.

Do they perform surgeries on-site, or will they refer you to another place?

Do they have an on-site pharmacy or will you have to go elsewhere for prescriptions?

Our vet has an on-site pharmacy for some things, but some things they have to special order, or will call in a prescription to your local pharmacy.  We get our pet’s medicine from Walgreens.

How are overnight visits monitored? 

Sometimes after surgery, your pet may be required to stay overnight, so you will want to know who will be there taking care of your pet, and what the sleeping arrangements will be.

What is their payment policy? 

Is payment always due at the time service? Do they offer payment plans on big bills?

What vaccines do they recommend and why?

Vaccines in pets are as hotly debated as vaccines in humans. No matter where you stand on this issue, it is good to know where your vet stands, and why.

Do they offer any microchipping services? 

Not everyone needs or wants their pets microchipped, but in case you do, you will need to know where to go for it.

What brand or type of food do they recommend for your pet?

This is something the vet should only answer after a thorough examination of your pet.  To answer this question correctly, they will need to know your pets previous medical history and might even have to do blood work.  There is no one type fits all when it comes to food, every pet is going to have slightly different nutritional needs.  Both our cats are fed wet food the majority of the time. Oliver needs wet food because he gets crystals in his urine when he eats too much dry food.  Harley needs a high-quality protein wet food, and we have to add in some supplements to support his kidneys since he is at the start of kidney disease.

What do they recommend for your pet’s specific behavioral problem?

Whether your pet is Chewing, scratching, jumping, barking, showing aggression,  urinating outside the litter box, etc. this is your opportunity to tell your vet and find out how to correct it.

Do they offer any additional services?

Maybe they offer boarding or grooming – you don’t know unless you ask! My vet clips my cat’s nails for free if they are having other things done at the same time (like blood work or a teeth cleaning).

Veterinarian

Other things I looked for on our first visit to the vet was how clean and organized everything was.  I also noticed that the receptionist greeted everyone and their pet by name when they walked in.  I’m sure she knew because she had the appointment book in front of her, but still it made us feel welcomed.  Also, look around on the walls – do clients send in pictures or cards that are being hung up? If so, that is a good sign, it means the clients like this vet! Our vet also posts any local pet-related articles they find on a bulletin board, along with any recent lost/found pets.  To me, it shows they are involved with and care about the local community!

Also, check online!

You should be able to find out online if there have been any complaints against the office. There are also many review websites where current and past clients can rate veterinarians.  Many vets have websites where you may be able to find the answer to some of these questions above before you even call or visit them.  Some even have social media accounts to interact with their clients! If you live near a major city, there may be many vets to choose from. For example, there are a lot of Houston veterinarians (Ad). If that is the case, you could call around and do some price comparing, however, this should never be the only deciding factor. I know in this economy, price is an important factor, but it is more important than you are seeing a good, quality vet!

 

Me, Him and the Cats was paid or otherwise directly compensated to promote a product, service, or topic mentioned in this message.

 

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11 thoughts on “Questions To Ask Your New Vet

  1. Missy Homemaker

    Great advice. Coming from a small town, we always used the same vet (who happened to be our neighbor). When I moved to a different town, I didn’t even know where to start when looking for a vet (kind of like looking for a new family doctor!).

    Reply
  2. Elle Bee

    We always interviewed our vets, just like we interviewed our peds for our kids. Really great group of questions to ask. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Connie

    Did you know a high protein low plant based diet is good for a kitty with urinary crystals? http://catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

    a lot of today’s ‘urinary prescription foods’ simply add extra sodium to increase thirst… which I find quite at odds with what the medical community as a whole knows about excess sodium consumption. There are still foods out there that simply overcome their excess of plant based ingredients (which makes the urine alkaline which leads to crystal formation) by adding an acidifier, dl-methionine. You can purchase a higher quality methionine by stopping by your local health food store and picking up l-methionine. Only problem with doing it yourself, is you have to guess at the dose necessary to overcome the alkalizing properties of the food you are feeding. What is better and safer is to not feed foods that have alkalizing plants in them. cats have no nutritional need for them anyway as they lack the digestive enzymes to extract the nutrients out of them that they were supposedly put in there for in the first place.

    sorry, I’m ranting. I have two cats that are crystal prone so this is a peeve of mine.. i feed them a raw diet and they were doing beautifully on it for years (Jack is currently having additional problems, but it has more to do with Catswell treats I fed him nine months ago and less to do with what I feed him)

    a high protein low plant based diet is good for weight loss, it is good for diabetes, it is good for urinary issues..

    Anyway.. Great post all around. Good things to ask, good things too look for.

    Reply
    1. Diane W Post author

      When our vet retired, there was still one other vet at the practice, and they eventually brought on another vet, so thankfully we didn’t have to switch. We are able to request a specific vet, but we like both of them so it doesn’t matter which one we see.

      Reply
  4. Tamera

    These are some great questions! We’re talking about moving in the next couple years, and it will be good to keep these in mind when we have to look for a new vet.

    Reply
    1. Diane W Post author

      When we were looking at houses to buy, I was worried I might have to switch vets! It turned out our new home was slightly closer than our previous one so it all worked out!

      Reply

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