Seven Key Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Veterinarian for Your Pets
Quality veterinary care plays an essential role in keeping pets healthy and pet owners happy. How can you choose the best veterinarian for your own pets?
As an animal lover and owner of multiple species of pets, I recently offered an online survey on veterinary professional selection. Gathering responses from pet owners across the United States and Canada, I found several insights for those seeking animal medical care.
Consider these seven key questions, arranged in ascending popularity, as you select a veterinarian to care for your domestic animals. Many survey respondents chose multiple responses, so the percentages exceed 100 percent.
1. Did a friend or colleague refer you to this veterinarian?
Firsthand referrals are important, as one in 10 animal lovers indicated. How often do we seek opinions from those we know and trust before seeking professional services?
2. Are appointments easy to schedule?
Even the best veterinarians may prove inaccessible, particularly if their dockets already overflow with existing clients? Before choosing a vet, it's important to find out whether the practice is actually accepting new patients and how soon a first appointment might be scheduled. Some animal hospitals offer evening and weekend hours, while others may not.
Ten percent of those surveyed said appointment scheduling was a primary consideration.
3. Is the veterinarian's clinic location convenient for you?
Location counts a lot in veterinarian selection, particularly for 13.3 percent of animal lovers questioned.
"Convenience is important," explained Lyn Lomasi, of Aurora, Colorado. "We're a green family, and we walk and bus everywhere. However, if there are no quality vets in the area, I would take a three-hour bus ride, if it was better for my pet's health to do so."
4. Are emergency services available on-site?
Likewise, readily accessible emergency care counts with pet owners. Those seeking on-site emergency services include 16.7 percent of those surveyed. How many pet owners have experienced the stress of transporting a distressed animal between a veterinarian's office and a critical care center in a crisis?
5. Is the facility clean and well-equipped?
Nearly a third (30 percent) of the pet owners queried claimed a hygienic and adequately resourced animal care center as a primary consideration in the selection of a veterinarian. Clearly, such an environment speaks volumes to animal lovers about the professionalism of an animal clinic or hospital's staff.
6. Are fees reasonable, with acceptable payment options?
Veterinary care can be costly, with or without pet medical insurance. Prices for standard treatments, such as vaccinations and examinations, may vary significantly among animal doctors.
Many animal hospitals and clinics offer payment schedules or even monthly installment plans for pet owners. Half of the pet owners surveyed indicated reasonable fees and payment options were essential criteria in the choice of veterinary care providers.
7. Is the veterinary staff friendly, skilled and qualified?
Hands down, the top factor for pet owners selecting veterinarians was the quality of animal clinic or hospital staffs. The vast majority (76.7 percent) said so.
Personnel and personalities, from the senior veterinarian to the vet techs and office employees, are the primary consideration for animal lovers picking pet care providers. Top traits valued by pet owners include licenses, likability and a love for animals.
"It must be a veterinary hospital that has been certified," said Emma Riley Sutton, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma," with education, training and experience."
"I want a vet who handles the animals with care and respect," added Karen Gros, of Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.
Maybe the average animal lover is actually a people person, after all.
Are you a pet owner and animal lover? What key considerations guide your own selection of a veterinarian?
More from this contributor:
10 Tips for Pet Owner Etiquette in Veterinary Waiting Rooms
5 Ways to Protect Your Pet's Paws in Every Season
How to Teach Your Dog Sign Language
As an animal lover and owner of multiple species of pets, I recently offered an online survey on veterinary professional selection. Gathering responses from pet owners across the United States and Canada, I found several insights for those seeking animal medical care.
Consider these seven key questions, arranged in ascending popularity, as you select a veterinarian to care for your domestic animals. Many survey respondents chose multiple responses, so the percentages exceed 100 percent.
1. Did a friend or colleague refer you to this veterinarian?
Firsthand referrals are important, as one in 10 animal lovers indicated. How often do we seek opinions from those we know and trust before seeking professional services?
2. Are appointments easy to schedule?
Even the best veterinarians may prove inaccessible, particularly if their dockets already overflow with existing clients? Before choosing a vet, it's important to find out whether the practice is actually accepting new patients and how soon a first appointment might be scheduled. Some animal hospitals offer evening and weekend hours, while others may not.
Ten percent of those surveyed said appointment scheduling was a primary consideration.
3. Is the veterinarian's clinic location convenient for you?
Location counts a lot in veterinarian selection, particularly for 13.3 percent of animal lovers questioned.
"Convenience is important," explained Lyn Lomasi, of Aurora, Colorado. "We're a green family, and we walk and bus everywhere. However, if there are no quality vets in the area, I would take a three-hour bus ride, if it was better for my pet's health to do so."
4. Are emergency services available on-site?
Likewise, readily accessible emergency care counts with pet owners. Those seeking on-site emergency services include 16.7 percent of those surveyed. How many pet owners have experienced the stress of transporting a distressed animal between a veterinarian's office and a critical care center in a crisis?
5. Is the facility clean and well-equipped?
Nearly a third (30 percent) of the pet owners queried claimed a hygienic and adequately resourced animal care center as a primary consideration in the selection of a veterinarian. Clearly, such an environment speaks volumes to animal lovers about the professionalism of an animal clinic or hospital's staff.
6. Are fees reasonable, with acceptable payment options?
Veterinary care can be costly, with or without pet medical insurance. Prices for standard treatments, such as vaccinations and examinations, may vary significantly among animal doctors.
Many animal hospitals and clinics offer payment schedules or even monthly installment plans for pet owners. Half of the pet owners surveyed indicated reasonable fees and payment options were essential criteria in the choice of veterinary care providers.
7. Is the veterinary staff friendly, skilled and qualified?
Hands down, the top factor for pet owners selecting veterinarians was the quality of animal clinic or hospital staffs. The vast majority (76.7 percent) said so.
Personnel and personalities, from the senior veterinarian to the vet techs and office employees, are the primary consideration for animal lovers picking pet care providers. Top traits valued by pet owners include licenses, likability and a love for animals.
"It must be a veterinary hospital that has been certified," said Emma Riley Sutton, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma," with education, training and experience."
"I want a vet who handles the animals with care and respect," added Karen Gros, of Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.
Maybe the average animal lover is actually a people person, after all.
Are you a pet owner and animal lover? What key considerations guide your own selection of a veterinarian?
More from this contributor:
10 Tips for Pet Owner Etiquette in Veterinary Waiting Rooms
5 Ways to Protect Your Pet's Paws in Every Season
How to Teach Your Dog Sign Language
Published by Linda Ann Nickerson - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle and Sports
Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor. View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentExcellent info!
Great article!
Excellent article! Thanks for including my thoughts. :)