If you’ve just added your first fur-baby to the family, congratulations! Regardless of whether you have a baby, adult, or senior, one of the first things you should do is take your new pet for a checkup.
So how do you pick the right one? Use some of the same criteria you used when you picked your family doctors: location, convenience of hours, friendliness of staff, availability of walk-in hours and emergency services, affiliations, and fees.
Location, Location, Location!
Is your potential vet relatively close to home? How far are you willing to drive? Is the office in an easy-to-access location, or do you have to jump through hoops just to make it to the parking lot?
Office Hours
You don’t really want to have to take time off from work to take your dog or cat to the vet for checkups… so make sure your new vet has office hours that are convenient to your schedule! Do they have evening hours? Weekends? Early mornings? And what about emergency care? Is someone there at all times, just in case you need urgent care?
Staff
Is the office so busy that you only get 15 seconds to make an appointment, and under a minute with the doc? It’s great that they’re popular, but you also want a vet that will take some time with you and your pet. Is the front desk staff friendly and courteous?
Affiliations
Your vet may be partnered with other vets or emergency hospitals in the area – this makes more doctors and services available at more hours. And if the vet you choose is a one-vet operation, the affiliated vets will probably be the ones covering when your vet is on vacation.
And if you’re still having a hard time deciding which vet is right for you… ask a friend, ask your family, ask the local shelter. You’ll find somebody who can recommend a good vet in the area. If you’ve got a purebred, check with the local breed association, too.