Two Vets...Which Would You Chose?!

Ok, my kitten, Nimbus, and my sisters cat, Jerry, go to different Vets. I took them both to separate appointments today and was able to do some comparisons. I wanted some opinions from you guys! Which Vet would you choose?

Nimbus' Vet:
Price: His first visit cost $176 (check-up, ear cleaning + ear mite treatment, fecal exam + roundworm treatment, distemper vaccine, blood work: FIV + Feline leukemia, kitten starter kit w/food). His visit today cost about $100 (check-up, ear cleaning + ear mite treatment again!!!, frontline, roundworm treatment, two vaccines).
Pros: Lots of doctors, I can get an appointment anytime it seems. Fairly nice Vet. Pretty reasonable prices.
Cons: They are all about Iams (they even gave me a free bag). The place feels kinda cold...not completely friendly.

Jerrys Vet:
Price: Jerrys visit today cost $168 (check-up, blood and fecal sample).
Pros: It's less than 2 miles away, so it would be great for emergencies. The Vet is very sincere. She seems to really value pet nutrition---they sell canned and dry Fromm food and also recommend Nutro. The Vet was able to tell me the difference between Iams and Nutro.
Cons: Only one Vet?! They had to cancel my first appointment and then rescheduled my next one. Finally, I ended up canceling and going elsewhere. The place seems a bit pricey...they even charge for "Waste disposal."

So...if you were in my position...would you shell out the extra money and use Jerrys' Vet? Or would you stick with Nimbus' vet?

-Kristen

Originally Posted by Nimbus

Ok, my kitten, Nimbus, and my sisters cat, Jerry, go to different Vets. I took them both to separate appointments today and was able to do some comparisons. I wanted some opinions from you guys! Which Vet would you choose?

Nimbus' Vet:
Price: His first visit cost $176 (check-up, ear cleaning + ear mite treatment, fecal exam + roundworm treatment, distemper vaccine, blood work: FIV + Feline leukemia, kitten starter kit w/food). His visit today cost about $100 (check-up, ear cleaning + ear mite treatment again!!!, frontline, roundworm treatment, two vaccines).
Pros: Lots of doctors, I can get an appointment anytime it seems. Fairly nice Vet. Pretty reasonable prices.
Cons: They are all about Iams (they even gave me a free bag). The place feels kinda cold...not completely friendly.

Jerrys Vet:
Price: Jerrys visit today cost $168 (check-up, blood and fecal sample).
Pros: It's less than 2 miles away, so it would be great for emergencies. The Vet is very sincere. She seems to really value pet nutrition---they sell canned and dry Fromm food and also recommend Nutro. The Vet was able to tell me the difference between Iams and Nutro.
Cons: Only one Vet?! They had to cancel my first appointment and then rescheduled my next one. Finally, I ended up canceling and going elsewhere. The place seems a bit pricey...they even charge for "Waste disposal."

So...if you were in my position...would you shell out the extra money and use Jerrys' Vet? Or would you stick with Nimbus' vet?

-Kristen

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I think price wise and vet availability would be Nimbus. And for that human touch and better knowledge on food i'd go for Jerry. In the end, you have to ask which is more important, getting alot more checks/meds for less cost, or a place which knows more about dry food...

You say that the first one is a bit cold, but has tonnes of vets. So surely they aren't all bad?

Maybe compare the second time and see how you feel. The vets at our old place we had pretty much been to for the 19 years we were there so the ladies were really nice and knew us. But to get there now we'd have to take Chuckie on a train and bus and it's too long a trip. Our new vet seems really nice as well, and i think the prices are the same. Sometimes it is actually hard to compare.

How does Nimbus react when you take him to Jerry's? That should tell you you're answer!

Personally I never like the colder vets that just seem to treat the animal like its an experiment rather than a friend. Often times I see their prices a little higher anyway, so I get a little cold towards them myself

Our vet keeps pictures of all the animals that have visited on their walls. I like that!!

I have a similar situation -- a one-vet office right around the corner, and a much larger multiple-vet office across town. Both have been good to me, and I get a good feeling about both... but in the larger office, a mistake was made once with my Clyde's neuter. I had asked for the more expensive anesthetic that would not cause him disorientation and loss of motor skills for hours afterward... but they gave him the "bad" anesthetic instead.

In that instance, all that happened was that I got to sit and hold poor Clydie for an hour or so while he struggled to nosekiss me and kept missing in the sweetest way, bless his heart. But what if he'd had an allergy or something? It worries me that they didn't pay closer attention, and I think the sheer size of the staff and the volume of clients is the reason.

When our Dylan sliced open his paw recently, the larger office couldn't take him right away, in spite of having so many vets on staff. They were very apologetic, but the only vet on hand was in surgery, and wouldn't be through for a couple of hours... and since Dylan had apparently been bleeding for two hours already, I wasn't willing to wait.

I ended up walking into a one-vet office just around the corner from our neighborhood. The vet was finishing up with her last client of the day, and although she was due somewhere else, she stayed to take care of Dylan. She and her techs handled Dylan with such gentleness, speaking to him almost hypnotically to keep him calm, and when he panicked at home and tore the bandages off, they rebandaged him three times in two days at no charge. They were wonderful.

Luckily, we haven't had anybody sick since then, so I don't know yet how good a diagnostician this nearby vet is, but she sure impressed me with her very personal, caring approach. I'm thinking I may go to her first, and use the older, more experienced vet as backup and a source of second opinions.

Finally... you're right, that Iams thing is a little worrisome. I don't know all that much about the nutritional end of things myself, but from what I read here on the site, Iams is not that great. If they know that and promote it anyway... not a good sign at all.

All things considered, I vote for the one-vet office!