Choosing a Vet

Ugh, I feel so bothered about trying to figure out who is best equipped to take care of my cats. Long-story-short is that I really never have a good feeling leaving my current vet and I don't feel the trust I want to feel... so I am shopping around for a new vet. My young cats have heart murmurs and I really want to find a vet who will be realistic about what my cats need and how concerned I should be about their health, and advise on what tests are really needed to ensure the longevity of my cats' lives. (current vet has me catastrophizing that they have probably heart disease and are going to throw a blood clot and die and I need to take them to a cardiologist... I saw another vet last year who told me they are healthy with full knowledge of the murmurs... so what am I supposed to think? /rhetorical.). I don't want someone to advise against advanced testing if they both need it, but I am also sick of leaving every appointment with my anxiety at a 10 out of 10. bedside manner is bad and she seems to avoid answering questions in the way I expect.

But anyway, my real question is of local, privately-owned animal hospitals vs. bigger 'chains.' I feel really weary of just picking an animal hospital with 1-2 vets operating from there.. I worry that they might not be up to date, don't have colleagues to consult with, just might not be good. Then, on the other side, there are huge chains like this: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/ This looks more attractive to me because it's larger, seems to have more funding and equipment and resources available. Does anyone have any experience with VCA? Any big concerns with the quality of such hospitals?

I do not look for the certification as many very good vets often do not pay to be checked by these types so they keep their prices in check...

Word of mouth... ask your friends with animals , co workers , neighbors and associates for a reference ... then call each vet most will give you a 10-15 minute interview free or a reduced check on the animal as a get to know you

IMHO I will never again use a clinic with more than 2 regular vets... I found I became a number and never really knew the vet nor the vet my animal..

I use as my first line vet one who has just her and a tech ... She knows what each animal has and who tolerates what without me having to say it ..Even when I was with a friend she asked about one who was sick and explained the procedure further that he had at another vets office( ie the local 2 vet hospital)

At the moment I use two vets one is 2 vets within one place(strong preferrence for one of the two) good place for ongoing issues/monitoring. The others got many drs(10 or so) I like them cause they are CLOSE and I can call early am have appt that day which is HIGHLY important to me. And they have samples and discounted some stuff for me(ok then again they probably see anyone with as many cats as I have a meal ticket for a few employess...lmao). I would go there for xrays/ hour or so blood work results are available.
And of course I know how to get to emergency clinic just in case...
I feel very confident that when stuff arrises I will be able to get them care asap and even tho alot of vets at the one place it seems they all have their niche-senior dogs, senior cats, reptiles....

One thing to consider is your budget-if you would never be able to afford all the fancy stuff whats the sense in using a vet who offers in house therapys/scans. Plus he might have less experience with the lower tech(but still ok for certain things) ways

THe one i use here only has two vets (which im led to believe are father and son) and a locum vet all three are brilliant and all three took the time to remember what issues my cats have had, and because they are just a little practice more often than not we dont get charged for check ups

the best thing to do as ask people you know where they take their pets and if they would really recommend them

I'm lucky enough to have several cat only vets in the area. I picked mine based on her rave reviews on Angies list. She's a real cat lover. She works with a local rescue and has 12 cats at home now. Angie's list is a good place to start and if you google the vet and find they work with a cat rescue you know you've got a real cat lover.

My vet is the goddess of all cat vets.

thanks guys! Good points about the large hospitals. I wandered into a 2-vet practice today that was recommended by a friend of a coworker and chatted with the receptionist about the practice.. she was pretty knowledgeable and personable and I liked what she had to say. So I may set up an appointment to take the cats to meet one of the doctors and ask my list of questions and see if they pass the test. Will also ask around to find other peoples' experiences in the area.

Originally Posted by sharky

IMHO I will never again use a clinic with more than 2 regular vets... I found I became a number and never really knew the vet nor the vet my animal..

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I thought this would be a good idea too when at my first vet I tended to always get a different vet - even for check ups. So, I tried another vet (cat specialist) who worked alone. Well, that did not last long. The place was nice, the vet was knowledgeable but I could not handle it that I call for an issue like "my cat is vomiting blood" at 8 am, and they can't offer me an appointment even the next day because they are booked. How can a place with one vet operate without having slots for same-day emergencies?

Anyway, for me it is now minimum 2 vets because it's still better I get to go to a place where they know my cats and where I might get to see the vet I know - same day when it is required.

(And to add, the place above claimed as their policy that emergencies would be dealt with but twice I had to resort to emergency clinic/previous vet because I was not willing to wait 48 hrs with bloody gut and scratched cornea. Argh).

Originally Posted by piikki

I thought this would be a good idea too when at my first vet I tended to always get a different vet - even for check ups. So, I tried another vet (cat specialist) who worked alone. Well, that did not last long. The place was nice, the vet was knowledgeable but I could not handle it that I call for an issue like "my cat is vomiting blood" at 8 am, and they can't offer me an appointment even the next day because they are booked. How can a place with one vet operate without having slots for same-day emergencies?

Anyway, for me it is now minimum 2 vets because it's still better I get to go to a place where they know my cats and where I might get to see the vet I know - same day when it is required.

(And to add, the place above claimed as their policy that emergencies would be dealt with but twice I had to resort to emergency clinic/previous vet because I was not willing to wait 48 hrs with bloody gut and scratched cornea. Argh).

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That when living in a small town ( 23000 roughly) come s in handy... the two vet hospitals( run by 3 and 2 vets) are open late and on sat thus only ER time is Sunday but my main vet will answer a text on the weekend... I never have to wait for a urgent issue, ave wait for typical stuff is 24 hours anything that may be serious usually get fit into schedule within 3 hours ( I have shown up at closing time and still not been rushed through)...

My vet practice has 4 vets. I tend to prefer 3 of them, one I just feel is a little young but I deal with her too, and she is a great vet, but I feel more comfortable with the older ones(just because Attitude and Nuts have leukemia.) I have used this vet since 1984 when it was a tiny clinic with just one of the vet's dad working there. They have never had a problem getting me an appointment next day and will double book you if you have an issue that needs attention same day. They also tend to have same day appointments anyways. They are great vets and I fully trust them. Attitude is always at the vet and I have never really felt rushed. They know that the pet doesn't choose the vet the owner does so if they don't have good people skills they aren't going to have clients.

They kept my Old English Sheepdog going her last years of her life. She wasn't suffering, she just had bad arthritis. She was also blind but she was blind longer than she was sighted so that was a non-issue, as were the cataracts she was forming, she already couldn't see.

The low-cost vet I had to take Mama to(she had rectal prolapse so she HAD to see a vet NOW) had an a-hole vet. He treated me like crap and I would only use them if another outside cat needed a vet, he's a good vet he's just an a-hole, but I like everyone else in the clinic. They also loved Mama and didn't want to let her go home because she was so sweet. Funny considering I couldn't promise she wouldn't rip everyone's faces off when I let her out of the carrier(she's an outside semi-feral cat and was hissing and growling in the carrier even with a towel covering it.) They also were equipped and experienced and willing to handle feral cats.

If you don't like your vet get a new one, but don't judge the number of vets with the quality of the clinic, it's not always true. I do like that I can get an appointment either same or next day, only a few times have it taken more than that and that is usually just for shots and regular appointments.

Interview the vet see how they interact with your animal, ask friends, other pet owners who they use. I knew of the current clinic because when we moved back a friend's parents used them(and we had in the past) and then my parents used them for Abby and they were always great so I already knew who I was using.

Taryn