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?
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?