5 Tips For Choosing The Best Vet For Your Dog
By Charlie Lafave, Fri Dec 9th

If you haven’t already found one, or worked with one in thepast, you need to find a vet. Pick one you feel comfortablewith, and who answers your questions in full, completely andgives you answers you can understand. You don’t need a vet whotalks down to you, or acts like you’re too dumb to understandwhat they’re saying!

Find a vet, if possible, who specializes in small animals (asopposed to one who treats large and small – like horses, cows,cats and dogs.) Your community may only have vets that do alittle bit of everything – and there’s nothing wrong with that,if that’s all that’s available, but I’ll remind you – youusually go to a specialist for your health issues, don’t you?

If you’re new in the community, or haven’t needed a vet before –word of mouth is a great way to start looking for a new vet. Askeverybody you can get your hands on – co-workers, friends withpets, local humane societies or shelters. Ask questions: arethey happy with their vet? Do they like the way they’re treatedwhen they take their dogs in?

If your dog is a particular breed, check with the local or statebreed associations to find out who they use, or local breeders.This can be especially useful if you buy a puppy from a localbreeder, because the vet will have seen your puppy and know atleast some of his history. You may want a holistic vet. Go totheir website at www.ahvma.org and check out their referraldirectory. Or contact them via phone at (410) 569-0795 You mayalso be interested in a veterinarian who has been trained inacupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture XE"Acupuncture" Society. Log onto their website XE "InternationalVeterinary Acupuncture Society" at http://www.ivas.org or call970-266-0666. Once you have a referral from someone you trust,here are some questions to ask:

1. What services does the vet offer? Is it a one-doctor office,or a multi-doctor practice? As vets try to streamline servicesmany are consolidating practices and forming partnerships andgroup practices. There’s nothing wrong

with this – just be awarethat you may not always see the same vet. And find out if theyoffer 24 hour emergency services, or if he or she is affiliatedwith someone in the area who does. Like everything else in life,illness or accidents don’t always happen between 8:00 a.m. and5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

2. Does the vet offer a full surgery suite with on-site labwork? X-rays? Ultrasound? If the vet has to send all lab teststo an outside agency to be processed, you may be getting poppedwith additional charges because those tests aren’t beingperformed or processed in-house.

3. Get a fee schedule. Cost is usually one of the biggestconsiderations for dog owners, and it should be lowest on thelist of importance, at least in my mind. Not because cost isn’timportant – of course it is, but - if you have a vet that you’rehappy with – who gives your dog the best care you can possiblyfind in your area – does paying a little extra for that carereally matter in the long run?

4. Check out the physical characteristics of the facility. Is itclean, or does it smell? Are the ads or magazines in the waitingroom current? (That may not sound important, but if the staffand doctors aren’t keeping up-to-date on the latest and greatestinformation, this may not be the place you want to bring yourdog.)

5. Communication – by that I mean how well does your vetcommunicate with you? Will he or she explain the condition orillness in terms that you can easily understand, or do they tryto confuse you with high-tech or medical jargon? A good vet willgo over treatment options with you, explain necessary tests,review x-rays or test results, give complete and clearinstructions for home care or further testing requirements, etc.

Take your time to do a complete and thorough evaluation beforechoosing a new vet. Your dog’s life literally depends on whatchoice you make. Make it a careful one. http://tinyurl.com/6u2cj

About the author:Author, "Dog Training Secrets!" To transform your stubborn,misbehaving dog into a loyal, well-behaving "best friend" whoobeys your every command and is the envy of the neighborhood,visit: http://tinyurl.com/6u2cj