Choosing a veterinarian is one of the most significant decisions that a cat owner makes. There are some things that you need to bear in mind when you choose a vet clinic and looking for the best vet for your pets. Each and every cats need a good universal care vet, while some need more specialty vets. It is very important to get to know your vet. Read on to learn more.

Some of the veterinary specialties include the following:

• Dentistry
• Dermatology
• Emergency medicine
• Sports medicine
• Nutrition
• Behaviorism
• Oncology
• Toxicology
• Anesthesiology
• Ophthalmology
• Osteopathic care
• Holistic care
• Care of exotic animals or a certain species

There might be several vet care practices and clinics in your own area. You can talk to your family, friends, and coworker pet owners, as well as reliable pet professionals, and ask for some suggestions.

Get to Know Your Vet: Put Him / Her to a Test

If you are going to choose for a vet, you are hiring a professional. You can put them to a test. We recommend using the following questionnaire as your framework. This will help in evaluating the potential veterinarians or your own satisfaction with your current ones. Furthermore, this particular framework has a guideline of sample questions to ask your vet and yourself regarding how well the veterinarian in question meets the criteria. Further, this will be an even more effective kind of evaluation tool when you supplement it with your own questions and concerns.

Cost

• How do their process differ with the other veterinarians in town?
  • You can call vet offices and request for office visit prices. You may survey as many vets as  possible and use their response in determining a baseline rate for the area.
  • Specialty vets might cost significantly more than the care veterinarians.
• Do they offer discounts for numerous pets coming from the same household?
• Does the vet care clinic accept the pet health insurance provider?

Ethics

• Professional Associations: Is the vet a member of any of the professional organizations?
• Business Ethics: Check with the Better Business Bureau to ensure that there are no complaints on file.

Services

• Do they offer emergency at nights, holidays, and weekends? If no, to whom do they actually refer the clients for some emergency care?
• Do they offer appointments on evenings? What about it weekends?
• Are they offering some boarding?
• Do they offer services like cat grooming?

Convenience or Facility       

• Is the clinic facility well-lit and clean?
• Is it stress-free to find a parking space?
• How near is the location of the clinic from your home?
• What’s the average waiting time for a certain appointment?

The Needs of Your Pet

• If your vet doesn’t have any experience addressing the particular needs of a pet, will they refer you to a specialist and work together with that specialist on a custom-made wellness plan?
• How much experience does the vet have with the unique special needs of the pet?
• How many cases every year does the vet treat?

Specialty Associations

You need to know if your veterinarian is a member of any veterinary medical associations that are dedicated precisely towards the animal needs or wellness plan. If you have interests in the alternative medicine, homemade diets for cats, limited vaccination protocols, etc., will your vet work together with you in incorporating these priorities in the wellness plan of the pet?

Staff                                                                                               

• What do you think about the ‘ bedside manner’ of the vet? Does your cat like your vet? does your vet like your cat? Are all the questions answered with great ease and patience, thoroughly and thoughtfully? Or, are you rushed out so that the next client can be helped in?
• Are the staff members dressed professionally?
• Are the vet technicians friendly enough, to you and the pets? Are they gentle when handling and dealing with some fearful animals? Do they listen well to your concerns? Do they appear knowledgeable and offer some helpful information?
• Are the office staffs friendly, both in person and in telephone?
• How many vets are in the clinic?

Understanding the Animal Behavior

For a lot of pets, going to the veterinary clinic may be a scary and stressful experience. A vet and staff unaware of the animal behavior may exacerbate the problem. Get to know your vet, he or she should be able to handle an anxious pet. Nonetheless, it is recommended that you have an early socialization, positive reinforcement training methods, and warns against the promotion of the obsolete dominance theory for the modification of the behavior in dogs.

Moreover, in case your cat has an existing fear of the veterinarian, a vet behaviorist or experienced positive trainer must be able to help you in learning how to make a vet visit and husbandry procedures importantly more enjoyable and less stressful for the fearful pet. Furthermore, you can bring along some tasty treats and a clicker. You can click and treat your pet copiously all throughout the appointment. This is to create some positive associations at the vet clinic. In case the pet so stressed to eat, the behaviorist or trainer must be able to help you in implementing a counter-conditioning and desensitization program.

Did your vet past the test?

Are you able to get to know your vet? If not, you still have some other choices. Do not be so discouraged. Remember, finding the right vet is truly a pet owner’s treasure hunt. Remember, the rewards on this hunt are bountiful and full of wellness for your pets.