Picking your vet when you first get a puppy can be tricky. There are many veterinarians around to choose from, and trying to figure out the best one can be overwhelming. Here are some tips on how to navigate your vet recommendations for puppies. Keep your eyes and ears open for vet recommendations but consider these points.
Location and Distance
A significant determining factor for selecting the right vet is the location. If you don’t have a vehicle or access to a car, it will be best to pick a vet closer to home. You never know when an emergency will arise, so being able to run to the vet would be ideal. If you have a car, you can look for a vet further away. Ideally, you wouldn’t want to drive more than 30 minutes to get to a vet because time matters in emergencies. Accessible vets for your living situation are the best choice.
Reviews and Recommendations
The reviews and recommendations can help you narrow down your vet choices. These days, online reviews can tell us a lot about a business. Be sure you do your research into the vets that you are considering. Keep your ears open for people’s reviews and experiences at the vet, and keep those in mind as you ponder the right choice.
Their Pet Care Philosophy
Knowing a veterinarian’s pet care philosophy should also be a significant determining factor in your choice of a vet. You want to ensure that your vet advocates for pet health and safety. An ideal vet will have their heart in their work and recommend what they feel is best for your pet. You should avoid vets that seem more like business people competing against other vets around the area. Those tend to sell you unnecessary services for profit. You may be more comfortable with a vet with more experience determining what’s best for your pet. Experience can also impact the pet care your vet knows about and believes in.
Service Costs
Service costs and the types of services can also differ at different vets. It’s best to be well prepared, so you know how to budget potential and future vet visits for your pet. When looking into various vets, ask about their prices for essential services like walk-in visits, spay/neuter costs and other procedures or tests. Knowing their insurance and payment policies can also save you a lot of trouble in the future when your pet becomes a patient.
Make an Appointment
You can read all the reviews online, but the best way to determine if a place is right for you is to book an appointment and check it out yourself. During your appointment, you can get a real sense of how things at the vet and how they operate. This will give you a great firsthand idea of what the staff and care are like. You can also see how your pet reacts to the care, and you can ask your questions directly to those that will give you a direct response.
Trial and Error
How to navigate your vet recommendations for puppies can be challenging. Depending on where you live, there may be a lot of vets to choose from, and it might be a trial-and-error process. Finding the right vet for your pup does take some work, but in the end, all the work will be worth it when you have a trustworthy and great healthcare provider for your new best friend. Check out our pet-sitting services and call us for more information! Although Luv My Sitter cannot provide veterinary care to your pet, we can provide your pet with some great caring company when you are out.