[Alan]

How do you go about choosing a vet?

[jennay2]

I've personally never found a vet I can brag about. My current vet stresses me out, lol, because she fawns and worries over Kayrah, with a whiney voice. But she cares, so I keep going.

A good vet, IMO, is one who understands your dog is DA, and sets up appointments to accomodate you. A good vet gives your parvo supplies when you can't afford inpatient service. A good vet is willing to cull, because they don't like the overpopulation either. A GREAT vet doesn't charge an arm and a leg for yearly checkups.

[KaitKait52]

I like our current vet alot because she is calm and assertive. She isn't a huge people person, but I dont care because she treats all the animals so well. She listens to what you say and what your concerns are though so that is important to me as well. She is compassionate.

She also donates one day a week to a local animal shelter and does home visits if needed.

Every time we go in she asks if we have any friends for such and such a pit bull that is currently at the shelter.

[Michele]

A good vet, IMO, is one who understands your dog is DA, and sets up appointments to accomodate you.

This is your responsibility, not your vets. You know your dog better than your vet does, so it's up to you to schedule the appointment either first in the morning or last at night.

[maryellen]

A good vet, IMO, is one who understands your dog is DA, and sets up appointments to accomodate you. A good vet gives your parvo supplies when you can't afford inpatient service. A good vet is willing to cull, because they don't like the overpopulation either. A GREAT vet doesn't charge an arm and a leg for yearly checkups.

a good vet knows their stuff, works with patients if need be.. A good vet does not have to give stuff to patients if they need it, but most good vets will..

the vet doesnt schedule the appointments, the vet techs out front do, so if your dog is DA you have to make sure your appointment is either at the end of the night or right in the morning before others arrive..
(and here you go again jennay mentioning DA.... stop thinking about it, you are mentioning it in almost every thread you post....)

vets dont really care about overpopulation to a degree, they wont cull a dog for it, however they will spay/neuter a dog to prevent overpopulation. there are alot of vets who wont euthanize a dog of any breed if it shows human aggressive tendencies, some will, some wont..

[fearlessknight]

I liek to talk to them first....and I like to ask questions that I know the answer to...to see their response.
I like it when they can tell me the answer to something fluently...to me it means that they know what they are talking about, and are confident in what they are saying. (of course this is not always so).

I ilke one that asks you about your dog...how he/she acts, what they like...things of the sort.
I like one that does not talk down on another.
I like a vet that is clean and has certain things for animals....like poop bags, and wipes for the floor and what not....so you can take care of your little accidents...if they have one...

The vet up the street...damned near EVERYTIME you go threre.....there is shit RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR.....I mean GROSS....

[Alan]

I think what Jennay is saying is that a good vet will acomodate you and assume your pit bull may be dog agressive. That I agree with. All the vets I have had have worked around my dogs by doing things like letting me bring them in the back door instead of past all the other dogs.

A good vet is responsible for his vet techs. It is his or her business and that makes them responsible for the proper training of those under them. Any good vet tech should know to NOT walk a Pit Bull within leash range of another dog when they are taking it from you or bringing it back to you.

I think a good vet will work with his clients. Ive had occassions where money was tight and they worked out a payment plan because I had been a good customer for several years. That means a lot to me.

I also like a vet that knows my dog personally. He or she knows my dogs personality, fears, problems, or whatever and how to deal with them. They will treat each dog as an individual just as a family doctor does.

Most important is that the vet know his stuff. Sometimes I get caught up in all the medical BS and I dont know which path is best. That's when I want to look at the vet and say "What would you do?" and know Im getting the best answer.

[fearlessknight]

Originally Posted by jennay2 understands your dog is DA, and sets up appointments to accomodate you

do you like to hear yourself say that your dog is DA...is it cool.....?

It is not the vets responsibility anyways......

[jennay2]

jesus christ. Am I not allowed to say DA anymore with people picking on what I say now???????? It was just a damn comment. What I personally thought what a good vet would make, but apparently I'm COMPLETELY wrong, as usual.

This is getting a tad insane.

[airwalk]

One of the vets at the clinic we go to also isn't very people oriented, but that's okay she's excellent with the animals - the other is excellent with people and animals.

A good vet takes the time when you first arrive to talk to and pet your dog before beginning.

A good vet listens to you when you are talking about your dog and they ask follow up questions so they understand what your concerns are and what your dogs needs are.

A good vet talks to you about what's going on, why, how to handle it, what options are available.

A good vet finds a way to work you in when you have something that may be an emergency, but may not be ... once they get to know you're not just a nervous nellie.

A good vet knows how much their clinic charges for services and doesn't understate it only to leave you surprised.

[DieselDawg]

A good Vet will first and foremost "Listen" to the pet owner...then give all options for treatment and explain the cons and pros...then professionally treat the animal. I really think that the Vet has to keep his own emotions out of any pet owners decision and just give him/her the most humane/healthy options. Luckily, my Vet is also my Best Friend...

[Zoe]

The main thing I would want in a vet is that they lay all your options out on the line. I had this wicked vet that retired and I literally cried when she told me she was retiring. She was EXACTLY what I loved. She'd tell me ALL my options as far as what she knew with the info she had and let me make the choice without pressure, just the facts as she knew them at that point in time. She THOROUGHLY explained everything so I had a clear understanding of the situation. She didn't try to push for the "expensive choice" nor just give me the cheapest route assuming I wasn't willing to pay for more than the minimum which seems to be how I've been treated by most vets I've had since her. One of the other most important things, is that they love pit bulls!

[Smoochapitbull]

Originally Posted by Michele This is your responsibility, not your vets. You know your dog better than your vet does, so it's up to you to schedule the appointment either first in the morning or last at night.

I think it is VERY important that your vet knows your dogs different "quirks" or at leat written down in the chart and viewed before handling the dog. There have been times (very rare) my vet has had to handle my dogs and I would never let anyone even examine any of my dogs before knowing stuff about them. The good bad and the ugly.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by jennay2 jesus christ. Am I not allowed to say DA anymore with people picking on what I say now???????? It was just a damn comment. What I personally thought what a good vet would make, but apparently I'm COMPLETELY wrong, as usual. This is getting a tad insane.

I think it was a valid comment. It also makes sense that if your dog is dog agressive as you have mentioned and begged for help that it would be a major concern that is always on your mind and it makes sense that you would think of it when answering a question like this.

It would be no different than me answering the question "What are some things that make a good employer?" with the answer "One that lets you carry your cell phone!" because I carry my cell phone at work and use it at work almost every day. Someone who doesnt have a cell phone probably wouldnt see that as a major concern. Maybe that clears things up a little.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Smoochapitbull I think it is VERY important that your vet knows your dogs different "quirks" or at leat written down in the chart and viewed before handling the dog. There have been times (very rare) my vet has had to handle my dogs and I would never let anyone even examine any of my dogs before knowing stuff about them. The good bad and the ugly.

I agree with you but the owner of the dog should be the one to make the vet appointments accordingly.

[luvapit]

A vet that is willing to work with you! When I got deployed, Lucy's vet was AWESOME about a lot of things. They are making everything easy to do for Lucy's caretaker, and when I am home on leave, I take Lucy in to get her teeth cleaned. The vet she sees most often has been wonderful, especially when I was trying to make it so Lucy didn't have to go on the perscription dog food for bladder problems. She told me to try to find a food with less protien, we'll see if it works, and she hasn't had a problem since. They are all knowledgable, and will take in walk-in emergencies.

[Suki]

Originally Posted by Zoe She'd tell me ALL my options as far as what she knew with the info she had and let me make the choice without pressure, just the facts as she knew them at that point in time. She THOROUGHLY explained everything so I had a clear understanding of the situation. She didn't try to push for the "expensive choice" nor just give me the cheapest route assuming I wasn't willing to pay for more than the minimum...

nice answer.
i think, after working literally beside many different vets for a # of years now, imo, a good vet has your pet's best interest at hand, first AND foremost.... money should NEVER be their motivating factor! NEVER!!!!
a good vet will listen to your concerns and comments. be nonjudgemental. offer you a diagnosis and plan for what's best for your pet and you, especially if $ is a factor for you. a good vet will understand and empathize with the owner. a good vet won't push for this or that but will simply recommend what's the best treatment available for the animal to help BEST fix the ailmment/situation/illness.
for me a good vet should be most concerned with getting that animal better. and do whatever it takes, within reason. everything else should be second.
also, at the clinic where i work, the receptionists make all the appointments and if an animal (and even an owner) has specific "issues", i.e., for example, say said dog does not like to have its feet touched, ALL issues are flagged/highlighted and are in a place in their files that are instantly available for ALL the staff to read/notice, when said animal/owner comes into our clinic. in this way, we are ALL aware of any specifics and adjust the visit accordinally....leads to less upset and confusion and a calmer, more beneficial visit.

[Bridget's Mom]

A good vet knows you and your dog by name! I was soooo lucky to find a good old fashioned country vet. Dr. Deckerts office is connected to his house, I can call him 24/7. Doc also has had pit bulls his whole life. Right now he has two, one he just rescued from the shelter, Pie was full of buck shot and had to have her hind leg amutated.

To show you how wonderful he is; I take Bridget to work with me every day, I work at an auto repair facility in the executive offices. One day one of the tecs was loving on Bridget as we came in and there was some anti freeze on a jack, Bridget put her nose near it, I panicked not know if she got any on her nose or not. I called my vet and rushed her to his office, he met me at my car opened the door and said to Bridget, "what did you get yourself into sweet heart." he carried her into the office and we decided to induce vomiting just to play it safe. Doc sat there with Bridget and I as poor Bridget tossed her cookies.
He is the last of a dying breed I'm afraid.

[Bama Bully]

A good vet cares more about the dog than he/she cares about the owner, but listens to the owner's complaints/concerns just the same adn factors them in to the equation.
A good vet never assumes a client's financial stability- when offering treatment options, they offer from the best available to the not so good, regardless of price or income.
A good vet harasses a client int he southern U.S. about heartworm prevention, even if they mentioned it at every visit before.
A good vet hires *licensed* techs, and doesn't allow any joe off the street to induce anesthesia on a pet or fill prescriptions.
A good vet isn't mind reader, but depends on the owner to clue them into the pet's intricacies, such as being DA, foot shy, or totally ninny-brained around men.
A good vet doesn't make assumptions about a pet's breed, other than when factoring in medical differential diagnoses.
A good vet promotes responsible ownership of all animals, whether owned by the homeless or a breeder.
A good vet will tell you you are being an idiot if you decline microchipping beause you read that they cause cancer, but continue to feed Ol' Roy.
A good vet is a person, just like any other, and if you have a problem with the service you are receiving, you should discuss it with that vet.

A good owner takes their pet for yearly exams, regardless of their stance on vaccinations, because even the best owners can't detect a heart murmur.
A good owner does their part to make sure their vet experience is the best possible, for themselves and their dogs.

Garland Clark, LVT
Bama Bully Rescue
garland@bamabully.org

[Pit Bulldog]

A good vet is someone who 1) is a highly competent animal doctor, 2) honest and does gouge you for things that are not necessary, and 3) you can simply call about minor problems.

And, oh yah, the vet has to be cool with all breeds of dogs.