When choosing a vet it’s best to put yourself in your pets shoes…or rather paws I guess would be a better way to put it. If you’ve ever moved away to a new city full of new sites, sounds, and sick people you know just how many doctors there are out there. You can’t just pick the first one you find in the yellow pages (well I guess you could, but you might be dissappointed by the results), no the best way to find a good physician and likewise a good veterinatian is to start looking long before your pet actually requires their services. This way you aren’t immediately put in the position of having to trust somebody you just met in a time when you may just need their help the most. So just what should you look for when deciding on a vet that’s best for you and your pet?

Convience may be the most important choice to make. The best vet in the world will do you no good if they are located a world away. Know their hours. If they don’t offer late night help, but you really feel comfortable with them you may want to also look into an additional vet for those middle of the night emergencies. Do you get along with them? I’m not suggesting you ask them out for a night on the town so you can learn all about them, but if you can’t carry on a conversation how are you going to be able to communicate when you are trying to get info about what’s wrong with your pet. Do they insist on having you come in or are they willing to give you help over the phone? Many vets are nice enough and well informed enough to be able to get a sense as to what can be handled with a few drops of tylenol and what requires a visit.

Again I know it may sound silly, but by taking the qualities that led you to your current doctor and applying those same attributes when looking for your pet’s physician there’s little chance you will make a mistake.