Choosing Your Veterinarian Dr. Robert Baker, DVM
Veterinarians are health care professionals who are dedicated to protect the health and welfare of animals and people. Your selection of a veterinarian should be based on who will best serve you and your pet’s personal needs. It is a very good idea to have a working relationship established with your veterinarian long before your pet becomes ill.
The factors that go into choosing a veterinarian could be compared to the many factors that go into choosing other health care professionals, and this will differ with individual needs and desires. Some considerations might be as follows:
INITIAL SEARCH:
- Recommendations from friends, neighbors or relatives as a starting point, realizing their needs might be different that yours.
- Yellow page listing, although I would caution that the biggest and boldest ads should not necessarily be judged as superior or inferior to the smaller ones. Different veterinarians have different views about the necessities of advertisement.
- Location and hours –are they convenient for your needs?
- Could you obtain a recommendation from your current veterinarian when moving to a new area?
- Local breed specific clubs may have good recommendations.
INITIAL OFFICE VISIT:
- Is the staff warm, friendly and helpful in getting all my questions answered? The hospital staff is often times a direct reflection of the hospital's owner, although there are individual exceptions.
- Does the hospital offer in some manner the services you think you might need?
- Blood work
- Radiographs (x-rays)
- Surgery
- Conventional – spays, neuter, declaws
- Advanced – exploratory, cruciate surgery, fracture repair, etc.
- Types of anesthetics used and monitoring equipment
- Consultations: Other specialty clinics (eye, bone, cancer, etc.)
- Dentistry
- Routine vaccinations, heartworm checks, fecals, etc.
- Care management
- Behavior consultation
- How is emergency service handled?
- Can I have my choice of which doctor I see?
- Is the hospital computerized or are the records still handwritten?
- How does the hospital handle the financial aspects of the client patient transaction? What are the methods of payment accepted?
- Does the hospital have a written brochure explaining its many services and policies? Ask for it.
- Professional affiliations: Is the hospital affiliated with any professional organizations (AVMA, AAHA)? Are the doctors associated with any of the professional organizations?
As a practicing veterinarian for over forty years I always appreciate the many owners who take the time to communicate the heath care problems of their pets. I realize the symptoms you see in your pet at home will not always be displayed in the same manner in our offices.
Since our pet’s illnesses can be subtle in nature, it is extremely important that the owner convey the signs and symptoms to us in a prompt and chronological (if possible) manner. When in doubt, please call and discuss your pet's symptoms (no matter how vague) with the staff. They, with the doctor’s assistance, should guide you to the proper course of action.
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 Recent News At UKC
03/15/2010: Video highlights From American Leopard Hound Days Here are some video highlights from the recent 1st Annual American Leopard Hound Days in Sparta, IL.... Read more here. 
News Archive. |
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This Weekend At UKC
UKC is pleased to announce that the running of the 2010 UKC World Squirrel Dog Championship will take place in Franklin, Indiana, and will be hosted by the Johnson County Hound Club. The event date will be Saturday, March 20th. New this year will be last chance qualifying events which will take place on Friday, March 19th and will feature a.m. and p.m. qualifiers. There will also be a World Championship Bench Show which will take place Friday evening. Clubs wishing to conduct qualifying events between now and then are encouraged to call UKC Field Representative Eugene Hill (256) 596-0568 or UKC Field Representative Marty Stanton (812) 343-0958. Good luck to all ! (More Information).
National Hunting Beagle Association Days is also this weekend in Missouri. Come on out and enjoy the event with us! NHBA sectional runoffs on Friday and a 2 day hunt Saturday and Sunday.(More Information).
Find an event in your area.
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Recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1913, the American Eskimo is a member of the ancient and wide ranging Spitz family of dogs. White Spitzes were popular in Pomerania and in the coastal regions of Germany. Sailors traded the white dogs throughout Europe. When Queen Charlotte of England acquired several white Spitzes, the dogs became fashionable among British aristocrats. White Spitzes appear in several Gainsborough paintings. Known as the German Spitz in its homeland, the breed was renamed the American Eskimo in 1917. |
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Read more about UKC's many dog breeds here. |
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