How To Choose a Veterinarian

Choosing a primary veterinarian is kind of like choosing a pediatrician for your dog. You're not just picking someone who gives shots and checks ears. You're choosing a partner that will help you safeguard your pet's health.

Since our pets can’t speak for themselves, having a veterinarian you trust is everything. Here’s how to find the right veterinarian for your dog.

Get Recommendations

Start by asking people you trust for suggestions. This could include family members, friends, neighbors, or the shelter or rescue you adopted your dog from.

Pet owners are often eager to share their experiences with veterinarians. Sometimes, these experiences are good, like their vet saved their dog's life by catching cancer early. Other times, they are bad, like the vet seemed too busy to give their dog the required care.

Either way, the experiences of other pet parents can put you on the right track when choosing a vet you love for your pup.

Check Credentials

Once you have a few names, do a little digging. Look for doctors of veterinary medicine (DVM or VMD), and see if the practice is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association.

Accreditation isn’t required, but it means the clinic itself meets at least 50 mandated standards of care.

You can also check if the vet has special interests (like dermatology or neurology) that might match your dog’s needs.

Learn More: Dog Professionals To Have in Your Contacts

Private vs. Corporate Practices

Many smaller vet practices are being purchased by corporations. Honestly, it’s kind of a bummer.

As you research veterinarians and practices, look to see if the business is privately owned or if a larger corporation owns it.

Our preference is the smaller practices that are privately owned. You'll have a more personalized experience at these locations, allowing you to develop a relationship with one or two vets as opposed to seeing a different vet every time you visit.

Plus, the odds are lower that you’ll constantly feel like you are needlessly being upsold to hit monthly quotas.

But that’s just our take.

Look at the Hours of Operation

It might sound boring, but hours matter more than you think, especially in an emergency. A great vet with impossible hours won’t be of much help when your dog gets sick on a Sunday morning.

Look for clinics with flexible scheduling, weekend hours, or emergency partnerships. Bonus points if they offer telehealth services for quick questions.

Check Yelp (With a Grain of Salt)

Online reviews can be helpful. Just remember that people tend to post when they’re either very happy or very upset. Read reviews looking for trends, not just the star rating.

If multiple people mention long wait times, poor communication, or rude staff, that’s worth noting.

Take a Look at Their Social Media

This can give you a good “vibe check” on what the facility and doctor are like. Does their Instagram or Facebook show happy patients, educational posts, and staff who seem genuinely passionate about animals? Or is it a ghost town with generic stock photos?

A clinic’s social presence can tell you a lot about how they engage with their community and how much they love what they do.

The caveat to this is if it's a smaller practice that might not have the bandwidth to do a great job with social media. Not every veterinarian or vet clinic has social media expertise, so take that into consideration before letting social media presence be a make-or-break factor.

Evaluate Pricing

Pricing shouldn’t be the only factor in your decision, but it’s still important to know what to expect. After all, vet care can be expensive!

Ask about:

• Cost of common visits (like wellness exams or vaccines)

• Payment options or plans

• Their policy on providing cost estimates before procedures

• Whether they accept pet insurance

It's beneficial to compare prices across several veterinary clinics to determine the cost averages in your area and identify which options offer the best prices. In general, the best things to compare costs on include services and products you’ll need regularly, like:

• Annual checkups

• Bloodwork

• Fecal Tests

• Flea/tick/heartworm preventatives

• Vaccines

If your budget is tight, look for lower-cost clinics, wellness packages, or nonprofit options in your area.

Visit

Before committing long-term, schedule a meet-and-greet or a basic wellness visit to see how your pet responds to the environment and staff. Trust your gut. If something feels off, don’t ignore it.

When making an initial appointment, pay attention to how fast the practice can schedule you for an appointment. If they are booked three weeks out, they are likely very popular (which is great). However, this also means that getting your dog seen in an emergency might be more difficult.

During your visit, pay attention to:

• Cleanliness and organization

• Friendliness of the front desk team

• How the vet interacts with your pet (and with you)

• What tests, vaccines, and medications the vet recommends (do the recommendations seem reasonable, or does it seem like they are trying to upsell you?)

This first impression matters a lot more than a flashy website or a fancy waiting room.

Know You Can Always Make a Change

Remember that if at any time you are unhappy with the care your dog is receiving, the speed at which you can get an appointment, or the front desk staff, you aren’t locked into the vet you choose for the rest of your dog’s life. You can make a change.

So, never feel stuck. You can easily get your dog’s records and go elsewhere if needed.

Final Thoughts

The right vet can make a major difference in your pet’s quality of life and your peace of mind. As a rescue, we’ve been fortunate to find a veterinarian who gets us in for appointments quickly and doesn’t try to nickel and dime us.

That kind of relationship doesn’t just happen. It starts with choosing the right person from the start. Take your time, ask questions, and trust your instincts.