How to Pick Your Vet
Posted by Jeanne on March 12, 2009
In so far as possible, pick your veterinarian the way you would a doctor for yourself. Look for a man of acknowledged medical skill, who inspires confidence and whose fees seem reasonable. You may not have a wide selection, since veterinarians are distributed rather more thinly than M.D.’s. Nevertheless, there should be one or two within a reasonable radius.
Just any doctor may not be good enough. Although times are changing, there are still a number of veterinarians who may be great with dogs or horses, yet not so sharp with cats. This may be due to a lack of interest in cats or to active dislike of them. Not all pet doctors are equally keen about treating all the patients that come their way. It’s also possible that if people don’t place much value on cats the veterinarian does not treat enough of them to become expert in their care and treatment.
It must also be understood that cats are difficult to treat. As any cat owner knows, they put up a terrific fight against restraint, against medication, against undignified handling of any sort. They don’t like strange places and are suspicious of strange people. Often they don’t like traveling. Put all these together and you have a fine description of a trip to the vet’s to see what ails kitty.
She will be alarmed by the dogs in the doctor’s waiting room. She will dig her claws deep to climb out of any arms that try to hold her. She will lick off her medicines, spit out her pills, rip and tear at bandages and stitches. And she will dislike staying in a little cage at the pet hospital.
If she is in for surgery, she can be knocked out — struggling to the end — with an anesthetic, yet even then she presents problems. Being much smaller than most dogs, she gives the doctor very little room to work in and requires that he be especially dexterous and nimble in operating.
All of this is reflected in the attitude some veterinarians take toward cats.
If you are determined to have top-notch care available for your cat, try to find out ahead of time where your local doctor stands. Call his pet hospital and see if you can arrange a casual visit. Most veterinarians are proud of their establishments and will be pleased to have you come by — at an off-hour, when they’re not up to their ears in patients.
A clean and tidy hospital speaks well for the veterinarian. So does a D.V.M. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) diploma from a good school and a certificate from the American Veterinary Medical Association. So does the manner of his helper or nurse. So does the presence in his office of current professional journals, which suggests that he’s keeping up in his field.
The personality of the man, of course, will tell you most of all. Not about his skill: he could be an old grump toward people and yet have a healing touch with your pet. Usually, however, people who like animals can spot one another, and in a veterinarian the qualities of kindness and interest go a long way toward giving you confidence in him.
If you decide to do nothing beforehand, you will still learn a great deal the first time it becomes necessary to take your pet in for treatment. How he handles the cat and talks to her, how normal and easy he makes his procedures seem, will all be indications of his competence. Veterinarians are not magicians, and a wall-climbing cat will give anyone trouble. But it is also true that an astonishing number of vets are able to calm your wild-eyed cat more quickly than you can.
Little things also can mean much. At least one doctor won over at least one human, whose cat had a painfully broken leg, by asking first the cat’s name and then what she liked best to eat. These small touches guaranteed that among strangers she would have an identity, and that nothing was too good if it would help ease her suffering.
Fees will vary from area to area and from doctor to doctor, and are difficult to judge. High fees do not necessarily mean the vet is money-mad. He may well be good enough to rate every penny. And, by the same token, inexpensive care does not always mean bad care. Remember, too, that many of the life-saving wonder drugs are now in use for pets, and they’re about as expensive for cats as for you. What adds up to a reasonable fee is something you will have to decide for yourself.
Finally, if you’re settled on a veterinarian follow his instructions faithfully and don’t try to second-guess him. You can change to another doctor if you have reason to be dissatisfied, but while you’re using his services don’t try to pretend you know more than he does.
Human beings, being human, have been known to give up on a regimen of cat care — because it’s too difficult to give the cat medicine, or to get a stool specimen, or to keep her confined — and then blame the veterinarian when there’s no improvement in the cat’s condition.
The four basic points in any relationship with a veterinarian are:
- Satisfy yourself that you’ve got a good person.
- Keep your cat healthy, but be alert for signs of trouble.
- Don’t try to diagnose illness; for yourself. Get professional help.
- Always follow the veterinarian’s instructions to the letter.
, and any emergency numbers as well. For some, this might end up being the best option for their cat.