ddsalazar

What specific questions should I be asking in a search for a vet? Are there some vets with more knowledge about certain breeds than others? Thank you.

Luvbirds59

I used to go by price...now after having lost both my dogs last year, and the bargain vets not properly "attending" to my two baby boys, I have found a new vet for my Petey, who by word of mouth comes extremely, highly recommended. He is fairly young, doesn't believe in over vaccinating, altering males before maturity, and will support my RAW feeding. He listens to what I have to say too, and that is a rare quality!

Carol

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Linda H

A good vet can be hard to find. I went to three when I moved to a city and finally found a good one by word of mouth.
If you keep hearing good things about one vet you are usually on the right track. Try to find real dog lovers and ask who they use.

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MaryAndDobes

Personally, I'd contact Doberman breeders in the area and ask who they go to. They are the ones that would probably own a number of Dobermans, and chances are that their vet would be fairly experienced with Dobermans if they had a Doberman breeder client. I know mine is a lot more Doberman experienced because of me and the things I go through with mine, not to mention the Doberman specific information that I provide to her that she probably wouldn't have known otherwise.

dobes4us

Contacting Doberman breeders is a great idea. Another issue to consider is if they have emergency hours. My vet has someone in his office 24/7.

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Bizzy & Howie

I would imagine any vet would do for a check-up, but the emergency hours are important. This is when you get to see what your vet is made of! Even though I love my vet, she (and other local vets) all use the same emergency veterenary hospital after hours. The hospital is not open during the day on weekdays... it's only there for those strange hours when everything goes wrong. Weird set-up, but works pretty well.

reddobes

Ask breeders, but you can also check with your neighbors who have dogs. Ask for a tour of the clinic - does it look/smell clean? are the people friendly?. You may also want to ask what specialized services they offer, equipment they have for surgeries, etc. (such as ultrasound, endoscopy, artificial inseminations, ear crops, and so on). Ask about the vets.
I have far more respect for someone (of any profession) who admits they don't know the answer to something, but will try to find out/research/etc. than those who act like they know it all and try to BS their way thru if they don't know something. Even if that person has been practicing for 30 years, they don't know EVERYTHING... no one can ...new information comes out all the time. Most importantly, you should feel you can trust them and that they will work with you.
As the others have said, word of mouth is probably the best. Many of our new clients are referred by our breeder clients when they sell a puppy. Our clinic specializes in reproduction so we also have many clients who come here only for that and go to a closer vet for routine things. One of my clients the other day told me how happy she was to come to a clinic where all of the vets were involved in showing dogs and understood about avoiding shaving unless necessary.
Good luck in your search. And trust your gut - if you don't like the vet or don't feel confident in him/her or whatever, get a second opinion, go elsewhere. Just like any profession, there are great vets, ok vets, and crappy vets and it's just as frustrating for us (vets) to deal with the aftermath of crappy vets as it for the clients.

reddobes

Just a note... please don't overlook the importance of routine check-ups. A good vet will be thorough and may catch something early. I can't tell you the number of times I've found something different than what the pet came in for -- lumps, tumors, heart murmurs, etc. (and often on dogs that came in for vaccines or to just check an ear or whatever).
So I would have to disagree that "any vet" will do for a check-up. Having a good vet may well save you (and your dog) in the long run!

doberkim

while i am biased, being a vet myself, you've gotten some good advice from people already.

1) any vet should be happy to give you an impromptu tour of the hospital. i've sometimes avoided a certain area (ie if we have surgeries going on), or I will ask them to wait if we have a fractious dog or cat out there, but anyone is welcome to tour the hospital at any times.

2) anyone is welcome to accompany their dog at any time. you are NOT allowed to hold them for restraint, but you can certainly watch us restrain.

3) do a well visit. check them out when NOTHING IS WRONG - its a pity to find out you hate your vet when its an emergency and your animal is sick. how do they relate to your dog, how does your dog relate to them? what is their vaccine protocol, do you agree with it? what about feeding?

4) something i really find important, is how often do they recommend bloodwork? some people think that vets that do it cheaply are better and vets are out there just to make money. the fact is, no animal should EVER have anesthesia without full bloodwork. an animal SHOULD have blood yearly - you can decline it, but if your vet doesn't recommend it, why not?

take time, get to know them. not every practice has emergency hours, but every vet is required by law to have SOMEONE covering their emergency hours in most states, even if it is just a referral to a nearby clinic.

for my exotic practice, a lot is word of mouth. im well known in that circle, running the largest rescue on the east coast, and i get people driving a few hours to see me. i also do a lot of rescue dobe work, for a variety of places and people. im always honest with what i will and will not do - im lucky that i can refer everyone who wants their dobes cropped (i simply have not been trained to do it) to sophia koster, too.

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