How to choose a vet

Let's make things crystal clear: I have nothing, no ax to grind, and no issue whatsoever with veterinarians, not even the ones that "took care" of Pillow when he passed. Some wonder why, considering the number of mistakes made: it's simply because I, too, worked in administrations where humans, never mind dogs, were treated like statistics.

It wasn't the staff's fault: they meant well and likely wanted Pillow to survive. Instead, the errors occurred because we as customers often overlook obvious issues when all is going well. For example, a medical chain carrying the name of a respected physician could have varying levels of quality between franchises.

Being the owner of 3 dogs for over seven years, I noticed that some practices act one way while others have entirely different protocols. Advertising is easy: delivering a good service is a completely different ballgame.

Here's how to pick a good vet:

A good veterinarian runs their practice

While trying out multiple veterinarians over the years and noticed a trend: some owned their practice outright, or at least the "resident vets" barely change over time. Your dog would be seen by the same person each time, and whoever was in charge didn't have to read 300 pages of notes to "get up to speed".

On the other hand, when Pillow died, I couldn't even tell you the name of the veterinarian in charge: was it Sarah? Miguel? John? They rotated every day. Even the nursing staff rotated. It was mayhem, and the reception area, filled to the brim with animals, was probably a reflection of the administration of that place.

Google Reviews discrepancies

If you're not happy with your current vet, change it. When looking for a vet, use the same technique many use to select restaurants: go for the highest number of reviews possible that show the lowest possible discrepancies between the 5 stars and the 1 stars.

This can be difficult to understand so here's a visual example:

At first glance, the one on the right hand side is "not too bad" with a 4.2 average. I would eat in a 4.2 average restaurant. But pay extra attention to the abnormally high number of bad reviews. Upon reading them, I learned that what represented ⅕ of the customers complained about behaviour that led to the direct death of their beloved pets. This isn't just bad - it's catastrophic. It's a death trap.

The one on the left, on the other hand, has a normal "Pareto curve" distribution, and the same number of customers' reviews. Review manipulation aside, this paints a far more reassuring picture. Reading the bad reviews show people complaining about "prices" and a couple aren't even in English. That veterinarian is technically a 5 star. Guess which one I would go to?

You are not bound by some bizarre, marketing-driven moral agreement to stay with your current veterinarian. Standards can drop. Management can change. COVID has affected everyone. If the worse should happen, you can and will replay the situation in your head a hundred times. Please, don't let this be a factor, and put the odds on your dog's side.

A veterinarian is not scared of dogs

My little Pillow was a growler. At six years old, he had evidently "bonded" to my family and didn't like being manhandled by strangers. I once took him to a veterinarian who threw a sausage at him, injected him sub-cutaneously twice, and even did the "nose-shot" for the Kennel Cough vaccine. Not a bark, not a nip. Nothing. A passive and happy dog.

Compare this to the practice where I once was told "five nurses were required to hold him down," and the "lead veterinarian" had to wear... chainmail gloves! Yes, chainmail in 2022. Imagine the trauma the dog had to go through, being pinned down by five humans three times his weight each. Needless to say, going to the first veterinarian, Pillow was wagging his tail at the former but running in the other direction when in sight of the latter.

A veterinarian continues to learn

A good veterinarian admits when they don't know a condition and are keen to acquire new information. AI, genomic research and statistical analysis have revealed incredible new information about canine disorders that would have been nothing short of a miracle ten years ago.

I was lucky enough to talk to one of the leading veterinarians specializing in Shar Peis. She was kind enough to write a full report on how to treat Pillow before he passed. She preemptively foresaw multiple associated disorders in the report. I was subsequently told that because the staff had rotated yet again (remember point one?), that letter never made it to the veterinarian who last saw him. They never benefited from her extraordinary experience and new information that had been passed to them.

Veterinarians do not live in ivory towers

When Pillow was sick and eventually passed, we must have been able to talk to what sounded like an exasperated staff member about six times over the phone, 10 minutes each time, over the phone. Why couldn't we meet them in person? After all, the dog was under their care. Using "Reception" as a magical filter and not letting anyone through, even as a dog is at death's door is unacceptable. It's also a sign of being overworked, disorganized and unprofessional.

On the other hand, the aforementioned Shar Pei expert was able to stay in touch with us and answer the phone and text messages in real-time. They can and should be able to answer your questions. For an hourly fee, of course, but they should be able to.