A few things I also consider when choosing a new vet is that they r open 2 your views and beliefs on jabs, feeding, especially when feeidng Raw, what I hate is when vets give me a condascending lecture on bones etc, even though they don't know anything really about nutrition, also discusisng pros and cons of treatment rather than again a tendancy 2 lecture and that "they know best", they don't know my dog, I do

I've also found a few vets in the past who r breed specific in that they don't actually like my breed, or don't fully underatand their traits, for example my old girl was a talker, anyone who knows anything bout Rotties know they can b talkers, I had 1 vet who told me 2 control her and that he didn't like Rotties and wouldn't look at her til I muzzled her, told him where 2 go, she wasn't aggressive, far from it!!

__________________
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."
Martin Luther King Jr.

My surgery isn't on the fab list and only has one main vet! I love my surgery regardless though.

Our vet is lovely and has a good hand with animals, Sooty didn't mind him poking and prodding, neither does Benji. He gives special ear rubs after Benji barely noticed when he was taking his temp! He is honest and up front with possible diagnoses and if he has had trouble diagnosing (some of you will know Sootys history with the haematoma which ended up being a symptom of the fact a tumor was eating through his pelvis) he hasn't been afraid to ask colleagues in other branches or at the hospital.

The premises are clean and fairly quiet, I often see him disinfecting his tools and the table without knowing I'm there yet so I know he is quite meticulous about it which is what I would expect.

The vet nurses are lovely and always know when its me calling and are very sympathetic and happy to listen to me waffle on.

They are flexible in many ways like considering treatment and diagnosis options and taking in to account my opinion our financial situation, and big bills they let me pay off as and when I can.

Quite honestly I can't fault my practice even though they don't meet everybody's standards!

__________________
Mummy to;

Sooty 9.6.1996 - 28.04.2011 Rest in peace my love!
Storm (Sueragdandy Phantom) 28.02.2010
Benji (Kassaro Benjamin Franklyn) 08.03.2011

Agree with everything mentioned, especially OOH cover, lots of vets specialising in different things so they can confer on cases, and this I've quoted...steer clear of anyone who is happy to employ non-RCVS registered veterinary nurses, all nurses should either be enrolled students, listed or registered veterinary nurses, anyone else calling themselves a veterinary nurse has not done the relevant training...and a lay person is allowed to monitor an anaesthetic, so if they're not listed or registered you could have a non-qualified person monitoring your pets anaesthetic. Where I work we will not employ nurses who are not enrolled students or listed or registered, it's disrespectful to us nurses who have worked hard to get where we are and care about our patients and standards of care, and IMO could be dangerous for the patients.

Missye - Not being on the lists doesn't necessarily rule out your practice as being a good one ( as you've mentioned yourself! ) and I like the fact that your vet was consulting with other colleagues and his approach to diagnoses.

One of the best vets I ever had was quite open if he didn't actually know what was wrong with my cat on the first visit which is fair enough in my view! I never viewed this as a reflection of his skills and knowledge. How could he without any diagnostics? I could always tell as well he had a genuine interest in the cats and was very enthusiastic about his job. Ability to communicate effectively with clients is also very important - it is always possible to explain even complicated conditions using terms non-professional will understand! It's vital we owners know exactly what's wrong with our animals!

I think you've raised some other excellent points owners also need to consider. Hygiene and cleanliness are very important and something to look on when you first visit the premises. Having a look around the animal accommodation area is also advised ( though at times not always possible ) but I'd be wary if repeated requests were turned down.

I also like your vet's approach in dealing with your pets. How your vet handles animals is very important in my view. A vet visit is stressful enough and rough handling is very offputting. I remember being quite annoyed when an emergency vet tried to drag one of mine out of the cage! I remember thinking if this is the way he behaves in the owner's presence, well...........

Doolally-Agreed about the vet nurses! Apparently anyone can call themselves a vet nurse which is quite worrying indeed! Owners do need to confirm how many qualified nurses are employed there. Some practices do employ Animal Care Assistants and we need to draw a distinction between the two.

Likewise, this may appear obvious but nevertheless it worth checking when you visit if all the vets employed there are actually registered with the RCVS? I would even take it one step further and check the register yourself because as far as I'm aware, a vet who has been struck off can still practice while an appeal is pending!! This is of grave concern to me! It's also worth noting that not all practices in the UK have been inspected and approved by the RCVS,

Additionally and worth noting - the RCVS has introduced the Practice Standards Scheme in an effort to encourage veterinary practices to participate and work towards achieving some standards for the benefit of the practice. It operates on a tiering system with Tier 1 being of basic standard and Tier 3 being the highest ie Veterinary Hospital with 24-hour care facilities. However, I must stress that this is a voluntary process and I would prefer to see it as a statutory one, not only to improve access to information for us clients but also with a view to tighter regulation of the profession, similar to the GMC for doctors.

I would view this as a very useful guide in assisting us in our selection process.

About the Practice Standards Scheme - RCVS

Couple of points:

Not only is the equipment vital but the size of the op table, especially if you have large breed as damage can be done whilst they are under anaesthetic to their necks if the head slips off the table!

Which out of hours vet does the practice use? Very important to check them out also.

Personally I would like to see statistics on how well they perform (similar to the health service) - postcode lottery etc.

I got a bit nosey and looked up my practice and local hospital. The hospital was tier 3, but it didn't mention anything about the practice. The hospital is Goddard as well, so doesn't use Vet Now.

The surgery is equipped with radiology and operation theatre which I knew. I also got to see the back of the practice on the day Sooty was pts. It was clean, tidy albeit quite small. It wasn't very modern but that means nothing to me really, as long as it's clean. Sooty seemed to be quite happy in there, he had a toilet and his food and they used towels as beds for ease of washing. He was comfortable and that satisfied me.

I wouldn't swap my vet for the world at the moment, I'm happy with him, he is passionate about animals and he has an obvious good hand with them which is a huge difference to the vet we had over in Sweden

__________________
Mummy to;

Sooty 9.6.1996 - 28.04.2011 Rest in peace my love!
Storm (Sueragdandy Phantom) 28.02.2010
Benji (Kassaro Benjamin Franklyn) 08.03.2011

Living in Selby, there are a very limited number of vets, and I'd have to venture out on the train to either York or Leeds to find one on the FAB list Which is alright to do, however not great in emergencies!! (The train services aren't reliable either!)

Plus, my vet (in Selby) is really expensive - because it's the only one!

But as long as my kitties are treated properly, i'm happy to take them there

__________________

Finding a good veterinary practice may be a big challenge. You can take advices and recommendations from other pet owners. They can explain to you everything with their experience so that you may take decision easily. And you will also feel more secure when you know that your choice is being used by many people. You can also do inquiries to check about the vet and and his reputation.

Pet Insurance

__________________
"A house is not a home without a pet."

I'm afraid I have just had a cat tragedy with one of the veterinary practices on this list - I took my happy, active 12 yr old in for a dental last week. First, they rang to say they had broken her jaw when taking out a tooth but they had pinned it and she was recovering from the anaesthetic. Within the hour they rang back to say she was dead. She was a small cat and I think it likely they gave her too much anaesthetic while doing all this. I am completely devastated - to think I took her and left her to her death for no good reason.

I am not sure this list is any guarantee of good practice.

We have had two vets over the years of being cat owners, I look for a vet just the same way I look for a family doctor, asking lots of questions. I prefer a vet that is a pet owner, just what I prefer, doesn't mean it guarantees that their a better vet, but both our vets were and are amazing and they had pets. We also like a vet that does home visits, in case our cats are sick, just like when we're sick and don't feel like going out, they may feel the same way. We also prefer an experience vet, sorry no freshly out of school veterinarians for us, and a vet that has a way for you to contact him/her after hours, sickness is unpredictable and doesn't always happen during business hours. We always check out the facility, my cats are princesses and deserve only the best, so if a clinic isn't clean and welcoming, then on to the next one. Another important aspect to a vet is someone who is easy to talk to, willing and available to answer your questions, patient and understands that your cat/cats is your family and needs to be treated as such. Our vet is wonderful, the most patient man I have every met who truly loves animals. Our youngest, Bella, is a handful, love her, but that's the truth, and he is so gently and patient. I can call him up and ask him any question, he's always willing to answer and his secretaries are great, organized, call me to remind me off appointments and annual physicals, wow this post was way longer than I intended, oh well.

__________________
Owner Of Two Beautiful Healthy Cats, 18 and 2.
The Protect Your Pet Card lets emergency services know that your a pet owner in an emergency where you can't, keeping your pet safe. Visit http://www.cat-health-101.com/protec...-pet-card.html to find out more.