Choosing a vet can be tricky. You want a doc and staff who know their stuff, convenient hours, close to home, fair prices, and more. Maybe you want somebody who remembers your pet’s name, or has a gentle hand, or seems to genuinely love all animals.
Choosing a vet can get even trickier if you’re dealing with an exotic pet. It’s a relatively safe bet that any vet you find in the phone book can handle dogs and cats — but can they help your guinea pig? What about your sick fish or lizard? How do you find somebody who specializes, rather than dabbles, in small or exotic pets?
There are a couple of ways you can start your search. I usually go to the internet first — search Google or your favorite search engine for “veterinarian” and the type of pet you have, or “specialist” and the type of pet you have, plus your location. So if I wanted to find a rabbit vet in the Portland area, I’d search “rabbit veterinarian Portland”. I didn’t even put in the state and got a decent list of clinics and hospitals in my area — plus a link to a Rabbit Advocates group with a suggested list of bunny-friendly vets.
If you’re not search-savvy, you can always try the yellow pages. The display ads may include lists of small or exotic animals that a particular office is capable of treating.
But let’s say your initial search turns up too many options and you want to narrow things down. Maybe you know other small or exotic pet owners in your area — ask which vet they use. Maybe there’s a small or exotic pet rescue or enthusiasts club in your area — give them a call or shoot them an email and see if they recommend any specialists.
It’s best to do all this research BEFORE your pet gets sick — maybe even before you bring a new pet into your home. Better to know in advance then to have to scramble in an emergency, right? I’ll admit that I chose my current vet in an emergency — I wasn’t expecting Moose to need stitches within a month of moving to Oregon. But I got lucky and found an office I really like.