Ask around in your local area for opinions and references on the vet that you are considering. DO NOT be afraid to change vets if you are not happy with their service. Always follow your heart.
Some Questions To Ask:
What are your hours/days of business?
- What are your after-hours / emergency care procedures / policies?
- Am I allowed to call the doctor at home after business hours if I have a true emergency or must I travel to my nearest ER vet?
- Do you offer injectible bordatella (kennel cough) vaccines rather than the nasally-administered vaccine? (Much better to stay with injectible-only vaccines for bulldogs and other short-muzzled breeds.)
- What is your standard office visit fee? How much will it be when I bring my new puppy in for its second set of shots and a stool check?
- How much is the Rabies vaccine if my dog is there for a routine visit? Do you offer Rabies vaccine CLINICS each year? If so, how much would the Rabies vaccine be at the clinic?
- How old must my puppy be, or how much must my puppy weigh before it’s old enough to be spayed / neutered?
- What are the price ranges for that surgery? (Our dogs range from 55 – 85 lbs as adults.)
- If my puppy has a belly-button (umbilical hernia – happens from time to time), how much extra do you charge to correct that during spay/neuter surgery?
- May I drop off my dog early in the morning and pick him up after work? Is there an extra charge for my dog to stay with you during the appointment day?
What is your procedure if an animal believed to be infected with Parvo or Distemper happens to walk into your office? (This is a real danger to young puppies! Please carry your puppy into the vet’s office and do NOT let your puppy touch the floor or the ground of suspicious environments… your puppy will not be protected against fatal diseases until he has received at least 3 rounds of puppy shots. Even then, please use caution before exposing your new puppy to high-animal-traffic areas. Distemper/Parvo is extremely easy to pass from animal-to-animal AND from PEOPLE-to-animal just from simple contact with an infected animal.)