How to Find a Good Veterinarian

If you've recently brought home a new pet or you've moved with your pet, finding a veterinarian is probably on your to-do list. The following are some guidelines to help you find a vet near you. While it's by no means an exhaustive list, it can help pinpoint the right person for you and for your animal.

Guidelines to find a veterinarian

Willingness to listen, answer questions, and communicate easily: You want to feel comfortable asking your veterinarian anything — especially if you're new to taking care of a pet or a certain medical condition — and have the vet give you information in a way that you can understand and use it.

Kindness and patience: A good vet should be able to walk you through how to care for your pet without making you feel inept or confused.

Professional skills: Does the vet keep up with the latest developments in the veterinary field that will help your animal?

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See how your community is doing

We've seen tremendous momentum and success so far, and we are so close to achieving no-kill around the entire country. Knowing where each shelter and community stands not only helps determine the best way to move forward, but it also helps track the progress we’re making together.

Accessibility: Will the vet be available, especially in a crisis?

Generous nature: Are you just a money machine for your vet’s office? You want to feel as if they are taking into account your costs, especially if you are in rescue work and are bringing in a lot of animals.

Love of animals: You'll definitely want a vet who loves animals as much as you do — and who doesn't make you feel as though the care they provide is just "business" or "work." How does the vet interact with your pet? Are they warm, comfortable, and considerate of your pet's needs? Does the vet's advice always center on the well-being of the animal?

Referral from a friend: This can be a good way to find a vet. But remember that just because the referral came from a friend, it doesn't mean that the vet will be right for you and your needs. If something doesn't feel like a good fit, move on.

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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.