I have been fortunate because I have a vet who is caring and who also has
excellent skills.  I have used the same vet for 25 years, starting when he
was a newly-arrived vet in town.  He is very open to referrals to
specialists, when needed.  (Be very leery of anyone who seems to hesitate if
you want a specialist, a second opinion, or copies of your records.)  By
contrast, my sister has one of those vets who I really would classify as
less-than-competent.  So far, I haven't been able to talk her into trying
anyone else -- not because she thinks he is so great but because he is
nearby.  You cannot expect all vets to be equally competent, just as you
cannot expect all MDs to be equally competent.  There are wide variations in
skills, specialties, and attitude.

As to your question about what to look for:  Check with people in your
community who have frequent contact with veterinarians, but *not* people who
would look only at cost (although that can be a factor).  For example, do
you have animal shelters and rescue groups in your area?  That would be a
good place to start -- but be sure to ask questions about competence and a
caring attitude, not just cost because many of those facilities are forced
by economics to use the lowest-priced care for their own patients.  Do you
have any friends who take extra-good care of their cats and who would have a
long history with a particular vet or clinic?  They can be excellent sources
of information.  Don't hesitate to check with the clinic to see what
equipment they have, what the typical waiting time is for an appointment,
how they handle walk-in emergencies, and similar needs.  Despite my
statement that you should not look *only* at cost, that obviously is a
consideration, so it would be a good idea to get estimated costs for typical
procedures.  You might also want to ask about continuing education because
vets who regularly attend conferences and take extra courses are more likely
to remain up-to-date on treatment.

MaryL

I prefer a cat-only veterinary clinic.

At least at those clinics there is some measure of specialization and
thus more of an indepth feline knowledge and the notion that those vets
working there are very likely feline fans.

Brian wrote:

I look at length of time a practice has been around and length of time the
vets at the practice have been there, first.

Then I want to know what they do for the community. Do they
participate in TNR programs etc.?

Once those requirements are met, I do my own research into
every health condition that comes up before I allow the vet to
do anything to my cat--if I can. Since I have never had a
sudden emergency I have always been able to. Used judiciously
the Internet is a treasure trove of good information.

Nobody is perfect. I check up on my own doctors as well before I let
them do anything to me or prescribe anything for me.

find out if they hire certified technicians or just people off the street to
care for your pets.

Kim

Brian Link <blink@visi.com> wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

You really just go by gut instinct and ask lots of questions.  If the
answers are direct and to the point, they know their stuff, and if the
response is meandering and vague, they're bluffing.

I adore our new vet since moving.  When Kami had her asthma attack in
LA, we were given two different drugs, and the ER vet said at the first
sign use the Breathine and if it gets worse, the prednisone.  I went
over the instructions with the new vet and she said to go straight for
the prednisone.  Why?  Both drugs are bad for the kidneys, so go for
the big guns that will stop it so you don't have to give any more.  Her
logic is impeccable.  

Very, very bad, vets, like most doctors, trading on their diplomas
instead of their actual knowledge which is mostly by rote. But that's
true for all doctors of any stripe.

But if the school and the teaching is bad? I have seen truly terrible
vets and their students at one of the best vet schools in the country,
an ivy-league vet school, deaf, dumb and blind is how I would describe
the vet students I met here. But there's a chance they will get better.
Things are getting better but they were truly terrible at one point and
churning out a lot of bad vets.

I ask and ask again. A good local vet missed parasites that I diagnosed
sight unseen for someone. So I file that away. This vet appears to be
good for emergencies but dishes out too many it's the food as the
cause. In this case, missing parasites was just plain dumb on her part.
However, she did stay up with a very sick cat so for emergencies she
might be good.

Another vet I noticed had really good hands but not the academic
knowledge. And vice versa for yet a third vet, who was board certified
in her specialty but had clumsy and awkward hands, not a good vet for
handling the little critters.

I think that in general, vets are getting better. The ones I remember
from years ago were just terrible. Now I see some rather kind and
knowledgeable people. But I still remember that over-rated vet school
and the mistakes they made while pretending to be the best.

I better quit before I start naming names.

They all pass vet boards - some with better grades than others.  Some
have better bed-side manner than others; some have better ethics than
others.

Do they suggest multiple tests for fairly simple illnesses? (e.g. Do
they seem eager to get you to spend money?)

I have seen vets convince people to throw literally thousands of
dollars at hopeless cases.  Not all vets are altruistic.

Do they offer you multiple treatment plans or choices in ways to treat
an illness?  The choice in treatment should be your's, with very little
pressure from them.

I used to be a lot more trusting than I am now.  I had a vet
misdiagnose my dog and it cost her at least a year of her life, maybe
more.  Now I am more leery.

In terms of finding a vet, this is what I recommend:

1. Get recommendations from friends and/or neighbors.   Ask them why
they do and do not like their vet.   Another good source is breed
rescue groups...they often deal with sick or ailing animals, and
should be able to recommend some good vets.  Ask your local HS/shelter
if they use any local vets and/or if any local vets donate their time
to the HS/shelter.

2. Schedule a "get acquainted" visit, before you need to use their
services.  Ask information  about their qualifications, length of
service, professional affiliations, areas of expertise and ideology.
Your ideology should jive with theirs. (Ask questions about their
feelings on spay/neuter, declawing, tail docking and ear cropping,
breeding, vaccinations, etc.)

3. Call your local veterinary lisencing board, and ask if there have
been complaints filed against a specific vet.  This information should
be easy to obtain as it is a matter of public record. (They may charge
you a report fee).

4.  Call the BBB, and see if there are claims against the practice.  A
vet practice should have a good record with the BBB.

5. Ask to tour the facility.  They may need to schedule a tour, but
they should allow it, regardless.  You should be able to tour the
entire facility except for the isolation ward.  Cats and dogs should be
housed separately, and the facility should be clean and tidy unless it
is really early in the AM when they do clean-up from the night before
(which can be chaotic).

6.  All vets should be willing to supply written estimates.  If  they
won't, don't patronize them.

HTH,
-L.

In my personal experience, the few who know what they're doing seemed
to gravitate toward product promotions, increased fees while degrading
their customer service, less face time and a more "test" environment
than a "solution" environment.  I had one vet, who I thought was pretty
good, who eventually went from "here is the problem, do this and your
dog will be fine," to "let's try this $500 test and see if that does
any good"...or, "let's try this expensive diet and see if that does any
good."

Since I relocated a few years ago, I've found nothing but very
high-priced, ineffective vets (so far).  I've turned to the library and
the Internet to read and learn what I can, because for my dog's
situation, the advice and techniques that I've found on the 'net are
light years' better than any result of a test I've subjected him to, or
the diet.

I recently posted about my neighbor's experience with their cat...the
vet did not do fundamental analysis that led to a horrific result for
their family.